Applause, Applause!

Congratulations are in order for some of your fantastic volunteers!

Congratulations to John Monk. John won the YMCA award for Social Responsibility. Well Done John!!

John Monk and most of the Lebanon Co Special Olympics Power Lifting Team

Congratulations to Michelle Voydik! Michelle won Lebanon County Council of Human Services Community Service Award. Michelle does great work in her Community of Richland and volunteers for Special Olympics Lebanon County. 

Michelle on left. Gwen, president of LCCHS on the right.

Congratulations to Rebecca Curran. She won the Isaiah Leadership Award from the YMCA. Rebecca does great work in Lebanon Schools and also volunteers for Special Olympics Lebanon County.

Jessie's Blog: 10 Reasons Why I Loved Fall Fest at Villanova 2013

Villanova University's Special Olympics Committee organizes the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world, the SOPA fall state games. Villanova was the official host of the SOPA fall state games, held November 1st-3rd, for the 25th year! The students comprising the "SpO" committee work year round to organize every aspect of the festival. VU's campus hosts over 1000 athletes, 400 coaches, 2000 volunteers, and the many corporate sponsors and media outlets who cover the event. The athletes participating in the Fall Festival compete in 6 Olympic-type sports, and engage in other activities, such as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the pomp and circumstance of the lighting and carrying of the Olympic Torch, the Parade of Athletes, an Olympic Town, and a Victory Dance.

 Dr. Timothy P. Shriver was the keynote speaker this year. He is the chairman and CEO of Special Olympics, and in that capacity, he serves nearly 4 million SO athletes and their families in 180 countries. Also this year, we were pleased to have Tim Harris as a speaker. Tim is a SO athlete, Global Messenger, and an independent restaurant owner.

 **10 Reasons why I Loved Attending the 2013 Fall Festival at Villanova**

1) Three whole days to get away!>

2) I was able to show what I worked so hard for.

3) I was made to feel like a star. (ie- Being cheered on before lifting!)

4) Meeting Dr. Timothy Shriver, who was very gracious greeting me and everyone else warmly!

5) Opening Ceremony as a portal to a long-established tradition, including the presenting of the colors, the Olympic Torch, the Parade of Athletes, and the reciting of the SO Oath.

6) The events focused on the athletes' strengths, not weaknesses.

7) The competition: Being cheered on as an athlete who has trained and is now competing to the best of his/her ability, and being watched by those who understand and cheer us on.

8) The Olympic Town: Just having fun wandering around, playing games, winning prizes, and making crafts with fellow athletes, friends, and family.

9) The Victory Dance: Just plain old fun!  Dancing in a packed "mob" where it's hard to discern what your differences are. Everyone was invited into the "circle of dancing" and no one was left out. The loud music, low lights, and group dancing helped to make the environment inclusive and contributed to the feeling of just "being in the moment!"  

10) The Awards Ceremony: Standing among the other athletes while receiving our medals and ribbons!

Speaking as both an Athlete Rep and an Athlete, I want to thank everyone who made this event possible for me to participate in the SOPA Fall Festival hosted by Villanova for the 25th year! I want to especially thank the Villanova Special Olympics Committee for organizing this event, and all of the volunteers who helped make the Fall Festival successful!

Sincerely,

Jessie Salness,

Your Lebanon County SOPA Athlete Representative

Jessie's Blog: Thank You Coaches

I have been involved with Special Olympics for two years, having participated in Powerlifting and Track and Field.  Therefore I have only had two coaches thus far.  Taking that into account, I have to say that I am impressed with the dedication of our coaches who volunteer for SOPA, as there are plenty of volunteer opportunities that might be easier.  It takes a special kind of person to coach a SOPA sport.  It takes hard work, patience, kindness, toughness, and the ability to coach.  I'm writing this blog as a Thank You note to all of the coaches of SOPA.  I know a lot of hard work goes into being a coach, both work that is easily visible and the things that we athletes don't see!  Thank you for putting the time and effort into coaching us athletes; it means more than you know! 

Here are a few reasons why I wanted to thank my coaches:

You push me to try my best even when I am distracted and tired.

You are there to celebrate my successes, small and large!

You opened the world of sports to me, as I would not be an athlete without you!

You have taught me that I can do more than I ever thought possible, both physically and mentally!

On behalf of the SOPA athletes, I would like to send a giant THANK YOU to all of our dedicated coaches!  Your time, effort, persistence, and support helps mold us into better athletes and more successful individuals!

Sincerely,

Jessie Salness

Lebanon County SOPA Athlete Representative

Jessie's Blog: Annual Fall Sports Classic

The 10th Annual Fall Sports Classic was held in Hershey on Sunday, September 22nd, at Hershey High School, hosted by Area M SOPA.  I had the pleasure of participating as a power lifter.  I had a lot of fun!  The opening ceremonies were enjoyable, just long enough but not too long!  The cheerleaders were fun to watch and the speakers were informative.

I went to the weight room for my events, the bench press and dead lifts.  I was pleased as an athlete to see how smoothly things appeared to go.  If there were any problems, I didn't notice!  The rooms were filled with people who were engaged, focused, and thrilled to be there.  I enjoyed the cheering during the times I lifted, both during bench press and dead lifts, and I heard cheering for all of the athletes throughout the day.  There was an overall sense of encouraging each other, and personally, I was so uplifted that I lifted more than I every did before.  I bench pressed 85 lbs, and I dead lifted 195 lbs, and I really felt like all the practicing and hard work paid off!  I would like to thank my coach, John Monk, for teaching me how to lift, and how to prepare physically and mentally. 

The Olympic Village was lots of fun, and the volunteers were super nice and encouraging.  It was nice to "blow off steam" and play games and win prizes too.  It was a great environment for the athletes to spend time having fun with their family members and teammates.  The prizes were awesome, ranging from t-shirts to stickers and patches.  I think everybody appreciated the variety and plethora of prizes!

I had a great time, and I hope everyone else did too.  I want to give a big THANK YOU to Area M for hosting the 10th Annual Fall Sports Classic.  Also, please remember to thank your coaches, family members, and volunteers for all they do to assist and inspire us, whether we are practicing or competing.

Sincerely,

Jessie Salness

Lebanon County SOPA Athlete Representative

Jessie's Blog: All in the Family

As Special Olympics athletes, our families can be our greatest source of support, encouragement, and comfort.  They can play many roles for us: chauffeur, coach, cheerleader, and as needed, drill sergeant!!!  They have helped us become the people we are today.  I want to send a big "thank you" to family and people who are like family to the athletes.  As the Lebanon County Athlete Representative, I want to acknowledge that we would not be as successful without the support of our families and caregivers.  I don't think we give enough kudos to them since it is easier to see what the volunteers and coaches are doing.  I want to recognize this often-overlooked part of our team!  We would not have such a great team of athletes if it wasn't for the families and caregivers being so engaged and putting their time and effort into the Special Olympics.

The Special Olympics is pushing us athletes to do things we've never done before, and it takes a lot of trust and courage for you, the family members, to encourage us to try things that we may have never thought were possible!  You want the best for us and want to protect us, but you are still cheering us to take on new physical and mental challenges as athletes. 

We are not guaranteed gold medals, but what we are guaranteed is the opportunity to train and compete to the best of our abilites!  Always remember our Special Olympics Oath:

"Let me win, but if I cannot win, Let me be brave in the attempt."

Thank you to our parents and loved ones for encouraging us to be brave in our attempts, and supporting our participation as Special Olympics athletes!

Sincerely,

Jessie Salness

Lebanon County Special Olympics Athlete Representative

Jessie's Blog: MLK & EKS

I was really inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr's speech "I Have a Dream"
and the March on Washington in 1963, 50 years ago. I am impressed by what
has changed in race relations since then, yet I'm saddened by what has not
yet changed.

Another great thing that occurred one year before King's inspiring speech
was the inception of the Special Olympics in Eunice Kennedy Shriver's
backyard. "Camp Shriver" was first hosted there in the summer of 1962.
Eunice had a sister with an intellectual disability and in the late 1950's
and early 60's, she saw little justice in the way people with I.D. were
treated. As an athlete in college, she saw that sports could be a common
ground to unite folks from all walks of life. The idea behind that first
Camp Shriver began to grow, and in July 1968, the first International
Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago, Illinois.

As Special Olympics has developed over the years, there has been more
diversity amongst the athletes, and Special Olympics continues to embrace
these differences that define our athletes. Remember, we are defined by our
ABILITIES, not our disabilities. As Special Olympics continues to grow, and
Eunice's original vision of uniting people from all walks of life is
continually celebrated, we have seen an increase of folks with Developmental
Disabilities among our athletes. There has been a large increase in athletes
who are on the Autism Spectrum, and I am pleased that Special Olympics
includes me, as I'm on the Spectrum. One of my goals as Athlete
Representative is to increase awareness of the fact that Special Olympics is
a great opportunity for people with Developmental Disabilities also.

I encourage you to join me in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr's and
Eunice Kennedy Shriver's visions of acceptance and inclusivity, and
celebrate YOU and your fellow athletes incredibly diverse talents and
abilities.


Your Lebanon County Athlete Representative, Jessie Salness

Jessie's Blog: Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day

Hello Fellow Athletes!

We soon will be celebrating the 4th Annual Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day on September 28, 2013!  This is an annual celebration of her life and an invitation to celebrate the theme of "Play Unified to Live Unified."  I want to share a little history about Eunice and Special Olympics with you, so you will understand why it is so important to commemorate this amazing woman!

In June of 1962, Eunice started a day camp for children with intellectual disabilities called "Camp Shriver" in the backyard of her home in Potomac, Maryland.  She had an older sister named Rosemary who had an intellectual disability, and in the late 1950's and early 60's, Eunice saw little justice in the way people with ID were treated.  As an athlete in college, she saw that sports could be a common ground to unite folks from all walks of life.  The idea behind that first Camp Shriver began to grow, as Anne McGlone, a physical education teacher and recipient of a Kennedy Foundation grant, also had an idea for a one-time Olympic-style athletic competition for people with special needs.  Burke approached Shriver to fund the event, and Shriver encouraged Burke to expand on the idea.  At the 1968 games held in Chicago, Illinois, Shriver announced the formation of the Special Olympics, and over 1,000 athletes from across the U.S. and Canada participated.

A few Special Olympics milestones to note:

December 1971: The U.S. Olympic Committee gave the Special Olympics official approval to use the name "Olympics."

February 1988: The International Olympic Committee signs a historic agreement with Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver officially endorsing and recognizing Special Olympics.

July 1988: Special Olympics Unified Sports is launched at the annual SO Conference in Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe, California.  Bowling, volleyball and softball are the first sports included.  Special Olympics Unified Sports offers the opportunity for people with and without intellectual disabilites to play on the same team.

July 1995:  For the first time, people with ID serve as certified officials.

July 2008:  SO celebrates its 40th anniversary with nearly 3 million athletes in over 180 countries.

May 2009:  The U.S. National Portrait Gallery unveils a historic portrait of Eunice, which is the first portrait the Gallery has ever commissioned of an individual who has not served as a U.S. president or First Lady.

August 2009:  The founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, passed away at her family home in Massachusetts.

September 2010:  The first global Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day is held in more than 100 countries to celebrate the vision of the founder of the Special Olympics movement.

I think it is important to celebrate the life of Eunice Kennedy Shriver because of her courage and determination in championing the cause that was not popular or easy given the realities of the day, especially during the 1960's.  She spoke and acted for people who were often not able to speak for themselves, as they did not have the opportunities that we have today.  We have come so far in that we can speak for ourselves, have greater opportunities and rights, especially the right to be included in education and other realms, thanks to people like Eunice Kennedy Shriver.  Special Olympics is in the process of more growth and changes, as we become more athlete-centric and athlete-driven.  Athletes will have more meaningful roles as we increase the level of education to further the Special Olympics athlete-driven mission.  

Join me in spreading the word to celebrate Eunice Kennedy Shriver's life and in remembrance of her on Saturday, September 28th, please take this day to honor the importance of the Special Olympics in your life by celebrating the theme of "Play Unified to Live Unified."

Jessie Salness

Athlete Representative of Lebanon County Special Olympics PA

** Lebanon County will be attending Lebanon Valley College's soccer game on September 21st as part of our EKS plan. Our team will be ball chasers, then at half time will play. There will be a mens and ladies game that day so we will hang out with the teams.  **