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Georgia's Champions

July 2016

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News and Stories

Athlete Learns From A Two-Time Pro BowlerThe weekend of June 4-5 was no ordinary weekend forSpecial Olympics Georgia Athlete, Gibby Durden. Thatweekend, Gibby attended the ProCamps FootballCamp hosted by two-time Pro Bowler and star RunningBack of the Atlanta Falcons, Devonta Freeman.

Gibby, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, wasintegrated into a team of fellow athletes who knew howto play on Gibby's special talent: catching and runningthe football, just like Devonta.

Gibby was such an amazing athlete that he even caught the attention of the footballstar, who spent time throwing the ball back-and-forth with him and evencomplimented him on his athleticism and teamwork. Gibby was also nominated for"Camper of the Day."

Along with the rest of the campers, Gibby learned offensive and defensivetechniques that will make him a weapon on any football team.

"Watch out for Gibby! He has good hands. He's good," his competitors shouted asGibby led his team to two victories at the camp, receiving high-fives by all.

A Permanent Home for Special Olympics GeorgiaExciting news is on the horizon forSpecial Olympics Georgia, and wewant to share it with you first! Aftermany years of due diligence andthoughtful consideration, theSpecial Olympics Georgia Board ofDirectors has launchedour first-ever capital campaignto build a permanentheadquarters in metro Atlantafor Special OlympicsGeorgia and our thousands of athletes, coaches, volunteers and families.

In this one-of-a-kind multi-purpose facility, we will host athletic trainings andqualifiers for our annual State games; train volunteers and coaches on-site; provideeducational and advocacy information for our constituents; host community eventsand more!

Upcoming Events

Duck Pluck TaggingParty

August 3We are seeking volunteers for our"Tagging Party". Thegoal of the Duck PluckTagging Party is tounload, label and reload10,000 yellow rubber ducks.

This event will take place at our officelocated at 4000 DeKalb TechnologyParkway; Suite 400; Building 400;Atlanta, GA 30340 on Wednesday,August 3rd from 8:30 a.m.- 12:00p.m. Make sure to dress comfortably.Snacks and water will be provided.

For more information or to sign-up tovolunteer, please contact KylieMcGregorat 770-414-9390 ext. 102.

Duck PluckAugust 12

QUACKFOR ACAUSE!

It's almostDUCKPLUCK TIME. Sponsor a duck in theDuck Pluck for only $5, and if yourduck is one of the 5 lucky ones"plucked" you could win a fabulousprize: a 2 night stay at King & PrinceBeach & Golf Resort on St. SimonsIsland, a cabin rental (sleeps 8) in

More information is soon to come, so stay tuned to learn more about our new home- Training for Life: Sports Lab & Center! Click here to learn more.

Planning For a Family Member With Special NeedsWe are happy to bring you the second part of our four part series, in conjunctionwith Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP andSignatureFD, LLC, on special needs planning.

Special needs planning is a way to improve a lovedone's quality of life by securing his or her financialfuture without disqualification from governmentbenefits eligibility. In Part 2, learn the answers tosome of the most frequently asked questions about special needs planning.

To learn more about special needs planning, the challenges faced without specialneeds planning and continuity of care, click here.

Giving Day Match- July 12thOn July 12th, we are celebrating our athletes, volunteers and accomplishmentswith a Giving Day match! Not only are we takingtime out to celebrate everything we've been able to dotogether, but we're offering our supporters a limitedtime match to DOUBLE your gift.

Your gift on July 12th will have double the impact tohelp twice as many athletes, change twice as manylives and create twice as much joy.

We can't do this without you, so click here tomake a donation on July 12th to help reachdouble the number of athletes.

Silent Auction Items NeededSpecial Olympics Georgia has several upcoming silent auctions that are in need ofitems. If you personally have or know someone or a business who might be willingto donate any of the following, please contact Susan Skolnick or call (770) 414-9390 ext. 111:

vacation or time-share homeresort or hotel staysports memorabiliasporting event ticketsconcert ticketsairline tickets or vouchersgolf foursomerestaurant gift cardsany other item, service or recreational activityyou think would be a great addition to a silentauction

Each silent auction item donated helps to raise money and ensure that all SpecialOlympics Georgia programs are free to our athletes and their families.

Athlete of the Month: Paige CopelandPaige Copeland has an endless list ofaccomplishments when it comes to her athleticismand competition. She has more medals than onecan count, and has won gold in many of the sportsshe has competed in, including tennis at the 2016Summer Games.

Paige isn't just known for being a great athlete.The Henry County Parks and Recreation athlete isalso known for being a great teammate, friend andadvocate of Special Olympics Georgia and its more than 27,000 athletes.

"I love all these athletes; they are close to my heart and have taught me a lot aboutlife and loving," commented Paige.

Blue Ridge, GA, diamond hoopearrings, or a Visa or QuikTrip giftcard. 100% of the proceeds go to helpathletes with intellectual disabilitiestrain and compete in State Games.

Adopt one of our rubber ducks foronly $5, or purchase a Quack Packfor $30 and have 7 rubber ducksadopted in your name and receivea junior souvenir rubber duck!Every donation counts and makesa difference to our athletes andtheir families. A $5 donation willfeed one athlete a meal at StateGames. A $30 donation willprovide gold, silver and bronzemedals for one competition atState Games.

ADOPT YOUR DUCK TODAY AT:www.AtlantaDuckPluck.com.

Thank you to our sponsors RoomsTo Go Foundation, Shaw Industries,Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies,Whitaker Oil Company, WinterCompanies, LAZ Parking, RiskPlacement Services Inc., RhinoShield by Georgia Coatings,Highwoods Properties, NorthGeorgia Replacement Windows,Dobbins Thrift Shoppe, CraigAutomotive, and Dale Massey StateFarm Insurance. Also, thank you toPost Apartment Homes.

Shoot For ChampionsAugust 25

Please join us forthe 2016 Shoot forChampions clayshoot at FoxhallResort on August25th. The day willinclude 15 stationsof sporting clays, beautiful scenery,lunch, silent auction, and prizes.Please contact Thomas Ritch or770-414-9390 x121 for moreinformation, or click here to signup your team today!

Marlow's Tavern GolfClassic

September 19,Roswell

Join us on September 19th at theCountry Club ofRoswell for the 18thAnnual Marlow'sTavern Golf Classicbenefiting SOGA. Since 1999, thisannual golf tournament has raisedalmost $600,000 for our athletes.This year's tournament goal is toraise $80,000! The fun-filled day willinclude a putting contest, shotgunstart, hole contests, and an awardsceremony, reception, and silent

Paige's zest for life, teamwork and going for the gold is what we hope to see inevery athlete involved in Special Olympics Georgia.

Congratulations, Paige, for being our Athlete of the Month!

Volunteer of the Month: Elease TurnerElease Turner is the epitome of a volunteer,dedicating her entire time and energy into giving back,as seen at this year's Summer Games.

During Summer Games, Elease volunteered to dowhatever task Special Olympics Georgia staffmembers needed, and during the entirety of theGames, Elease organized and ran the VolunteerCheck-In station, making sure all resources wereavailable and that every volunteer was greeted with asmile and the best instructions possible. Sheadditionally assisted at venues when needed, helping to set-up and take downvolunteer tents and tables.

Genuine and wholehearted, the Special Olympics Georgia staff could not haveasked for a better volunteer.

Congratulations to Elease Turner, July's Volunteer of the Month.

Sponsor of the Month: SUPERVALUSUPERVALU is a grocery industry leader, serving customers through over 3,400owned, licensed, franchised and affiliatedstores across the country. Its roots are insupply and wholesale distribution;however, in subsequent years, it hasdeveloped traditional, premium anddiscount retail formats. Today SUPERVALU and its 35,000 employees proudlyreach millions of families with products and services they need and experience anddedication they trust. Superior service, engrained in its culture, sets SUPERVALUapart from he competition and provides the experience customers expect.

At the heart of SUPERVALU's charitable giving is the idea that being a goodcorporate citizen is an ongoing responsibility. SUPERVALU strives to affectpositive change through financial support, product donations and volunteerism, andsince 1988, SUPERVALU has supported Special Olympics Georgia in all of theseways.

Each year, SUPERVALU hosts a fundraiser event to benefit Special OlympicsGeorgia, and SUPERVALU is the Gymnastics Sponsor at the State SummerGames. "Our associates that participate in the Special Olympics Games continueto say how much they enjoy the experience," says Don Sims, Southeast RegionExecutive. "I hear remarks such as, 'It's one of the best days of the year for me andmy family,' and 'All the Special Olympic athletes are winners in my book!' Itprovides all of us an opportunity to give our support, encouragement and love to allthe special athletes, while cheering them on to victory. Please support SpecialOlympics Georgia, once you do, you'll never be the same."

SUPERVALU's continued support of Special Olympics Georgia athletes is greatlyappreciated, and it is a friendship that we definitely value and hold in high regard.Thank you SUPERVALU!

The SOGA Community Makes a Difference

auction at Aqua Blue Restaurant.

Click here for AvailableSponsorships.

Click here for the RegistrationForm.

If you cannot participate in thetournament but would like to make adonation, please make your checkpayable to Special OlympicsGeorgia, write "Marlow's" on thememo line, and mail to SusanSkolnick, Special Olympics Georgia,4000 Dekalb Technology Parkway,Suite 400, Building 400, Atlanta, GA30340.

For more information, contactSusan Skolnick or 770-414-9390ext. 111.

Thank you Marlow's Tavern and pastand current sponsors for yourgenerous support over the years!

Bob Busse MemorialGolf Classic

November 16Special Olympics Georgia is onceagain proud tohost the BobBusse MemorialGolf Classic onNovember 16.

The event will begin at 8:00 a.m.with breakfast and registration,followed by a shotgun start at 9:00a.m.

The event promises to be a great wayto spend your day. Expect a greatgame of golf along with golf-courseprizes, door prizes, a silent auctionand a wonderful reception!

For more information, please contactJennifer Harper at 770-414-9390ext. 101.

Volunteer Opportunities

State Masters BowlingAugust 26-28Warner RobinsVolunteers are needed to help atthe venue and be a fan! To applyto volunteer, please click here.

We often receive calls from individuals, companies,and groups who have an idea for a fundraiser and wantto donate the proceeds to SOGA. Every singlefundraising effort, no matter the financial outcome, isvery significant and makes a tremendous difference. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following:

Marlow's Tavern June CustomerPromotion/Give Back raised $20,345.The Georgia Renaissance Festival PromoCode Promotion raised $56.

Get SocialWith so many awesome things going on at Special Olympics Georgia, we don'twant you to miss any of it!

Don't forget to follow us onSnapchat @s.olympicsga for up-to-theminute updates, live streaming fromevents and an insider's view into whatgoes on behind the scenes on a dailybasis.

Don't forget to also like us onFacebook and follow us on Twitter andInstagram. We love existing to empowerathletes and are ecstatic to share what wedo with you!

Fundraising OpportunitiesVolunteers are needed to help identify and/orapproach potential corporate sponsors and individualdonors for State Games and fundraising events.This is an extremely important component to thesuccess of these events. By generating new ideasand discovering new opportunities that can help usmeet or exceed our revenue goals, you will make avital contribution to SOGA. For more information,contactSusan Skolnick or 770-414-9390 x111.

Forward to a FriendWe're fortunate to have you as part of theSpecial Olympics Georgia family. Ourgoal is to reach as many potentialsponsors, volunteers and athletes aspossible, so please help us grow thefamily even more. Please forward this e-newsletter to your friends and family sothey can sign up to also receive themonthly e-newsletter!

Tell Us Your Story

We want to tell your stories! Email MeghanDaves with a story about a Special Olympicsevent or person who has inspired you!

State Horse ShowState Fall GamesOctober 7-9Gainesville

If you are interested involunteering for any of theopportunities above, pleasecontact Whitney Warren.

PromotionsThere are currently several great

ways to earn free money for SOGAathletes. If you have questions onany of these promotions, please

contact Susan Skolnick or 770-414-9390 x111.

Kroger CommunityRewards®

Kroger CommunityRewards® makessupporting SpecialOlympics Georgiasuper easy...all youhave to do is shop atKroger and swipe your Plus Card!Sign up with your 12 digit KrogerPlus Card number atwww.kroger.com/communityrewards, and in the CommunityRewards section, select SpecialOlympics Georgia (code 57973) asthe organization you wish to support.Once you're enrolled, you'll earnrewards for Special OlympicsGeorgia every time you shop anduse your Plus Card, and you'll keepearning rewards/fuel points foryourself. Enroll now for the KrogerCommunity Rewards Program(you must re-enroll each year tocontinue earning rewards forSOGA). If your Kroger Plus Card isnot already registered online, youwill need to create an account. If youalready have an account, simply signin, find the Community Rewardssection, and select Special OlympicsGeorgia.

AmazonSmileAmazonSmileis a simple andautomatic wayfor you tosupport SOGA every time you shop,at no cost to you. When you shop atsmile.amazon.com, you'll find theexact same low prices, vastselection, and convenient shoppingexperience as Amazon.com, with theadded bonus that Amazon willdonate a portion of the purchase priceback to SOGA. On your first visit toAmazonSmile, select Special

Olympics Georgia to receivedonations from eligible purchasesbefore you begin shopping. Then,always shop Amazon throughAmazonSmile, and every eligiblepurchase you make will result in adonation.

Vehicle DonationsAre youthinking ofselling ortrading in thatold car, boator RV? Whynot donate itinstead? As acharitable contribution, your donationwill make a big difference. SOGAhas partnered with CARS to turnyour old vehicle, whether it'srunning or not, into much neededfunds for our program. CARSaccepts most cars, trucks, trailers,boats, RV's, motorcycles, off roadvehicles, heavy equipment, andmost other motorized vehicles.CARS will make all thearrangements at no cost to you. Theyhandle the title transfer requirementsand will provide you with a writtenacknowledgment of your donationand tax deduction information. Clickhere for more information or todonate your vehicle, and a helpfulrepresentative will contact you within24 hours to schedule a pickup, oryou can call CARS seven days aweek toll-free at 1-844-404-SOGA(7642) to speak with arepresentative.

DialAmerica Magazine Subscriptions

DialAmerica will donate 10% ofyour paid magazine subscription toSOGA. To subscribe to a magazine,call 877-872-2362 between 8 a.m.and 8 p.m. or click here.

Give Us YourOld Cell Phones

Looking for anEASY way to giveback to yourcommunity &support SOGA?Our Phone Bones project recyclesold cell phones to raise funds forSOGA and helps our environment. Other items that we recycle areempty toner/printer cartridges,laptops and iPods. In addition toturning in your own items, we canwork with you to set up a collection at

your business with your friends andfamily. We'll send you a flyer to post, acollection box, and we'll even pay forshipping if you'll collect the items tobe recycled! It's an easy way to giveback to Special Olympics athletesacross Georgia!!Contact Whitney Warren or 229-712-9973.

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4000 Dekalb Technology Pkwy | Suite 400 Bldg. 400 | Atlanta, GA | 30340 |(770) 414-9390 |www.SpecialOlympicsGA.orgSpecial Olympics Georgia Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.

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