Hello friends!
As we head into the fifth month of our pandemic-induced new normal, I’d like to direct you to a program update from our Chief Operating Officer, Mark Hanken
June Update
.
While nothing replaces sport, I couldn’t be more excited about the virtual programming,
SOOR Active
, our staff and athlete leaders have collaborated on. We have 731 members in the group who share their favorite Special Olympics stories on Medal Mondays, social hours on Tuesdays, athlete interviews on Wellness Wednesdays
presented by Providence Sports Medicine
, dance parties on Thursdays, mindful breathing exercises, meditations, 30-day fitness challenges, and more. Our greatest challenge right now is reaching athletes who are not online. We are working on a plan to create at-home fitness as a sport where athletes and Unified Partners will be able to engage in challenge, competition, and socialization. As always, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our wonderful and dedicated volunteers who live in the hometowns of the athletes and are committed to their well-being.
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Changing gears: I’d like to share a personal challenge with you. I’m guilty of the “Quarantine 15” – I haven’t done a great job of incorporating exercise in my daily life since working from home, and probably reach for too many snacks because they are so close by! Am I alone in this? Whether you’re trying to make a change like me, or you want to keep your momentum - I’d like to invite you to sign up for SOOR’s newly launched event, the
Dog Days of Summer Virtual Fun Run, Walk + Roll
.
Get your body moving AND raise money for Special Olympics Oregon athletes, who are always a
wonderful source for inspiration. Athlete intern, Dominic Flesey-Assad, keeps me on my toes and checks in frequently to ask how many “steps” I’ve gotten in.
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He’s always above 20,000 when I’m struggling to get my minimum of 10,000 in. I asked Dom for some words of inspiration and he said:
“Let me win, but if I can’t win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
If you’re a SOOR athlete or close to our mission, those words carry great meaning. Well said, Dom. I hope you’ll join me and many others in this great event that can be a positive force in your life, as well as provide critical support for our athletes.
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Britt Oase
Chief Executive Officer
Special Olympics Oregon
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"This was truly exciting for everyone on the team as Will, Lucy and Sawyer were thrilled to be a part of the first cohort and that our Vikings would officially be “real” Vikings. I can still recall their faces when sharing the news with us. The enthusiasm they had to attend PSU is beyond words and the pride of being a Viking is still here today."
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Will
graduated with a Career and Community Studies certificate with a focus of Special Education and teaching. Will secured a part time job as a Youth Coordinator at Northwest Down Syndrome Association (NWDSA).
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Lucy
graduated with a Career and Community Studies certificate with a focus in Human Services. Lucy is a teacher qualified student worker at Portland State’s Helen Gordon Child Development Center.
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Sawyer
graduated with a Career and Community Studies certificate with a focus of Sport & Fitness Administration/Management. He plans on obtaining a job at Nike or Special Olympics Oregon due to his love of sports.
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Congratulations, Ed!
After leading Oregon State University as President for 17 years, Dr. Ed Ray retired at the end of June. Under his leadership, Oregon State became an internationally recognized public research university and continued to expand the excellence, scope, and impact of its academic, research, and outreach services. Enrollment has grown to more than 30,000 students, making OSU the state’s largest university. The university’s first capital campaign helped to build or renovate 28 OSU buildings and created more than 600 new scholarship and fellowship funds for 3,200 students.
Ed agreed to accept the position as Board Chair of Special Olympics Oregon in the Fall of 2018 and has been a champion for the athletes; attended town halls, sporting events, meetings with the Athlete Input Council, gatherings with donors; and he was a critical force in restoring trust and credibility for the organization after it fell on hard times. Ed holds everyone around him to the highest standards, something the Oregon State University community knows well. On behalf of the athletes, staff, and board of Special Olympics Oregon – congratulations, Ed. We look forward to seeing what adventures await you and can’t wait to fill up your retirement with Special Olympics activities!
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Welcome, Kara!
Kara Buckley joins SOOR Board of Directors this month. She is a multilingual sports executive with 15 years of experience leading marketing and commercial strategy, ranging from global powerhouses like the U.S. Olympic team and Visa, to early stage technology startups.
Throughout her career, she has worked with partners across the highest levels of sport, including the Special Olympics, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League.
Currently, she lives in Bend, Oregon and works with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team and LA 2028 Organizing Committee. Previously, she was with South Park Commons, Visa and Octagon. While at Visa, where she was Global Director of Olympics, she pioneered their Rio 2016 Acceptance campaign by signing sponsorship deals with all 10 athletes competing on the Refugee Olympic Team.
Kara spent four years on the board for the Special Olympics Northern California, most recently as Vice Chair, before relocating back to Oregon in January 2020. She was born and raised in Portland, OR, and graduated from the University of Oregon, where she currently serves on the board of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.
We are thrilled to have Kara join the Special Olympics Oregon team!
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Our Mission
Special Olympics Oregon provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children, youth and adults living with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
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