June news from Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities

Golden Games are coming back!

Last summer we launched the Golden Games, a wonderful new event for athletes 45 and older. It was an opportunity for participants–some of whom have been competing for decades–to have fun, take part in some friendly competitions, and take part in some special events.

Golden Games are returning August 28–29! This year, on top of lots of fun sports activities, our participants will enjoy a special night of dinner and dancing and a boat ride on the Spirit of Chicago!

Stay tuned for more details on this year's event.

Join us for the BTN Big 10k and 5k!

Have you signed up for this year's BTN Big 10k and 5k yet? We are a charity partner for this fun race on Saturday, July 13. We'll be at Soldier Field for the fun and we want to be a part of it!

We will also have participants running both races as part of the #Runner321 program! Matt, Guy, and Chris will all be running to raise awareness of runners who are neurodivergent or who have an intellectual or developmental disability. Join us to cheer them on!

Diverse Learners Recovery Fund for Students with Disabilities

We want to share a special resource for families of students with disabilities that was recently launched by the city.

"The Diverse Learners Recovery Fund, a collaboration between the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) and Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc., is dedicated to aiding families of students with disabilities impacted by COVID-19. It operates as a lottery-style grant drawing, offering a one-time cash grant of $500 to eligible students with disabilities. Up to 8,000 will be selected through the lottery to receive the grant. Applying for the grant will not guarantee that you will receive the funds."

Click here to view the flier.

Click here to find out more

Athletes in Action

Our athletes have had a busy month with tons of exciting activities, classes, competitions, and events. Check out some highlights of their fun and accomplishments.

Summer Games

631 athletes traveled to Bloomington-Normal for Summer Games June 7–9! It was a great weekend of fun and competitions in bocce, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, and track and field. Congratulations to everyone who competed!

Cooking with SOC/SCC

This month, participants joined Chef Jared to learn to make two incredible meals for their families!

On June 3, we had breakfast for dinner and learned to make huevos rancheros. It was a fun and delicious meal.

The following week, we were back to try a new recipe–chicken gyros!

Next up, we'll be revisiting a classic crowd-pleaser with pizza night!

We love seeing all of the great meals everyone cooks, and we are excited to see how our participants perfect their skills and put their own spin on each meal. Keep sending us photos, and check out more photos from this month.

Huevos Rancheros Photos

Chicken Gyros Photos

ALC at the White Sox Game

Thanks to the Chicago White Sox for a great night at the ballpark for the Athlete Leadership Council! A group of 75, which included current and alumni Athlete Leadership Council members and their guests, enjoyed a beautiful night at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 23. Although the Sox didn’t get the W, they came back in the 9th inning to make for an exciting game! Everyone enjoyed an evening out and it was fun to celebrate all of the effort this group devotes!

Are you a Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities athlete who wants to join our classes and activities?

Join our list

Athlete Artwork Feature

Our artwork for the month of June is called "Volleyball Epic", by Daniel Leonard Jr., who participates at Michelle Clark High School. Summer is here and it's a great time to get outside and get active with fun team sports like volleyball! Thank you to Daniel for sharing your talents with us this month!

Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities

2 E 8th Street, Suite 2M

Chicago, IL 60605

312-527-3743 scc@sochicago.org