January 2023 SOCT Newsletter

A New Year, A New Website - SOCT.org

We're proud to officially announce to launch of our new website, soct.org, designed and developed by our amazing friends with WORX Branding, Digital and Marketing Agency of Prospect. WORX is an invaluable, longtime partner of Special Olympics Connecticut, providing outstanding creative work and exceptional support to our organization as a Year-Round Supplier/Sponsor. Please visit our new site often for updates about upcoming events, opportunities to get involved, ways to give and the awesome achievements of our athletes!

Unified Youth Leadership Event Draws More Than 700 Participants

Special Olympics Connecticut's Annual Unified Youth Leadership Summit presented by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference took place at Valley Regional High School in Deep River on December 6th. More than 400 student athletes who participate in Unified Sports® and their coaches attended in-person at Valley Regional High School and another 300 attended virtually thanks to the Valley Regional TV crew. The keynote speaker was Brian Williams, who talked about the power and impact that acts of kindness can have.

Thank you to our Unified Sports in Schools Sponsors:

Athletes Prepare For Winter Games, Coming Up March 4th & 5th

Registration and practices in preparation for our 2023 Winter Games Presented by Eversource are happening now! Winter Games will take place Saturday, March 4th and Sunday, March 5th. Sports and activities will include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, floor hockey, downhill skiing and snowboarding, figure skating and speed skating, gymnastics and (virtually) contemporary and hip-hop dance. For more information about Winter Games, click here.

The Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics Connecticut returns with events planned for February through April in six locations! All are invited to embrace the cold and jump in and participate. "Penguins" sign up online, fundraise and then jump into the chilly waters of a lake or ocean with teammates, friends, family members and other warm-hearted individuals in their community to support our athletes and promote inclusion. Incentive prizes and awards are handed out to top fundraisers and spectators are enthusiastically encouraged to attend!

Upcoming Penguin Plunge events - and the links to sign up or donate - include:

Middletown Penguin Plunge at the Polish Falcons Nest #519, 144 Prout Hill Road, Middletown - Saturday, February 25, 2023, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here.

Shoreline Penguin Plunge at Eastern Point Beach, 1 Beach Pond Road, Groton - Sunday, March 5, 2023, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here.

Brookfield Penguin Plunge at Brookfield Town Beach, 460 Candlewood Road, Brookfield - Saturday, March 18, 2023, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Register here.

Tolland Penguin Plunge at Crandall Park, 120 Cider Mill Road, Tolland - Saturday, March 25, 2023, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Register here.

Monroe Plunge at the Park at Great Hollow Lake (Wolfe Park), 454 DOC Silverstone Drive, Monroe - Saturday, April 1, 2023, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here.

Fairfield Penguin Plunge at Jennings Beach, 880 S. Benson Road, Fairfield- Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here.

Special Events

Six police departments held coin drop fundraisers to benefit our athletes during November and December and raised over $30,000, thanks to the generous citizens in their towns. The departments and the amounts they raised include Middletown ($5,917), Rocky Hill ($5,925), Cheshire ($10,016), Connecticut State Police - Traffic Services ($6,504) and Fairfield University Department of Public Safety and Fairfield ($3,376). Special thanks to Liberty Bank for their support and sponsorship of the coin drops.

Special Olympics Connecticut's Jackie Turro, Global Messengers Alexandra Frumin, Bobby Osborne, John Woods, Jeff Norwood and Chuck Yenkner, their mentors and photographer Chad Lyons joined members of the NFL Association - Connecticut Chapter to participate in Wreaths Across America at Spring Grove Veterans Cemetery in Darien. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the Country Club of Darien where our Global Messengers helped announce the winners of the NFL Alumni's Super Bowl Raffle. Proceeds from the Raffle will benefit our athletes.

Elim Park President & CEO Brian Bedard presented Global Messenger Justin Prince and SOCT's Ana Aleman and Debbie Horne with a $10,000 donation during a morning breakfast at the senior living community.

Unused Car? Donate it to Support Our Athletes!

This new year, support Special Olympics Connecticut by donating your car! Start your #AutosforAthletes car donation online today by clicking here.

January SOCT Zoom Room Activities for Athletes

Bingo on Monday, January 23rd at 7 p.m. Sign up here.

Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk virtual presentation on Wednesday, January 25th at 7 p.m. Sign up here.

Tickets Available for our Annual Awards Dinner, March 13th

The annual dinner will be held at Aqua Turf in Plainville on Monday, March 13th. Tickets are now available for $100 - $50 for Special Olympics athletes. You can purchase tickets online by clicking here or by contacting Taryn Prostano at tarynp@soct.org if you prefer to pay by check or if you are a local program looking to purchase tickets.

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Katie Dennett at katied@soct.org.

To view the save-the-date announcement for the event, click here.

Let the Sun Shine in with Trinity Solar

Looking for ways to save in the New Year and support Special Olympics athletes at the same time? Spring is around the corner and the time to ask about solar is now. Reach out to our friends from Trinity Solar. Click here to learn more!

Free Resources to Care for Loved Ones

To show our appreciation for all you’ve done for Special Olympics Connecticut, we would like to offer you something in return. Something we hope will have a positive impact on you and your family. If you’re like many people, creating or updating your will, trust and other important documents is something that often falls to the bottom of the to-do list. But planning can help you care for your loved ones and offer significant peace of mind. And it doesn’t have to be complicated.

We hope our free publications will help you get started. Some of the information available includes:

Considerations for taking care of a loved one with special needs, parents or elder family members
Tips for choosing an executor
Creating an Advance Care Directive
Why you need a digital estate plan

You’ll find a complete list of free publications here.