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Teams Set to Compete at Summer Games Presented by Pratt & Whitney

Our 2023 Summer Games presented by Pratt & Whitney will take place on June 3rd and June 4th and June 10th and 11th. The event will give athletes of all abilities from across the state the opportunity to come together, compete in sports after attending weekly practices throughout the spring and vie for ribbons and medals for their accomplishments. Summer Games sports and venues will include:

 

· Soccer, swimming and tennis at Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield on Saturday, June 3rd


Swimming will continue on Sunday, June 4th (A developmental swimming competition will also be held at Oxford High School, 61 Quaker Farms Road, Oxford, on Tuesday, May 23rd) 

 

· Cycling at Yale West Campus, 100 West Campus Drive, Orange, on Saturday, June 3rd

 

· Track & field at the Yale Dewitt Cuyler Athletic Complex, 252 Derby Avenue, West Haven, on Saturday, June 10th and Sunday, June 11th

 

· Racewalking and wheelchair events at Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, on Saturday, June 10th and Sunday, June 11th 

 

All weekend events will go on from about 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

In addition to the sports events that will take place, medical and health practitioners and students will volunteer their time to provide free health screenings, education and resources to athletes through Special Olympics Connecticut's Healthy Athletes® program. Healthy Athletes offerings will include:

 

· Healthy Hearing (audiology), Health Promotion (prevention and nutrition) and Massage Therapy at Fairfield University's Barone Campus Center on Saturday, June 3rd 

 

· Special Smiles (dentistry) at Yale West Campus on Saturday, June 3rd

 

· FUNfitness (physical therapy) at the Yale Dewitt Cuyler Athletic Complex on Saturday, June 10th 

 

· Strong Minds (emotional health) and Fit Feet (podiatry) at the Yale Dewitt Cuyler Athletic Complex on Saturday, June 10th and Sunday, June 11th

 

Olympic Town will also be set up at venues to offer athletes entertainment, games and activities to enjoy during the downtime between their events.


Healthy Athletes Sponsors include the Golisano Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Sponsors; Webster Bank and HSA Bank, Presenting Sponsors; Delta Dental, a Gold Sponsor; the Connecticut Community Foundation and Eversource, Bronze Sponsors; and AXA XL, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, and Nick & Karen Zoccoli, Supporting Sponsors.

 

In addition to Presenting Sponsor Pratt & Whitney, Summer Games Sponsors include:

Law Enforcement Torch Run Coming to Town, May 31st - June 2nd

The 37th Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Connecticut will take place across the state on Wednesday, May 31st, Thursday, June 1st and Friday, June 2nd. During the Torch Run, law enforcement officers will run through their towns and cities carrying the Special Olympics Torch, with its “Flame of Hope”, and pass it along to neighboring officers at each town line. The Torch Run aims to promote awareness and understanding of Special Olympics, raise funds to support athletes of all abilities and build excitement around Summer Games. To see when the Torch Run is coming through your town, click here.

 

More than 1,500 officers are expected to participate in this year's Law Enforcement Torch Run. Among them will be officers from municipal departments and correction facilities, as well as military police and Federal employees, Connecticut State Police and college and university public safety officers. Special Olympics athletes will run alongside them in select towns. 

 

Torch Run Rallies are scheduled to take place at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Wednesday, May 31st and Blue Back Square in West Hartford on Thursday, June 1st. Both will begin around 5 p.m. Officers will also run a "Final Leg" to Fairfield University, a Summer Games venue, on Friday, June 2nd where they will help light a large cauldron and help celebrate the start of Summer Games.

 

In addition to participating in the Torch Run, law enforcement officers in many communities are hosting Tip-A-Cop fundraisers at local restaurants, holding coin drops and selling Torch Run "Adopt-A-Mile" signs to fundraise for Special Olympics throughout the months of May and June. For a list of upcoming events and activities, click here.

Platinum Sponsors of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Connecticut include the Bearingstar Insurance Charitable Fund, Dream Ride, Whelen Engineering and WWE. Gold Sponsors are Adams Hometown Markets and IGA Hometown Supermarkets. Media Sponsors include iHeart Radio Connecticut, Hearst Connecticut Media Group and NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut.

Special Olympics Unified Sports® Teammates, Coaches Honored at Annual Banquet

Our 19th Annual Special Olympics Unified Sports® Awards Banquet presented by ConnectiCare was held at the Aqua Turf Club on May 1st. Honorees included:


  • The Ann Malafronte Rookie School of the Year - Westbrook Middle School




  • Essay Winners - Julia Kinahan, Jockey Hollow Middle School, Monroe and Chance Williamson, Sage Park Middle School, Windsor, and Isabelle Acervida, Shelton High School and Tyler Webb, Windsor Locks High School


  • The George Synnott Unified Sports Coach Award - Armando Ramos, Enfield High School and Tyrrell White, Griswold Middle School, Rocky Hill


  • Paul Mengold Athletic Director of the Year - Joe Stochmal, Oxford High School


  • 2022-23 New Unified School Sponsor - The Connecticut Elks Association


  • In addition, outstanding athletes and Unified partners from each school were presented with Beau Doherty-Mike Savage Teammate Awards


Memorable moments also included Rocky Hill High School's Nick Celia and Maddie Cosker singing the National Anthem, SOCT Athlete, Global Messenger and Keynote Speaker Robin Batchelder sharing her inspiring story, and AABO Basketball Officials who volunteer at Unified Sports tournaments receiving recognition.

Athlete Leaders, Coach to Represent Connecticut, USA at World Games in Berlin

Zack Ryer, Ethan Bufford-Cournoyer and their Unified Sports® coach Robert Bajoros of Coginchaug Regional High School in Durham were selected to go to the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany next month, June 17th - 25th. Zack and Ethan will serve as athlete leaders and work with their peers on a plan to make our world more accepting and inclusive over the next 10 years. They'll also present during the World Games Global Youth Leadership Summit about the impact of American football and baseball.


“We will talk about how influential these sports are in American culture and how they are a massive part of our lives. We will also talk about how big high school sports are and how beneficial it is to have them as part of our schools,” they shared.


The local project that Zack and Ethan are working on is to organize a Regional School District 13 inclusive bowling outing for participants ages 5-21, enrolled in K-12 and the Middlesex Transition Academy.

Zack Ryer resides in Durham and attends the Middlesex Transition Academy in Middletown. He got involved in Special Olympics Unified Sports® in 2018 during his freshman year at Coginchaug High School. He is a recipent of the Coginchaug High School Unified Sports MVP Award.


Zack participated in Special Olympics' Capitol Hill Day to advocate for Federal funding for the organization's health and education programs and in 2022, was a Youth Leadership Ambassador at the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida.

Ethan Bufford-Cournoyer is a senior at Coginchaug Regional High School in Durham. Ethan’s involvement with Special Olympics began in eighth grade when he joined his middle school’s Unified Sports program as a partner. Ethan emerged as an outstanding leader and received the CIAC’s Unified Sports Exemplary Teammate Award.


With Special Olympics grant funding he secured, Ethan led his Campus Unification class in organizing a Unified Prom, attended by students who participate in Unified Sports programs in five area towns.

Robert Bajoros is a teacher and coach at Coginchaug High School in Durham who was recognized as the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year.


Robb got involved with Special Olympics in 2015 when he started teaching an elective class at Coginchaug entitled Unified Sports®, which has served as a model for other high schools.


Robb also created a unique course titled Campus Unification in which students with and without disabilities complete projects of their choice on campus and in their community.

Walsh Will Represent Connecticut, USA in World Games Torch Run

Kelly Walsh of New Britain will represent Special Olympics Connecticut and the USA in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany, June 14th - 17th.


Walsh will be part of the Final Leg Team – which includes 87 law enforcement officer runners, eight International Special Olympics athletes, along with up to 32 German Special Olympics athletes and logistics personnel.


The Team will run the Flame of Hope through Germany's cities and communities to raise awareness for Special Olympics and build excitement around its World Games.

It will then carry the Torch to the Special Olympics World Games Berlin Opening Ceremony on June 17th and help light the cauldron to signify the official start of the Games.


Walsh has been involved with Special Olympics Connecticut for over 23 years. She started out as a Unified Sports® partner at her high school and volunteer at Tip-A-Cop events. After graduating from the University of New Haven and FBI National Academy, she joined the Avon Police Department. During her nine years with the Department, Walsh worked her way up the ranks to Lieutenant and was also an integral part of the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics, serving as a team captain, Final Leg coordinator, and member of the Torch Run Council.


To find out more about the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, click here.

Hotchkiss School Student Presents Photo Exhibit for Special Olympics

Quisha Lee, a junior at The Hotchkiss School, unveiled her photo exhibit, “SOaring SOuls” during a reception at the School on April 22nd. She referred to the exhibit as a “photo-lanthropy” project, created to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics Connecticut athletes.


Lee photographed Special Olympics athletes in Connecticut, and Hong Kong where she was born and raised. After a month-long exhibit at The Hotchkiss School, her photos will travel to Hong Kong and be displayed at The Peak Galleria, a popular mall.

2022 Annual Report

We're pleased to share our annual report with you and are sincerely grateful for all of the individuals, companies and organizations recognized on its pages. You can view it on our website, soct.org, by clicking here.


Thank you to our amazing and talented friends at WORX Branding who designed it for us. Worx is a Special Olympics Connecticut Year-Round Supplier.

Be Brave in the Attempt, Go Over the Edge!

Registration for Over the Edge – the annual fundraiser hosted by Mohegan Sun to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut - is now open! This event challenges thrill-seekers to raise money for Special Olympics and then rappel more than 30 stories down Mohegan Sun's Sky Tower. Participants enjoy amazing views and an exhilarating experience while supporting our athletes. This year's event will take place on Friday, September 1st. To find out more, register and donate, click here.

Noteworthy News

Friends with Synchrony invited us to their "Trivia Games Night" hosted by employees involved in the company's Business Leadership Program. The event raised $1,500 to support our athletes and was attended by SOCT's Sharon Rozum and Katie Dennett and Global Messengers Anthony Thibeault and Alexandra Frumin.

Glastonbury and Conard High Schools hosted Elementary Skills Days for our youngest athletes who "play Unified" during the month of April. Members of the Glastonbury High School baseball team did a great job volunteering at the Glastonbury event!


Special Olympics Connecticut athlete and Global Messenger John Brillante Jr. and his dad, John Brillante Sr., visited our office to present a check on behalf of the Knights of Columbus, Russell Council #65 of New Haven to SOCT President & CEO Mike Mason. We're sincerely grateful for the generous donation! 

Our Fairfield Penguin Plunge presented by the Fairfield Police Department and Fairfield University Department of Public Safety took place on April 15th.


Participants included officers with the New Canaan Police Department and Bridgeport Correctional Center, Connecticut Elks and members of our Special Olympics Our Vision and Chapel Haven Schleifer Center local programs.

We Want to Hear from You!

Will you take a moment to complete our brief online survey today? Your responses will help us understand what’s important to you, so together we can provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in sharing gifts, skills and friendships.


Please complete the survey online today by clicking here. Thank you!

Free Series for Special Needs Parents, Caretakers



Special Needs Parents: How to Enhance Your Dependent's Well-Being, Today and Tomorrow is a lunch-and-learn series for families and caregivers of dependents with special needs that will be hosted on Zoom by Kelly Piacenti, Head of MassMutual's SpecialCare Program. To find out more and register for one or all of the FREE, informative sessions being offered on May 18th, June 22nd and August 17th, click here.


Thank you to Rob Kauffman of Connecticut Financial and the Walter Camp Football Foundation - a longtime SOCT sponsor - for sharing this opportunity.

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.

Thank you to our Partner Sponsors:

Thank you to our Year-Round Suppliers:

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We welcome your feedback.

Contact us at 203-230-1201 or specialolympicsct@soct.org.