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This is the August edition of the Healthy @ Home newsletter that is shared with athletes and coaches. Be sure to follow Special Olympics Ontario on social media for continued updates or visit specialolympicsontario.com for additional information.

Special Olympics Athlete Spotlight

This month, Special Olympics Ontario is excited to highlight Barrie athlete Stephen Graham for his incredible effort in the RYC Cycle Challenge. Stephen has been involved with Special Olympics Ontario for over 25 years. His hard work is evident through his success in speed skating, athletics, swimming, baseball and curling where he has won multiple medals at many World and National Games.

Not only did Stephen bike over 2,000km in the RYC Cycle Challenge, but he's also gearing up for the Guardians Run taking place in Orillia in October - registration for the Guardians Run opens this Monday (August 8th) - check out the story below to learn more about Stephen and follow @GuardiansRun on social media for updates about the upcoming Guardians Weekend!

Reveal Your Champion Cycle Challenge Wrap Up

The Reveal Your Champion (RYC) Cycle Challenge came to a close last month! After 8 weeks of cycling with almost 100 participants taking part, we concluded the challenge with over 12,000 kilometres logged on Charity Miles! Special Olympics athletes, coaches, volunteers, and family members across the province got moving on their bicycles.

Even though the Cycle Challenge has come to an end, everyone is encouraged to keep cycling! Explore new trails and bike paths this summer and you can continue to use the RYC Cycle Challenge website for Ontario Cycling’s resources. Special thanks goes out to Ontario Cycling and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support.  

Harley Raffle for Special Olympics Ontario

Yesterday, the Harley Raffle in support of Special Olympics Ontario wrapped up - congratulations goes out to William Passfield who has won a 2021 Harley Davidson Street Glide! Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket and our friends at Torch Run Ontario for their promotion and organization of the Harley Raffle - this year's Harley Raffle raised $94,130 in support of Special Olympics programs across Ontario!

Canada Summer Games

This weekend marks the beginning of the Canada Summer Games taking place in Niagara Region, and Special Olympics Ontario is pleased to announce that 11 Special Olympics athletes and 2 coaches will be competing in swimming and athletics events!

The Games will take place in Niagara Region from August 6th to 21st, 2022. Special Olympics Ontario wishes these athletes all the best for a successful Games!

Lil E Cafe - Now Hiring for General Manager!

What first started in Calgary, Alberta as an inclusive workforce offering great coffee, great customer service and a great community connection is now coming to Toronto!

The Lil E Coffee Café is a registered not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people with an intellectual disability through employment. The second location is being opened in Toronto along St. Clair Avenue, and they are seeking a general manager!

This opportunity is being presented to Special Olympics volunteers first before being offered to the general public. We ask that you:

• have at least one year of work or volunteer experience with Special Olympics Ontario and
• are passionate about making a difference in the lives of people with an intellectual disability.
• believe in making dreams come true

Aerie X Special Olympics

We are excited to share our friends from Aerie have launched a new campaign running NOW through Aug 10 for #AerieReal featuring Special Olympics athletes! You can also support by donating in-store at Aerie locations or online!

Hometown Games

More Hometown Games are happening across the province!

Registration is still open for ALL of these events, so click below to participate today! 

Happening this month:

AUGUST 20

Belleville Bocce*

Milton Soccer*

Barrie Soccer

AUGUST 21

Arnprior Golf

AUGUST 22

Port Colborne Golf

AUGUST 27

Durham Softball 

AUGUST 28

Smiths Falls Bocce

AUGUST 29-30

Mississauga Level 5 Golf

*These Hometown Games are also seeking volunteers - visit their game pages for more information.

Don't see an upcoming Hometown Games near you? Stay tuned to your emails and our social media channels for more dates and locations coming soon! We can't wait to see you back on the playing field!

Share Your Special Olympics Story

For the chance to have your Special Olympics story featured in a future newsletter, social media post, or campaign, submit your information on our Athlete Profile Form! Fill out your information, tell us your story, and submit a photo of you participating in Special Olympics, or include a headshot. 

Summer Virtual Programs

Virtual Programs are BACK this summer!

Mark your calendars now so you don't miss any of it!

MINGLE MONDAYS

Taking place EVERY Monday this summer @ 7pm ET!

WORKOUT WEDNESDAYS

Taking place EVERY OTHER Wednesday this summer @ 7pm ET!

Twitter Follower Contest 

Our social media contest is still in full swing! The contest will continue until the Special Olympics Ontario Twitter account has reached 10,000 total followers. 

To enter the contest you must:

1. Follow @SOOntario on Twitter
2. Retweet the Contest Tweet (click here to view the contest tweet)
3. Reside in Canada

You could win a Special Olympics Ontario prize pack once we reach 9,600 followers, and the grand prize of a $250 Sobeys gift card when we reach 10,000 followers! 

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