State Capitol Day 2023
Special Olympics Texas athletes and staff from across the state were invited to travel to the State Capitol in Austin on March 8th, 2023, to serve as advocates and visit with lawmakers and their staff about the significant consequences that arise from the stigma and stereotypes faced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The day was filled with fun activities, fellowship, and opportunities to learn about the high impact and cost-effectiveness of Special Olympics’ evidence-based programming that addresses these issues.
The day began with our athletes and staff attending an informational breakfast in which we received detailed information and training for the day’s work. Our group then spent the rest of the morning on the South Steps, rallying for Special Olympics Texas. Our athletes enjoyed a photo opportunity and engaged with our community before participating in SOTX’s recognition on the House and Senate floor in the early afternoon. To celebrate the chance to advocate for our inclusive sports, development, and health programs, our staff, LETR officers, and athletes held a tailgate lunch in partnership with TMPA. Legislators were invited to interact with our athletes and staff while enjoying a lunch provided by TMPA. Following the tailgate, our athletes, family members, volunteers, and LETR officers attended brief advocacy meetings, and several of our Athlete Leaders arrived at the Legislative Offices for the Unified Internship Program. Our participants then finished the day by attending the Celebratory Reception in Downtown Austin, in which our attendants were allowed to network with policymakers and SOTX supporters.
Thank you to our athletes, family members, LETR officers, volunteers, and supporters for spending the day advocating for the #InclusionRevolution!
Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!
Jersey Mike's Day 2023 - East Region
Jersey Mike's store locations across the U.S. are participating in their 13th Annual Month of Giving this March! Jersey Mike's has partnered with 200 local charities across the country to help raise funds through their mobile app or in-store. Special Olympics Texas has been selected for the second year in a row by Jersey Mike's restaurants located in the East Region of Texas!
All month long, Jersey Mike’s will be hosting athlete meet and greets and holding other Special Olympics-themed activities, and encouraging customers to donate in their East Region stores. The month culminates on Wednesday, March 29, with the Jersey Mike’s Day of Giving. On that day, Jersey Mike’s locations listed below will donate 100% of their sales to Special Olympics Texas.
Make sure you stop in at the Jersey Mike’s locations listed below this March and help them make a difference in the lives of Special Olympics Texas East Region athletes!
Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!
Unified Basketball UIL State Championship
Congratulations to the 2023 Unified Basketball UIL State Champions, Judson High School from Area 20! The tournament began with Judson High School playing against Hutto High School. Both teams played their best with Judson scoring a buzzer-beater to win the game by two.
Judson played the defending state champs Huntsville High School in game two and took control from the start. Huntsville then battled back and the lead dwindled down to single digits. Judson capitalized and found a way to stretch the lead and take home the gold! Congratulations to all the athletes, families, and school staff involved. It was an energetic environment with the band, fans, and cheerleaders!
I continued to see very good basketball being played from both athletes and Unified Partners. On both ends of the floor, I saw high level play." - SOTX UCCS Staff Victor Rodriguez
Special thanks to Churchill High School for hosting us!
Inaugural Special Olympics Utah Topgolf Exhibition Promotes Inclusion for All
SALT LAKE CITY, USA, 14 March 2023 – Special Olympics Utah (SOU) and Topgolf will host an inaugural exhibition to promote inclusion on Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, at Topgolf Midvale (920 Jordan River Blvd, Midvale, UT 84047) starting at 6 p.m. MDT. The event will host Special Olympics athletes, staff, Unified Partners, Topgolf guests and staff, corporate partners and supporters. The event honors Topgolf and Special Olympics’ celebration of Unified Sports®. Through the power of Unified Sports, individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (Partners) will have the ability to train and compete on the same team to promote inclusion in sports and everyday life.
“Topgolf has helped our current golfers improve their skills and has been instrumental in attracting first-time golfers to the sport,” says SOU CEO Scott Weaver. “[This] is a great complement to our current green grass golf program, and the response from our athletes is that they love playing Topgolf!”
Special Olympics athletes will team up with Unified Partners and engage in a round of golf together throughout the evening. Attendants will have the opportunity to play alongside Special Olympics athletes, meet members of the Topgolf and Special Olympics community, and network with corporate partners and donors. Special Olympics Texas staff will be in attendance and supporting the event.
“Topgolf is committed to making the game of golf more inclusive and open for all to enjoy,” says Topgolf Director of Charitable Initiatives Tiffany Brush. “Our partnership with Special Olympics helps to break down the barriers to inclusion and highlights our belief in the unlimited power of play.”
SOU athlete Jeremy Campbell (pictured below) is one person who’s especially excited about the event. "I really like Topgolf,” he says. “I am having so much fun playing Topgolf with my team and excited for the first competition!"
Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!
Let The Games Begin!
Summer Games 2023 will be held on May 18-21st in San Antonio, Texas! The Games will host sports competitions in track and field, cycling, soccer, and tennis. The Games will also host Healthy Athletes, Young Athletes, and FUNdamental Sports events.
Summer Games will host Opening Ceremonies, a Victory Dance, Athlete Leadership Council Meetings and Social, an Athlete Village, and the LETR Final Leg and Press Conference. The Summer Games sponsor list, hotel information, event schedule, and map are now updated and posted to our website. Be sure to visit www.sotx.org/the-summer-games to view all information for this year's Games. See you all in May!
Summer Games Text-Alert Number: Txt SOTX to 24365
The Power of Unified!
Meet Cassie & Lucas!
Special Olympics Texas would like to highlight two inspiring individuals part of the SOTX family, FUNdamental Sports athlete Cassie Siehr and Unified Partner Lucas Siehr! Cassie has been involved with Special Olympics since 2005, and her brother recently joined as a Unified Partner to be able to participate in FUNdamental Sports alongside his sister. FUNdamental Sports includes three core principles: Foundational Skills, Unified Partners, and No Limits. This program establishes individualized programs for athletes ages two and older who, due to their physical and/or developmental abilities, are working on foundational motor skills to prepare them for possible competitions in typical Special Olympics events.
FUNdamental Sports has given Cassie the ability to participate in SOTX events and competitions within her community. “Having athletes included in FUNdamentals finally opens the door for participation and involvement for these athletes in a format to meet their abilities and grow their communities,” says Susan Siehr, Cassie and Lucas’ mother. Susan expressed that her children’s participation in FUNdamental Sports as a Unified Pair has allowed her daughter with a “challenging” disability to compete alongside her peers and experience the joy of sport. FUNdamentals has allowed Cassie to feel fully included within her community and Lucas the opportunity to develop an even greater bond with his sister. Lucas’s favorite part about competing alongside his sister is "being included with Cassie through the fun of playing sports!”
Susan described Special Olympics Unified programs as a “crucial piece in furthering the Inclusion Revolution.” Her family believes that when individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities are given the chance to participate in sports alongside one another, “the gap begins to become bridged with the message that everyone matters and deserves a quality of life. Ultimately, this sends the message to the athlete that I CAN move forward no matter what my disability is.”
Both Cassie and Lucas participated as a Unified Pair in our most recent Winter Games 2023. The siblings engaged in sports and physical activities throughout the weekend and received gold medals for their performances! Susan described this moment as one of the most inspiring Special Olympics experiences she’s witnessed as a mother. “I noticed something spectacular. Usually, Cassie likes her space and doesn't get close to people, including family members. However, during the awards ceremony, she moved over to her brother when he was awarded his medal and got up close and personal. That was her saying, ‘I'm proud of you’ and ‘I love you’”.
We are so proud of Cassie and Lucas for paving the way for Unified FUNdamental Sports! It’s incredible to see a family grow together through Special Olympics. Thank you, Cassie and Lucas, for representing the incredible things that can happen through the power of Unified.
“My family would like to thank Special Olympics Texas for moving the goalpost with inclusion of individuals who have more challenging extensive disabilities within the movement. No matter what the challenge is, SOTX has paved a path that my daughter is a valued part of SOTX and her community.” - Susan Siehr
Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!
Spread The Word
#GoingAllIn
The Spread the Word: Inclusion campaign continues to advocate for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to work to make our society more inclusive. Special Olympics offers Unified Sports and inclusive leadership and education activities in over 7,500 schools in 47 states and Washington, D.C., across the country. Many of these schools host Spread the Word events led by students inviting their peers to commit to social inclusion.
This year, Spread the Word: Inclusion supporters and thousands of schools around the nation have activated their communities and neighborhoods to host pledge events.
I #PledgetoInclude through my words and actions. Will you? Pledge now to change the game for people with ID at www.spreadtheword.global
Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!
SOTX Unified Champion Schools® Partnership for Inclusion: 2022-2023
Want to know more about our Unified Programs and how to get involved? For information about Unified Sports® and Unified Champion Schools®, please visit the links below. We would love to share our passion for inclusion with you!
Additional Contact: Tammy Hortenstine, the Executive Director of Unified Programs, at thortenstine@sotx.org or (737) 867-9634.
Thank You, SCHEELS!
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and SCHEELS from The Colony, Texas, has partnered with Special Olympics Texas to help raise funds and awareness for our inclusion programs!
Help fill out the check!
Help us fill out the blank check by participating in this month's inclusion challenge with SCHEELS!
- 1 Like = $1 Donated
- 1 Comment = $2 Donated
- 1 Share = $3 Donated
View SCHEELS' Facebook page to see the official challenge post. Like, comment, and share the picture to help raise funds for SOTX! Visit the link below.
Feel Good, Do Good
Story of the Week
Special Olympics Texas Athlete Leader Kamand Algehahband's March Health Video is here! Kamand discusses the importance of diversity in SOTX. She expresses that our community consists of individuals with different cultures, ethnicities, values, backgrounds, etc. Kamand encourages those watching to celebrate what makes each of us unique and come together as one community! Click the link below to watch.
Do you have photos from an event or good news you'd like to share with SOTX? Email your story to communications@sotx.org for a chance to be featured!
SOTX In The News
College Station woman headed to Berlin for Special Olympics World Games
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — "With less than 100 days until the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, one athlete from College Station is training hard for the chance to bring home a gold medal. Allison Dohrman, a 24-year-old cyclist with Down Syndrome, is the Lone Star State’s sole representative at the 2023 World Games. The College Station resident will compete alongside just over 200 hundred athletes with the goal of covering the distance as quickly as possible to reach the finish line in their perspective competitions and races. Her loved ones view this opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, one she’s worked tirelessly to earn."
Week 3 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball was filled with celebration and recognition
DALLAS, Texas — "Athletes Unlimited (AU) Basketball celebrated, International Women’s Day, the early 2000s, and Special Olympics Texas in Week 3. One thing that has stood out the most during this season of AU interaction between the players and the fans. During halftime of the matchup between Team Smith and Team Mitchell on early 2000s night on March 10, a fan asked an AU staff member if Sheryl Swoopes could sign her magazine. It was not just any magazine. It was the Sports Illustrated for Women edition from 1997 where a pregnant Swoopes was featured on the cover."
El Pasoans dive in icy waters to raise money for the Special Olympics
EL PASO, Texas — "The 'Polar Plunge!', a yearly fundraising event that raises money for the Special Olympics was held Saturday at Camp Cohen Water Park. El Pasoans raised money by jumping into the icy cold attractions in mid-February at the water park located at 9700 Gateway North Boulevard. People could participate individually or in teams by collecting pledges from friends, family, and coworkers."
Katy WolfPack Special Olympics cheerleaders earn gold medals at Dallas competition
KATY, Texas — "Congratulations Katy WolfPack Special Olympics cheerleaders! KPRC 2 learned from mom Stacey LaViola that Katy WolfPack Special Olympics cheerleading team won gold medals the weekend of the NCA Cheerleading Competition at Kay Bailey Hutchison Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 20. “Coach Dana and her daughter, Coach Kalea have been working with the cheer team for eight months,” LaViola wrote to KPRC 2."
