Spring newsletter - Special Olympics Illinois

FAR WEST SUBURBAN NEWS
A Publication of Special Olympics Illinois-Far West Suburban Area 2
1020 Cedar Ave. St. Charles, IL 60174 630-377-7250 (phone & fax)
e-mail: akaylor@soill.org ** anelson@soill.org
SPRING 2015
Through the power of sport, Special Olympics strives to
create a better world by fostering the
acceptance and inclusion of all people.
COMPETITION
World Games
The 2015 Special Olympics World
Summer Games are being held
July 25-August 2, 2015, in Los Angeles,
California. 15 athletes and 8 coaches
from Illinois have been named to the
Special Olympics USA Team.
Area 2 is proud to send two of our
Athletes, Michelle Thompson from Fox Valley Special
Recreation Association in Aurora and Ryne Stolarz from
Western DuPage Special Recreation Association in Carol
Stream. Michelle will be competing in rhythmic
gymnastics and Ryne in soccer. We wish them the best
of luck, BRING HOME THE GOLD!
DISTRICT AQUATICS
284 swimmers from Areas 1, 2 and 5 competed
in the 2015 District Meet that was held March 5th at
Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. 17 developmental swimmers competed in the 15 M Walk, 25 M
Flotation, 25 M Assisted Flotation and the 25 M Assisted
Swim at sister school, Waubonsie Valley High School in
Aurora . Chad Allen and his NVHS swimmers did a great
job running the pool and Special Olympics coach, and
teachers at NVHS, Kerilyn Gatto and Kim Weichle served
as event directors. Both ladies did a spectacular job of
coordinating 180 student volunteers, lunches, and
incorporated fun activities for everyone to take part in.
Our thanks also to Sarah Kemerly and Katie Macholan of
Waubonsie Valley HS and the WVHS student volunteers
for hosting the developmental event. Having a
separate location for that event allows us to devote
more time and attention to our swimmers in training –
and they deserve it!! Gold medal winners from the
Neuqua Meet will be eligible to swim at the 2015
Special Olympics Summer Games, June 12-14 at ISU in
Normal.
Thanks to District 204 staff and students, St.
Raphael Knights of Columbus Council # 14171, and to all
of our tremendous volunteers-we had a TERRIFIC day!
Special thanks also go out to our swim officialsNancy Myer and Wendy Wozniak -for keeping the meet
running smoothly –and fairly.
BOWLING
The Area 2 tournament will be held Sunday,
June 7th at the Brunswick Zone in Naperville. We are
expecting 300 bowlers and VOLUNTEERS are NEEDED.
Email anelson@soill.org or call 630-377-7250.
SPRING GAMES
The 2015 Area 2/5 Spring Games were sunny
from the start! On April 26th, North Central College in
Naperville, hosted almost 750 track and field
athletes as well as 49 powerlifters. The North Central
College Pep Band and the Knights of Columbus 4th
Degree helped open the games with style and spirit.
Ron and Betty Krupp were also honored as Volunteers
of the year!
A HUGE Thank you to North Central College,
our incredible crew of In-Charge volunteers and the
300 volunteers who came out to provide a day of
competition and fun for all. We could not do it without
you!
A special thank you to AthletiCo for providing 3 athletic trainers to handle all of our medical/first aid
needs through out the day.
Thank you also to STERNBERG LIGHTING for their
continued Gold medal sponsorship of our Spring
Games!
Gold medal winners qualify for State Summer
Games In Bloomington-Normal on June 12-14th! Good
Luck to all!
FAST FAMILY FACTOID
Join the Family Committee!
Area 2 is looking to expand our already fantastic family
committee. We are looking for families to help
increase awareness and participation, share stories,
welcome new athletes and volunteer to staff our
family table at events! We will be hosting our first
meeting at the Area 2 Office (1020 Cedar Avenue, St.
Charles) in June! Stay tuned for more information.
SOCCER NEWS
On Saturday May 2rd three Area 2 teams competed in a Soccer Qualifier at Harlem High School hosted by Area 1. The WDSRA Wildcats and the FVSRA
Stars both had a great weekend of competitive soccer!
KCSEC Stars also took the field for the first time at
Hinsdale South’s Soccer Skills competition hosted by
Area 5. Congratulations Soccer Athletes!
FAR WEST SUBURBAN NEWS -page 2
TENNIS
Our 2015 tennis date has been confirmed for
Saturday, July 18th at Marmion Academy in Aurora.
More information to come but if you are interested in
volunteering, email anelson@soill.org.
ATHLETES IN ACTION
It has been a busy spring for many
of our athletes! April has brought
many opportunities thanks to our
relationships with NCAA DIII
schools, the College
Conference of Illinois and
Wisconsin and the Chicago Bulls!
On Friday, April 3rd, Special
Olympic Athletes from Area 2 and 3 were invited by
the Chicago Bulls to play in a 7 minute scrimmage at
the United Center! The FVSRA Blue Stars took on the
Misericordia Hot Shots in non-stop
competitive action! Benny the Bull led the charge and
members from the Chicago Bulls and
Detroit Pistons cheered from the side lines. Thank you
to the Chicago Bulls for creating a memory that will last a
lifetime!
On April 8th, the Aurora
University Women’s Softball
team hosted a Special Olympics
Night during Division III Week.
The team invited SO Athletes
to watch them play division rivals Benedictine University. We cheered them on to a come from behind victory
and participated in a softball throw practice on the
field after the game. Thank you for hosting AU and
good luck with the rest of your season!
Also in April, The College Conference of Illinois
& Wisconsin (CCIW), Student-Athlete Advisory Council
(SAAC) and Special Olympics Illinois teamed up for a
third time to participate in the Student-athlete advisory council Workshop.
Athletes from the B Buddies (Bocce and Bowling Buddies) and Helping Hand Center
demonstrated their bocce skills and taught the
college athletes the intricacies of team bocce.
Competition was fierce! SO athletes and their coaches
were guests at a great lunch followed by an awards
presentation. Thank you CCIW!
Long time Tennis Event
Director Celeste Pregracke
wanted to let the area tennis
players know that one of her
loyal tennis tournament volunteers, Phyllis Wilkens, passed
away in October 2014. Phyllis and Celeste were instrumental
in starting and building the tennis program in Illinois and we
know that many of our Special Olympics athletes, coaches and
parents will remember her.
Bartlett Woman’s Club -
Winter and summer the ladies of the Bartlett
Women’s Club are there to support Special Olympics
athletes- Everyone LOVES the cookies and hot chocolate at Winter Games. When Summer comes they help
sponsor our Area Golf tournament and provide man and
WOMAN power for scoring and cart driving! Thank you
for many years of support BWC!
FINANCIAL INFO…
Our sincere thanks to all the wonderful people
who contributed not only money but also the time and
energy to help us raise funds. It’s been a great year so
far, and we have all of you to thank for any success that
we’ve achieved. We could not continue to provide
competition and training at no cost to our athletes and
coaches, without the support we receive from each of
you . THANKS!!
YOU RAISE ME UP CONCERT
Four talented singing groups performed at College Church in Wheaton on Saturday, April 11th to celebrate the 6th annual "You Raise Me Up" a concert in support of Special Olympics Illinois. The concert began in
typical sports fashion, with the singing of "The Star
Spangled Banner", conducted by Daniel James, a Special
Olympics athlete and sign language interpreted by
Karilyn Johnson. The traditional finale is always a moving rendition of You Raise Me Up sung by all the groups:
the STARS of College Church, “Til Sunset, Tyisha Brown
and our event host, BEYOND GLEE. Each act was introduced by an athlete who also spoke briefly on how Special Olympics has impacted their lives. Thanks to House
of Graphics, Inc. for their in-kind support of this event
and to the fa bulous audience members.
MARK
YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR’S CONCERT !
APRIL 9 , 2016
FAR WEST SUBURBAN NEWS
PAGE 3
UPCOMING EVENTS
GREAT WESTERN HALF MARATHON
Our Area program is the benefit charity for the
Great Western Half Marathon that was held on Sunday, May 3rd. 3000 runners took part this year!
Thanks to the Fox River Trail Runners for once
again choosing Special Olympics Illinois as their charity.
GOLFERS- there are still a few spots open for the
2015 Midwest Golf Celebrity Pro-Am JUNE 22, 2015
ROYAL FOX COUNTRY CLUB
~ ST. CHARLES~
This promises once again, to be an outstanding
tournament. Join Hall of Famer, Carlton Fisk
US99 ‘s Lisa Dent and many other sport celebs and
help Support Special Olympics Area 2!
5/29
Cop on Top!
Dunkin
Donuts
Various
Locations
6/7
Area Bowling
Tournament
Brunswick
Zone
Naperville
6/126/14
State Summer
Games
6/12
and
6/14
Unified Relay across
America
Various
Stops
Chicago
6/22
Midwest Golf
Celebrity Pro-Am
Royal Fox
Country
Club
St.
Charles
Normal
AREA SPONSORS
*SPECIAL DONATIONS**
David Johnson
Roger & Sandra Jensen
Adam & Kimberly Bliss
Knights of Columbus Columbian Council
#2191-Batavia
Knights of Columbus # 14929– Aurora
Knights of
Columbus #11666– Huntley
Knights of Columbus #5918 -Bolingbrook
Knights of Columbus #4849 –Aurora
Knights of Columbus #1555-West Chicago
Knights of Columbus #11091-Algonquin
Naperville Evening Kiwanis
A-1 Landscape & Maintenance
Business Professionals of America-Illinois
Chapter
*Sternberg Lighting-Gold Medal
Sponsor of Spring Games *
**MEMORIALS**
Jennifer Davis Moline
STATEWIDE PARTNERS
FAR WEST SUBURBAN NEWS
PAGE 4
LAKE BLUFF PLUNGE-March 7th
Just when we thought it could not happen
again...Mother nature laid another
blanket of ice over Lake Bluff! We found
ourselves plunging again into dive tanks
supplied by Lake Bluff Fire Department!
Plungers were in great spirts with fantastic costumes. We added the North Shore Hot Cocoa
truck and danced to music provided by102.3
XLC!
We had 252 Plungers and raised over $72,500!
Top fundraisers included: Zakkery Percival
($3,505.18), Mike Chmielewski ($3,475) and Jim
Creighton ($2,977). When the final numbers
were in, the corporate team raising the most
money was Durham School Services ($5,347+)
and the top LETRSO Team was the South Elgin
Superheroes from the South Elgin Police
Department ($5,605+).
This year in the Cool School Challenge, our back
to back champions the Highland Park High
School ‘HPHS in ParadICE” raised $8,122! Lake
Forest High School Men’s Club and the Shepard
Spartans followed close behind!
It was a great event and we look forward to
seeing many of your back for another year of
plunging!
Special thanks to the worlds greatest Plunge
Committee and our fabulous 2015 sponsors!
Thank YOU!
Heinen's Grocery Store
Saturday, June 6 | 10am-2pm
Allstate-Northbrook Corporate Campus
Join us for the 16th Annual Construction Team Picnic at Allstate!
Special Olympics Illinois athletes, families and friends are invited
to experience the fun! Enjoy entertainment for the whole family;
food, games, a DJ, dancing, t-shirts and more. Best of all it’s FREE!
If you are attending please register at,
https://constructionteampicnic.eventbrite.com or contact Patty
Welsh at pwelsh@soill.org by Friday, May 22.
Presented by: Special Olympics Illinois - South Cook-Will/Area 7
Illinois
Directions:
The Allstate Insurance campus is located at 2775 Sanders Road in
Northbrook, IL. Take 294 North as if going to O’Hare. proceed north to
the Willow Road exit. Exit west (left) to 1st stop light (Sanders Road).
Then left to the Allstate entrance. You will pass Allstate on the
interstate, just before Willow Road. See you there!
Don’t forget to register at
https://constructionteampicnic.eventbrite.com or contact Patty Welsh
at pwelsh@soill.org by Friday, May 22.
Illinois
Save the Date...
presents
for the
2015 Midwest Golf
Celebrity Pro-Am
St. Charles, IL
It is our sincere pleasure to invite you to
participate in the 28th Annual Midwest Golf
Celebrity Pro-Am to benefit Special Olympics
Illinois Area 2. The format for this year’s event will
match professional athletes, and other celebrities
with amateur foursomes in a Scramble Format
Tournament.
We encourage you to be part of this event and
join the network of corporations and individuals
who contribute to the success of thousands of
Special Olympics athletes in the Chicagoland area.
Please join us this year as a sponsor, individual golfer
or if you can’t attend, a financial contribution. The
registration form is on the other side of this notice.
Your support is needed
and greatly appreciated!
F O R
S P O
A L L
R T S
S E A S O N S
Illinois Area 2
28
Monday, June 22, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
9:00 A.M.
Registration Opens
at The Royal Fox Country Club
10:30 A.M.
Shotgun Start with Lunch
th
Annual
4:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M.
Cocktails
5:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M.
Dinner & Auction
Midwest Golf Celebrity Pro-Am Advisory Board
Jim Kuykendall
Mike Mulrooney
Presenting Sponsor
Magnetrol
Bill Ledvora
& Mike Rosier
Zimmerman
International Inc.
Ford
West Valley Graphics
& Print - St. Charles
Ray Agrella
Shearer & Agrella
Bill McSkimming
Ed Molitor SOAR Consulting, Inc.
Attorneys
Gene Hiser
Joseph Cane Porte Brown
Bob Miller Eric Soderholm
Photos courtesy of
MCD MEDIA
RiverFront Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge
Tim Layden
High PSI
Midwest Golf
Celebrity Pro-Am
Benefitting
Special Olympics
Illinois Area 2
Sponsorship Opportunities
Presenting Sponsor – $7,000
• 12 Players for 18 holes of golf with a celebrity captain
• Your choice of one of five tee box gifts for 12 people
• 24 Tickets to Tournament Awards Dinner with
preferred seating
• Opportunity to provide promotional items to
Tournament participants
• Signage on 3 designated holes
• Full page souvenir program advertisement
• Clubhouse and on-site signage
• Presenting Sponsor recognition at Tournament
Awards Dinner
• Recognition in Special Olympics Illinois Quarterly newsletter
• Company name on all golf carts
Diamond Sponsor – $4,800
• 8 Players for 18 holes of golf with a celebrity captain
• Your choice of one of five tee box gifts for 8 people
• 16 Tickets to Tournament Awards Dinner with
preferred seating
• Signage on 2 designated holes
• Full page souvenir program
advertisement
• Clubhouse and on-site signage
• Diamond Sponsor recognition at
Tournament Awards Dinner
• Recognition in Special Olympics Illinois Quarterly newsletter
• Company name on all golf carts
Featuring the beautiful Royal Fox
Golf Course in St. Charles, Illinois
Gold Sponsor – $2,500
• 4 Players for 18 holes of golf with a celebrity captain
• Your choice of one of five tee box gifts for 4 people
• 8 Tickets to Tournament Awards Dinner with preferred seating
• Signage on a designated hole
• Half page souvenir program advertisement
• Gold Sponsor recognition at Tournament Awards Dinner
Silver Sponsor – $1,500
• 2 Players for 18 holes of golf with a celebrity captain
• Your choice of one of five tee box gifts for 2 people
• 2 Tickets to Tournament Awards Dinner
• Half page souvenir program advertisement
• Silver Sponsor recognition at Tournament Awards Dinner
Bronze Sponsor – $800
• 1 Player Spot for 18 holes of golf with a celebrity captain
• Your choice of one of five tee box gifts for 1 person
• 1 Ticket to Tournament Awards Dinner
• Quarter page souvenir program advertisement
• Bronze Sponsor recognition at Tournament
Awards Dinner
Golf Sponsor – $450
• 1 Player for 18 holes of golf with a celebrity captain
• Your choice of one of five tee box gifts for 1 person
• 1 Ticket to Tournament Awards Dinner
Hole Sponsor – $250
• Signage on a designated hole
• Opportunity to conduct hole-site promotions
• Recognition in souvenir program
Choice of Tee Box Gifts*
#1: 2 FootJoy Golf Shirts & 1 Dz. Pro-V1(x) golf balls
#2: Titleist Backpack & FootJoy Golf Shirt
#3: 1 Pair FootJoy HydroLite Golf Shoes, 2 Titleist Hats
#4: 1 Dz. Pro-V1(x) golf balls,
1 FootJoy Short Sleeve Sport Pullover Windshirt,
2 FootJoy SofJoy Golf Gloves
#5: 1 Titleist Vokey Wedge
*Female golfers will receive equivalent apparel
Golfer
Registration
Illinois Area 2
#1 Golfer____________________________________________________
Mailing Address________________________________________________
City_________________________________State_ _______ Zip_________ Phone_ _____________________ E-mail____________________________
#2 Golfer____________________________________________________
Mailing Address________________________________________________
City_________________________________State_ _______ Zip_________ Phone_ _____________________ E-mail____________________________
#3 Golfer____________________________________________________
Mailing Address________________________________________________
City_________________________________State_ _______ Zip_________ Phone_ _____________________ E-mail____________________________
#4 Golfer____________________________________________________
Mailing Address________________________________________________
City_________________________________State_ _______ Zip_________ Phone_ _____________________ E-mail____________________________
q AMEX q VISA q MasterCard q Discover / Exp. Date...............................
Credit Card #:...............................................................................................
Amount Enclosed: $.......................................................................................
Sponsor Level:................................................................................................
Name (Print as it appears on card):.........................................................................
Signature:........................................................................................................
All credit card orders must be signed.
Make checks payable to: Special Olympics Illinois Area 2
Ensure your check is attached and signed, or that all payment information is completed. Send to:
Special Olympics Illinois • P.O. Box 897 • St. Charles, IL 60174
(630) 377-7250 • shutchins@soill.org
sign up at: http://www.soill.org/event/midwest-golf-celebrity-pro-am/
CHICAGO - AUGUST 6, 2015*
What is the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby? It’s a signature annual fundraiser benefiting Special Olympics Illinois! Thousands
of spectators watch over 50,000 yellow rubber ducks splash into the Chicago River from the Columbus Drive bridge in downtown
Chicago and race down river towards the finish line. Race Day kicks off at 10am at 400 North Michigan Ave (The Wrigley Building)
with entertainment for the entire family - face painting, games, and appearances by sports mascots. Splashdown for the Duck
Derby is at 1pm. All proceeds benefit the nearly 22,000 athletes and over 20,000 Young Athletes across Illinois.
How do I adopt a Duck? Adopt a duck for $5 or a Quack Pack (6 ducks for $25) for your chance to win. Fill out the form below
and mail to Special Olympics Illinois, 500 Waters Edge Ste 100 Lombard, IL 60148 or go online at www.chicagoduckrace.com to
purchase your ducks.
What if my duck wins? You could be the winner of one of our amazing prizes including a 2015 Chevy Trax or a 7-day, all inclusive
Apple Vacation to Cancun! Other great prizes to come!
How do I get involved? Sales teams are forming now. Put together a group of friends, colleagues or family members to join the
fun. Teams compete for bragging rights and great prizes! To form a Duck Sales Team or to volunteer, contact Krissy Wollak at
kwollak@soill.org or 630-545-3401.
ADOPT A DUCK ORDER FORM
* Adopters must be at least 18 years of age
*Name_____________________________________________________________________________________________
*Address__________________________________________ *City___________________________ *State______ *Zip________
*Email____________________________________________ *Phone_______________________________
Cash
Check
Credit Card
Card #__________________________________________________ Exp Date___________ Security Code ____________
Signature_______________________________________________
Credit Sales Team________________________________________ Make checks payable to Special Olympics Illinois
I WISH TO ADOPT
QTY
AMOUNT
TOTAL
Single Duck
$5
=
Quack Pack (adopt 5 and 6th racing duck is free, adopt 10 & get 2 ducks free, etc.)
$25
=
Flock of Ducks ($100 for 24 ducks)
$100
=
Decade of Ducks Donor
$1,000
=
($1,000 for 240 ducks)
T-Shirts are available online at www.chicagoduckrace.com
TOTAL
Winners need not to be present to win one race day, August 6, 2015* -- Duck “splashdown” takes place at the Columbus Drive Bridge into the Chicago River at 1pm. Note: All prizes subject to change without
notice. Official rules can be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Special Olympics Illinois, 500 Waters Edge Ste 100 Lombard, IL 60148 or online at www.chicagoduckrace.com or by
calling 630.942.5610. *Date and location pending.