From Athlete to Lifeguard Lisa Ellis, a Special Olympics Connecticut athlete who won a gold medal in the butterfly, now spends her time in the pool as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. . . read more   Action Donate your frequent flyer miles to Special Olympics to help defray travel costs through our association with the mileage donation programs of several leading airlines. Go to www.specialolympics.org and click on "Donate"; "Frequent Flyer Miles."   Did You Know? Special Olympics and Paralympics are two separate organizations recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Special Olympics provides sports opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities of all ability levels. Paralympics provides sports opportunities for elite-level athletes with disabilities.

Chairman's Message WASHINGTON, DC 9 APRIL Anyone who's ever been involved in a training program, a team or a field of competition knows that sports can change everything-from shaping the body to changing our attitudes and influencing our mindset. For decades, we've seen the effects firsthand at Special Olympics. . .  read more

Popular Comic Strip Takes on the "R" Word CORBEIL, NORTHERN ONTARIO, CANADA 14 MARCH Lynn Johnston, creator of the enormously popular comic strip, "For Better or For Worse", raised some eyebrows with her reprisal of a character she introduced on 23 October 2004 - Shannon Lake, a 15-year-old with an intellectual disability. . . read more

Reception Held in Brussels to Celebrate the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games BRUSSELS, BELGIUM As a buildup to the Games, Chinese Embassies across Europe will be hosting receptions to attract greater awareness of and support for the Special Olympics movement. . . read more

Football Fever Gets Started in Europe LUXEMBOURG, EUROPE Special Olympics athletes from Luxembourg and Belarus attended the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying game in Luxembourg and, while they were there, had a thrilling experience training with First League coach Jacques Muller. Similarly, in Romania, Special Olympics athletes participated in their national football team's preliminary games for Euro 2008 and shared the spotlight with them prior to one of the games. . . read more

Interscholastic Unified Sports® Soccer League Has Legs WARRENDALE, PENNSYLVANIA USA. Through a dynamic partnership between schools, business and Special Olympics Pennsylvania (USA), there's a new football (soccer) league in town. Youth are gearing up for a different kind of sports experience, called Special Olympics Unified Sports, which pairs people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same teams.  . .  read more

A Pioneer Passes Away PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA USA PGA Master Professional Conrad Rehling followed a successful collegiate coaching career at Florida and Alabama by becoming one of the founding fathers of the Special Olympics golf program. He transformed his retirement into inspiring PGA Professionals to give back to the community. . . read more

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This communication is sponsored by Special Olympics, Inc. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. For more information, please visit our Web site: www.specialolympics.org