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Every two years, 12 athletes are selected to train through the Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger program and serve as primary spokespeople on behalf of Special Olympics, appearing in national and international media outlets and delivering addresses before large audiences. The Global Messengers come from around the globe, reflecting the scope and reach of the movement, and have proven to be the movement's most effective spokespersons. Through their appearances in the media and in speeches to civic and business groups, the Global Messengers carry forth the themes that are most important to athletes in Special Olympics Programs around the world.
The 2002 Class of Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers are:
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Tamana Chona
Special Olympics India
Tamana Chona, a highly motivated athlete, is an excellent swimmer and badminton player. Earning good grades in school, she has obtained professional qualifications in Travel & Tourism and Early Childhood Care.
She has represented Special Olympics many times, including speaking to large multinational corporations such as Citibank, American Express and Bank of America. Chona currently teaches in one of Delhi's leading schools.
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Rodney Hankins
Special Olympics New York (USA)
Forty-year-old Rodney Hankins of Brooklyn is an accomplished athlete, having won medals at all levels of Special Olympics competition in athletics, including silver medals in three events at the 1995 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and two gold medals and a fourth-place at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
He participated in the 1996 Paralympic Trials in Atlanta and won gold medals in the 200m and 400m dash at the Goodwill Games Special Olympics exhibition races. As a Global Messenger for Special Olympics New York, Hankins speaks to numerous groups about the benefits of Special Olympics. Rodney is employed by ABC-TV in Manhattan, New York, USA and enjoys electric slot cars, bowling and writing music.
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Jack Hess
Special Olympics Manitoba (Canada)
Jack Hess, of Manitoba, Canada has trained extensively, earning competition opportunities at six Special Olympics Canada National Games and two Special Olympics World Games, in swimming, Alpine skiing and snowshoeing. In the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, Hess won gold, silver and bronze meals, and also discovered the opportunity to be a Global Messenger.
Taking the initiative to be a better speaker, Hess successfully completed the Annual Athlete Speakers Bureau, which taught him many technical public speaking skills, including how to write his own speeches. Hess spends his time away from training with his wife Ramona and 9-year-old daughter, Amy.
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Erin Holloway
Special Olympics Colorado (USA)
Once shy and withdrawn, Erin Holloway has worked her way up to being a thriving athlete, public spokesperson and a Member of Special Olympics Colorado's Board of Directors. Holloway has also earned her certification as a U.S. Alpine Skiing official, traveling to Toronto, Canada in 1997 to judge at the 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Involved for more than 20 years, Erin has competed in six sports, settling on equestrian and owning her own horse, Brillante Nina, who has become her pride and joy. She is independent, working and owns her own vehicle, in addition to her horse.
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Chan Tim Lei
Special Olympics Macau
Chan Tim Lei began participating in Special Olympics athletics in 1991. As he improved his physical and social skills, he expanded to swimming, and team sports such as soccer and basketball.
Selected to compete in the 1995 and 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Chan is a deputy captain of his basketball team. With his increasing confidence and abilities, fellow athletes now look up to him as an athlete leader and a peer coach.
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Paul Marretti
Special Olympics Virginia (USA)
Paul Marretti is extremely involved in Special Olympics Virginia as an athlete, a fundraiser and ambassador. He began as a basketball player, and soon expanded to other sports, including bowling, tennis, football, Alpine skiing, softball, track, golf and swimming, where he won three medals in 2001 Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games.
In 1995, Paul convinced the local baseball league to hold a Special Olympics softball demonstration in the city's finest venue, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars generated to support the area Special Olympics Program. He lives independently, sharing an apartment with a roommate and working at a True Value hardware store. Marretti was elected to the Special Olympics Virginia Board of Directors as its athlete representative.
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Katie Meade
Special Olympics Iowa (USA)
Katie Meade, born with Down syndrome, lived the first three years of her life in a hospital with related critical medical problems. She survived two open heart surgeries, three cardiac arrests and multiple thorocotomies to become one of the most dynamic, outgoing, determined and inspirational athletes in Special Olympics.
Meade has represented Special Olympics Iowa in many activities before audiences of more than 2,000 people, including a welcoming speech at the 2001 Special Olympics Iowa Summer Games, the ShopKo Charity Classic Dinner and Awards Banquet, and a talk at Iowa State University. A definite overachiever from the beginning, she participates in swimming, gymnastics and athletics for Special Olympics, but also finds time to be a part of her high school swim team and manager of its softball team, as well as maintaining her place on the school's honor roll.
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Álvaro Miranda
Special Olympics Peru
Álvaro Miranda first joined Special Olympics in 1988 as a swimmer. Soon he began actively training in athletics, excelling in the 50m and 100m dash. His floor hockey team won the gold medal at the 1993 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Schladming, Austria.
He is a Member of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Peru and participates in many voluntary committees. Last year, he attended the Latin American Regional Athlete Congress in Puerto Rico. When not training, Miranda works at West Coast Video and takes classes in English and Oration.
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Ephraim Mohlakane
Special Olympics South Africa
Ephraim Mohlakane is a talented athlete. He participates in Special Olympics athletics running the 5km and 10km, plays five-a-side football and floor hockey. He has attended two Special Olympics World Winter Games with his floor hockey team, winning the silver medal at the 2001 World Games in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
As a Member of the Special Olympics South Africa Board, Mohlakane serves as a model to other athletes and spreads his story through Athlete Leadership Programs. He lives in a home for individuals with mental retardation called the Hamlet, where he works as a supervisor in a protective workshop. The home has built its very own permanent floor hockey rink so that Mohlakane and his teammates can hone their skills in a regulation facility.
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Mayssa Sandakly
Special Olympics Lebanon
Mayssa Sandakly, of Beirut, Lebanon, has been a Special Olympics athlete since 1994. Competing in athletics and basketball, Sandakly has hopes of becoming an international basketball player.
Her family is extremely supportive of her involvement in Special Olympics and is usually present at every event. When Sandakly isn't training and competing for Special Olympics, she spends her time drawing.
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Serena Silvi
Special Olympics Italy
Serena Silvi, who was born in Hong Kong, is an accomplished artistic gymnast. In addition to her athletic abilities, she is a Member of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Italy and of the Organizing Committee for the 2001 Special Olympics Italy National Games in Fiuggi.
Silvi is an active speaker, representing Special Olympics in her country, as well as all over Europe. She presented the 2000 Special Olympics European Games at the European Parliament (Brussels) and announced the Host Town Program for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin Ireland, receiving a standing ovation on both occasions. She has created her own network of athletes over the Internet and hopes to add more members all the time.
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Leonid Stoiline
Special Olympics Russia
Leonid Stoiline is a long-distance runner, medaling in the 1500m at the Special Olympics Russia National Athletics Meet in 2001. He has made numerous speaking appearances, including the Special Olympics Russia National Conference (December 2001) in Moscow, and the Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia Regional Leadership Conference (October 2001) in Cyprus.
Enthusiastic and hard-working, he is outspoken about his love for Athlete Leadership Programs, already starting his own athlete committee, which he hopes to spread throughout Russia.
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Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers can be booked for speaking engagements and media interviews by contacting Special Olympics at +1 (202) 628-3630. | |
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