2015 Annual Report OUR MISSION 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. OUR VISION Special Olympics New Jersey will be the premier non-profit sports organization worldwide, known for excellence and innovation in providing opportunities to enrich the lives of all current and potential Special Olympics athletes, their families and society as a whole. OUR GENUINE JERSEY PRIDE Genuine Jersey Pride defines Special Olympics New Jersey and celebrates the impact we have on all who participate, as well as those privileged to witness the magic every time an athlete with an intellectual disability takes the field, scores a goal, achieves a personal best time of simply experiences the joy of participation Genuine -- illustrates the authentic means by which Special Olympics approaches sport; from a coach and athlete’s commitment to training, to a volunteer’s execution of an event, to the ultimate performances witnessed by families, spectators, and friends. Jersey -- distinguishes our athletes as proud competitors in their communities throughout New Jersey. Pride -- characterizes our celebration of respect and dignity, both on and off the playing field; creating communities of welcome and acceptance through participation in sport. Each and every member of our Special Olympics Team, including athletes, family members, volunteers and sponsors, is asked to champion the Genuine Jersey Pride theme, promoting the Special Olympics New Jersey Movement throughout our great state. Genuine is the way we approach sport in New Jersey, and celebrate pride in the athletes we serve. 1 Friends of Special Olympics New Jersey, 2015 was another tremendous year for our organization. To everyone in our Special Olympics New Jersey family, we thank you for your support, dedication, and overall passion for the mission. 2015 will be looked back upon as a year of great momentum and rejuvenation for Special Olympics New Jersey, as we began to benet from the legacy of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games that were held in New Jersey. The USA Games shone a spotlight on New Jersey, resulting in a heightened awareness and enthusiasm for our organization, and in 2015, many new individuals, organizations, and corporations joined and supported Special Olympics New Jersey. Over the course of the year, countless stories about medals won, friendships made and opportunities revealed were shared by our athletes and their families, and these stories will be told for decades to come. From the young athlete to the seasoned athlete, each has their own story about their journey and accomplishments, both on and o the playing eld. In 2015, our Unied footprint in schools and colleges dramatically increased across the state. Our Healthy Communities program greatly expanded, and signicant eorts were made to provide initiatives and programs to our athletes to improve overall tness and wellness levels. We focused on providing quality programs, training and competition to ensure that athletes on every level, from local to state competitions, were aorded opportunities to perform to the best of their ability. Moving into 2016, we look forward to serving all our current 25,000 athletes, and we welcome the many new athletes and their families to our team. Our future is bright and our anthem is strong. Play Unied, Live Unied!! In the Spirit of Special Olympics, Heather Andersen Fred Graziano President & CEO Chairman of the Board 2 2015 YEAR-END BOARD OF DIRECTORS AREA DIRECTORS Area 1: Hudson County CHAIRMAN Anita Nedswick Fred Graziano Richard Levandowski, MD Area 2: Passaic County TD Bank Princeton Musculoskeletal Inst. Rich Deska 1ST VICE CHAIRMAN Greg Matteo Area 3: Morris, Sussex & Warren Counties Maria Fischer Toll Brothers Hinkle, Fingles & Prior Betty Lunn Attorneys at Law Stewart E. McClure, Jr. Area 4: Hunterdon County Lakeland Bank 2ND VICE CHAIRMAN Joyce Kirchin Michael L. Ostrowsky Chris McCormac Area 5: Middlesex & Union Counties Bressler, Amery & Ross Special Olympics New Jersey Athlete Steve Smith SECRETARY Robert J. McCrossan Area 6: Monmouth & Ocean Counties Timothy M. Tracy Hi Tech Data Floors Ernst & Young LLP Jeri Hickey John Price Area 7: Camden, Gloucester & Salem Counties TREASURER Glassboro Partners, Inc. Thomas H. Comiskey Marianne Aponte M&T Bank Joseph Ritzel Area 8: Atlantic, Cape May & Cumberland Day & Zimmermann Counties Donald Slaght Northeast Home Elevation Retired Chief Robert Belfiore Area 9: Essex County Frank Petrucci New Jersey Tom Sullivan Law Enforcement Torch Run Princeton Partners, Inc. Area 10: Somerset County Chris & Larry Hanko Dr. Theresa Purcell Cone Tom Varga Rowan University Metrographics Area 11: Mercer County Marybeth Kowalski Torralba Mark Giamo Charles Wimberg BDO USA, LLC Atlantic City Electric Area 12: BergenCounty Jim Holmes Garth D. Brown PVH Corporation Area 13: Burlington County Kate Maloney 3 2015: A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN SPORTS TRAINING & COMPETITION In 2015, Special Olympics athletes in New Jersey trained and competed in four sports seasons at the local, county, sectional and state level in 24 Olympic-type sports. Inspired families, qualified coaches and committed volunteers supported athletes, helping them to excel in traditional and Unified Sports®. 2015 HIGHLIGHTS IN SPORTS & OUTREACH • Participated in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games: o 18 athletes & 8 coaches from Special Olympics New Jersey joined the USA delegation. + Athletes competed in: cycling, gymnastics, triathlon, Unified volleyball + Coaches participated in: athletics (track & field), powerlifting, tennis, triathlon, Unified volleyball, medical o More than 100 volunteers from New Jersey traveled to Los Angeles to donate their time at the 2015 World Games. • 21 Charter members were sworn in to the Garden State Champion Lions Club on September 26, 2015. The majority of members are Special Olympics athletes, making this chapter unique. Through the leadership of this club, SONJ will promote the true ideals of our Movement and our partnership. SONJ athletes are now beneficiaries of the Lions Club and agents of service! • In total, 2,225 FREE medical screenings were conducted throughout New Jersey (health disciplines include Fit Feet, FunFitness, Health Promotion, Healthy Hearing, Opening Eyes and Special Smiles). • 13 YMCAs in New Jersey offered the “Special Olympics Membership Rate,” waiving the joiners fee and providing 50% off the regular membership rate to the YMCA for SONJ athletes. • 350 young athletes participated in community programs. • 1,000 young athletes participated in home programs. • 125 coaches attended sport-specific Coach Clinics. • 22 athletes & 6 Unified partners competed in the first statewide triathlon competition. This competition was part of One More Tri, a community triathlon with proceeds that benefit SONJ. • Camp Shriver, a summer camp held over a 6 week period at the SONJ Sports Complex, offered 600 opportunities for athletes and Unified partner volunteers to engage in various sports activities with the support of sport-specific clinicians. 4 2015 HIGHLIGHTS IN UNIFIED SPORTS® & OUTREACH PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS • 5,000 young athletes and Unified partners participated in school based programs. • Through the Play Unified School Partnership, 85 schools received approximately $300,000 in grants for equipment, training, transportation, uniforms and technical assistance to offer inclusive sports, leadership, and social experiences that bring students with and without disabilities together as classmates, teammates, and friends. • Over 2,000 youth leaders in New Jersey organized Unified sports events, Respect Campaigns, Disability Awareness fairs and inclusive social activities in their schools. Nearly 500 leaders attended 4 Play Unified Youth Leadership Summits, meaning more than 10,000 students, school staff and community members were impacted by SONJ’s Unified School’s initiatives. • From inclusive physical education, school-based intramurals and Unified Game Days, to competing in our interscholastic Shriver Cup Unified Soccer, Bowling and Basketball Championships, 3,000 students with and without disabilities teamed up to play Unified Sports. • “Learn. Practice. Play. Unified. Guide to Inclusive Physical Education” and “Guide to Inclusive Gross Motor and Play” were released this year, and distributed to all school districts in the state. • More than 500 physical education instructors and administrators participated in Inclusive Physical Education professional development trainings and presentations hosted by SONJ. • 8 high schools took part in the first-ever High School Unified Team Bowling Shriver Cup Championship in May. • 9 college teams and 2 high school teams competed in the 2015 Unified Basketball Shriver Cup Championship at Rider University in April. • 11 college Unified teams and 6 high school Unified teams competed in the 2015 Unified Soccer Shriver Cup Championship at the fields used by the Players Development Academy in November. • Unified Sports expanded to 12 colleges and universities in New Jersey. 5 2015 FUNDRAISING ACHIEVEMENTS Special Olympics New Jersey conducted sports training and athletic competition in 24 sports for more than 25,000 athletes in 2015, totally free of charge. 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