DECEMBER 2017 SPECIAL OLYMPICS – YORK COUNTY NEWSLETTER SPOTLIGHT ON OUR ATHLETES Michael Wolfgang is the Homecoming King at Dover Area High School At Dover High School Michael Wolfgang enjoys participating in the Buddy Club. He prepares coffee everyday with Class Act Beverage Service for the teachers and staff. He is a Boy Scout in Troop 88, Lake Meade. He participates in Special Olympics York County where he plays floor hockey, golf, bowling and bocce. He also enjoys playing Challenger baseball with the Dillsburg Diamondbacks. He hopes to work in food service or horticulture after graduation. Bobbi Leckrone is now a published cookbook author Bobbi has written Simply Delicious Recipes. The book filled with many delicious recipes is dedicated to the memory of Erin McDonough, a beautiful, fun loving, free spirited, Special Olympics – York County Athlete. Erin passed away recently. All proceeds from the sales of the cookbooks will be donated in memory of Erin to further the education, training, and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. Bobbi, who is active in our Bowling Program and our Athletics Program, states that she would like to make a difference in the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. CONGRATULATIONS MICHAEL AND BOBBI ! TWO SHINING EXAMPLES OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS – YORK COUNTY Look for the Special Olympics – York County Christmas Tree at Rocky Ridge located near the hot chocolate stand. Thanks Delcie and Bev Boyd for all your hard work!!! Special Olympics York County Athlete Leadership Team The Special Olympics movement is not just about providing persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) with opportunities for sports training and competition. Sports can be an important vehicle for helping persons with ID to participate more fully in the community, and to help them improve their physical, social and emotional well-being. The Athlete Leadership team focuses on empowering athletes to develop leadership skills, and find ways to use their voices to help spread the message that people with ID can contribute in positive ways to the community. We are proud to have a core of Athlete Leaders, who work collaboratively with the Management Team to help our organization spread the Special Olympics Mission. Over the past year, our Athlete Leaders have been working toward meaningful change and engagement in the community. The Athlete Leadership team has taken over as MC for our Spring Games. They have written and sent important notes of thanks to local donors. They serve as important spokespeople at community events, like the MLK day of caring or at the Autism Fair. Several members serve as global messengers, speaking words of thanks to donors, or speaking words of appeal to potential donors. Let me tell you that an appeal for donation or words of thanks are so much more meaningful when the message comes from our Athletes! In 2018, our Athlete Leadership team has 2 goals. The first is to increase our membership. We are looking for responsible athletes who care about our program, and want to work with us to make our program better. We meet the 3rd Sunday, every other month at the Special Olympics Office on Mulberry St, from 3-4PM. But we also have periodic events throughout the year at various locations. Please contact Noah Rinehart, the Athlete Rep on the Management Team, if you are interested in being an Athlete Leader. [email protected] Our final goal for 2018, is to get Athletes to Drink Water, Every Day. As part of a Healthy Athletes program, we think this is a very simple and straight forward message for our 2018 focus. Look for more information about this at upcoming Special Olympics Events. You should see and hear our message frequently, about drinking 5 bottles of water a day! Our Athlete Team Leaders, Jenny Laudeman and Michael Plappert are leading this charge. We think their message is important enough to change our behavior. Athlete Leadership Team members do WATER: Michael Plappert, Noah Rinehart, Dean Prowell, Jenny Laudeman, Joe Gerzewski. Absent from picture: Loretta Claiborne, Damien Miele, Elizabeth Smith. IN MEMORIAM “BIG AL” RAIMER By Guest Reporter, Roxanne “Rox” Dubbs "There she is!" "Come on, honey, you can do it". "What can we do about making that better?" These were words often said by our longtime friend, Big Al Raimer. Al was constantly cheering, laughing, joking, and pushing us to be better people, athletes and coaches alike. He did not settle for middle of the road. He constantly drove us to give more. That is because he always gave more himself. Al joined our ranks when our Program was first being developed. His nephew, Tom Tarman was one of our athletes and Al found a way to help. What he also found was an extended family. He was instrumental in starting the roller skating program. I remember him teaching the athletes how to get back on their feet after falling. More than teaching that, he taught them to never give up. When our ramp bowlers increased, he learned how to coach the bowlers. Al figured out that we needed balls without holes. From that point on, it was Al who took care of the ramp bowlers. They were a rowdy group, always having a good, loud time. Al was a fixture at swim practice, shouting, "keep going, keep going". At most every event, we could count on Al to help. You could find him in the kitchen at Union Lutheran wearing a hot dog hat, serving up, you know it, hot dogs. He would welcome you at the door of Red Lobster when Cops and Lobsters fund raising was held. He banged on dorm doors with his cane at 5:00 am, waking the guys up for breakfast at Penn State. He hung signs and handed out hot chocolate at the Polar Plunge. He was just...everywhere, and you did not even have to ask him to be there. And now he is not. He is not here. We really miss him, our Big Al. Rest in Peace, friend. You have done well by your service to our Program. We are all better for having you here. We will "keep going" for you. **************************************************************** UPCOMING EVENTS SPORTS ATHLETE REGISTRATION Wednesday, January 3, 2018 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. York County School of Technology Cafeteria Athletes, please do not arrive before 6:15 p.m. COACHES MEETING – 7:30 P.M. **************************************************************** 10th Annual Polar Bear Plunge February 3, 2018 John Wright Building, Wrightsville, PA 29th Annual Robert H. Griffith Holiday Basketball Classic December 27, 2017 York County School of Technology Our athletes scrimmage during intermission Carl Gardner Golf Benefit for Special Olympics PA York County For twenty-six (26) years, York County Special Olympics Pennsylvania has benefitted from the generous support of the Carl Gardner Golf Benefit for Special Olympics PA York County. This year’s fundraising event took place on September 20, 2017 at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. Who was Carl Gardner? Carl was a family man who proudly celebrated over 25 years of marriage to Cindy, his partner in life and faith. Carl supported his community, donating his time and energy to the Central PA Drycleaners Association annual golf outing, benefiting Special Olympics York County. Carl was proud of the golf outing, its success and the athletes who participated each year. He especially enjoyed golfing with Special Olympics Athlete Jonathan Martin. The Carl Gardner Golf Benefit for Special Olympics PA York County continues today under the leadership of Cindy Gardner, Carl’s wife, and her daughter in law, Krista Gardner, who is a member of the York County Special Olympics Pennsylvania Management Team and Manager of Fund Raising. For twenty-six years, one-hundred percent of the proceeds from this event have been donated to York County Special Olympics Pennsylvania. One of the winners of this year’s “Golf Ball Drop” was York County Special Olympics PA athlete Trent Bupp, who was proud and happy to have the $250 winning ball. Thank you to all who participated and volunteered to make this event a success! Cindy Gardner with York County Special Olympics PA athlete and “Golf Benefit Volunteer” Jenny Laudeman SOYC athlete Trent Bupp with his $250 “Winning Ticket” ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** FINANCE CORNER Year-end and estate planning Just a reminder to keep Special Olympics York County in mind as you think about year-end charitable giving. Donations may be sent to SOYC at PO Box 333, Dover, PA 17351. Also, as you consider your estate planning (your Will), you should be aware of a local option to use part of your estate to support Special Olympics in perpetuity. The York County Community Foundation has established an endowment fund called “York County’s Fund for Special Olympics” which can receive donations and provide an annual grant to Special Olympics in York County “forever.” This is a good way to ensure that larger gifts, like estate bequests, will be used to support the long-term health and presence of Special Olympics in our county. This fund is not owned nor controlled by Special Olympics in any way, but is set up to directly and exclusively support our program through annual grants from earnings. This is also a good option for the “residual beneficiary” of Special Needs Trusts – to specify the use of any leftover funds when the Special Needs Trust is no longer needed. For more information, you can contact our treasurer ([email protected]), or you can contact Mr. Brian Tate directly at the York County Community Foundation, and ask about including York County’s Fund for Special Olympics in your Will or Trust. SCHEDULES FLOOR HOCKEY SCHEDULE Special Olympics York County Floor Hockey Weigelstown Elementary School Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8PM.