SPECIAL OLYMPICS FLORIDA INC
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Mission Statement
The mission of Special Olympics Florida is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities who wish to participate, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community. The ultimate objective of Special Olympics Florida is to help people with intellectual disabilities participate as productive and respected members of society at large, by offering them a fair opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills and talents through sports training and competition, and by increasing the public’s awareness of their capabilities and needs.
About This Cause
The concept of Special Olympics began in the early 1960s when Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a day camp in her own backyard for people with intellectual disabilities. From that experience it was clear that these individuals were far more capable in sports and physical activities than many experts believed and that the lessons these athletes learned through sports would translate into success in school, the workplace, and the community. In 1968 Mrs. Shriver organized the first International Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field in Chicago for families and neighbors of people with intellectual disabilities to witness athletes’ accomplishments take pride in their efforts, and to rejoice in their victories. Special Olympics Florida, an accredited program of Special Olympics Inc., continues the mission of providing year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities who wish to participate, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community. With 47 years of changing lives behind us, Special Olympics Florida is the largest provider of fitness training, education and athletic competition in Florida– coupled with social, life and leadership skill development opportunities – for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In Florida, over 53,000 athletes are served through thousands of training programs and over 539 competition opportunities each year in communities throughout the state - from county and area games to state level competitions. Anyone may participate in Special Olympics if they meet the eligibility criteria of having an intellectual disability or a similar developmental disability. Intellectual disabilities can be caused by any condition that impairs development of the brain before birth, during birth, or in childhood years. Special Olympics Florida will not deny any athlete for reasons of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or age. Special Olympics athletes may participate without regard to economic, demographic, religious, or social factors. Neither athletes nor their families/caregivers are charged a fee to participate in the program, 69% of the athletes we serve and their families are low income. In addition to our sports and training programs Special Olympics Florida offers a variety of other programs including: Unified Champion Schools: Unified Champion Schools brings school aged youth with and without intellectual disabilities together through education and sports and related initiatives that provide them with the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to create and sustain school communities that promote the acceptance, respect and human dignity for all students. Unified Champion Schools has seen great success within Florida, with hundreds of schools participating during the 2019-2020 school year. Young Athletes Program: The Young Athletes Program is an innovative sports play program for children ages 2-7 with intellectual disabilities and their peers, designed to introduce them into the world of sports. In 2018, there were 17,006 participants and hundreds of programs throughout Florida. Healthy Athletes: Healthy Athletes is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve their health and fitness, leading to enhanced sports experience and improved well-being. In 2018, Special Olympics Florida provided 10,955 health screenings to our athletes. Healthy Communities: Healthy Communities is a health care delivery approach that focuses on the whole person with an intellectual or developmental disability and provides integrated health care coordination that includes primary health care. There are currently sites in Southwest Florida, Hollywood, Tampa, and Jacksonville.