South Section Highlights - June/July 2008

 

Program Highlights:

·         Held first-ever Brockton Young Athletes Week @ Howard & Keith Schools in June – 824 completed the eight week training program and 769 students medaled during the 3-day event

·         Launched first-ever South Section Unified® Golf League @ Rockland Golf Course providing weekly play for 28 Special Olympics golfers and their Unified partners (and growing)

·         Held annual New Bedford School Day Games and Evergreen Center School MATP

·         Sent 881 Athletes, Unified Partners, Coaches & Chaperones to SOMA State Summer Games in Boston

·         Presented Challenge Medals to three new teams that began training this year: Greater Taunton Aquatics, Swansea Volleyball and Swansea Track & Field

 

Fundraising & Development Highlights:

·         Held annual Enterprise Rent-A-Car Golf Tournament & Live Auction at Easton Country Club on June 19 – raising a record total of $35,000 – thank you Enterprise!

·         Planned and executed Law Enforcement Torch Run Legs in 3 major counties of South Section (totaling 170 runners and more than $13,500 raised, and counting):

o        26th annual Barnstable County LETR (Provincetown to Bourne – 68 miles)

o        2nd annual Plymouth County LETR (Plymouth to Brockton – 22 miles)

o        1st annual Bristol County LETR (Mansfield to Attleboro – 8 miles)

·         Recruited dozens of local Police Departments and Sheriff’s Departments for the first-annual Cruiser Convoy into the final day of the SOMA State Summer Games (June 15) at Harvard

·         Active members of Taunton Rotary plus all major regional Chambers of Commerce: Taunton, Metro South (Brockton), Fall River, New Bedford, Plymouth, Cape Cod & Hyannis

·         Thanked the recently-concluded Summer Season Event Sponsors including: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Ocean Spray, Dunkin’ Donuts, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Bristol County Savings Bank, Bridgewater Savings Bank, Webster Bank, ABLE Associates, Sovereign Bank, HarborOne Credit Union, Bank of America, and the Masons

 

In Memoriam:

·         Special Olympics said goodbye to Taunton’s Ron Arieta, known as the founder and first volunteer of the Special Olympics Massachusetts state chapter, athlete Chelsea Ann Ponte of Westport, and longtime volunteer Harry Ryan of Taunton. Their families and loved ones remain in our thoughts and prayers.