Your October News

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Law Enforcement Torch Run Raises $1 Million in 2018!

After 35 years of raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics Colorado, Law Enforcement Torch Run Colorado has reached their goal of raising $1 MILLION annually! We can't thank our law enforcement partners enough for their tireless dedication and passion they have for our athletes. We are so proud to have them as part of the Special Olympics Colorado family.

Bocce and Brews - October 21

It's the Broncos bye week, so join the Special Olympics Colorado Young Professionals Board for the 2nd Annual Bocce & Brews on Sunday, October 21 from 1-4pm at Rhein Haus Denver! Form a bocce team (up to 4 people) and enter the tournament, or just come and be part of the fun!

Teams will participate in a bracket-type tournament with the option to include a Special Olympics Colorado athlete on your team! The first round begins at 1:00pm. Each team is $150 and includes 2 drink tickets per person, entry into the tournament, and light food. Attendees are also welcome to purchase tickets for $20, which includes one drink ticket and snacks. 100% of the proceeds goes back to more than 24,000 Special Olympics Colorado athletes. Click here to register today !

Congratulations Hanna Atkinson!

Congratulations to Special Olympics Colorado Athlete Hanna Atkinson who was just chosen to be a member of the 2018-2022 Class of Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers for Special Olympics! Hanna is one of ten athlete leaders in the world who will represent our movement in this prestigious role, helping to spread the message of acceptance, empowerment, inclusion and the difference that Special Olympics has made in her life.

Hanna has participated with Special Olympics Colorado for more than 10 years and competes in skiing, cycling, swimming, and basketball. She is also part of the SOCO Youth Activation Committee and is a Global and Health Messenger who speaks on behalf of Special Olympics Colorado athletes throughout the state. Hanna was recently selected to be a reporter for Lady Gaga's Foundation Channel Kindness. She was also a reporter and story contributor for ABC's Denver7 News and won an Emmy Award for her contributions.

Douglas County High School Receives National Banner

Congratulations to Douglas County High School on being named an official Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School! On October 5, they received their banner for their commitment to inclusion. Determined by Special Olympics in order to receive this designation, Douglas County High School met 10 standards of excellence focusing on Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole-School Engagement. Click here to learn more about becoming a National Banner Unified Champion School.

Athlete Survey

ATTENTION SOCO ATHLETES! We need your input! Please complete the Special Olympics North America ATHLETE SURVEY by November 1 to have your voice heard at the Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress. Click here to complete the survey .

2018 Hall of Fame presented by Comfort Dental

Congratulations to the 2018 Special Olympics Colorado Hall of Fame presented by Comfort Dental inductees!

Peter Naffah

Male Athlete of the Year presented by Safeway
Victoria Smith

Female Athlete of the Year presented by Savills Studley

University of Northern Colorado

Doug Fulton Unified Champion Schools Kindness Award

The Egan Family

Family of the Year

Mike Ruspil

Volunteer of the Year presented by Hyatt Regency Denver

Explore Elementary School
Young Athletes Program of the Year presented by Comfort Dental

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

Community Partner of the Year

El Paso County Sheriff's Office

Law Enforcement Agency of the Year presented by EKS&H

Thank you to all of the attendees, donors, volunteers, and sponsors for helping us celebrate our champions. Because of you, we were able to raise $217,000 for Special Olympics Colorado programs and competitions. Learn more about the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees. Click here to view the photos.
Photos courtesy of Brian Johnson Photo.

Westerra Credit Union Financial Tip

October is Credit Union Month! Westerra Credit Union is proud to support credit unions around the globe during October for the outstanding ways they are impacting communities. As locally owned, not-for-profit institutions, our focus is People Helping People. This aligns so closely with the efforts of Special Olympics Colorado. As a proud sponsor, we honor the athletes and their families who are the heart of people helping people. Westerra invites our community to work with us in supporting Special Olympics Colorado. Be sure to mention SOCO when you open any new accounts or services so we can make additional contributions of $52.80 to Special Olympics Colorado athletes.