Fall Sports Competition Coming Up September 9th and 10th, 23rd and 24th | |
Our Annual Unified Sports® Fall Festival will take place on Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th. During the event, athletes of all abilities from across the state will unite to compete in bocce, golf, sailing, and softball with support from volunteers from the community and companies sponsoring the event. Spectators are welcome. For more information, visit soct.org, email specialolympicsct@soct.org or call 203-230-1201 and follow Special Olympics Connecticut on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Bocce competition will take place at Scalzi Park in Stamford on September 9th and 10th. Softball will be held at the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Club in East Hartford on September 9th and 10th. Sailing will be held at the Wadawanuck Club in Stonington on Saturday, September 9th and golf will take place at the Sleeping Giant Golf Course in Hamden on Sunday, September 10th. Events will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, athletes from Connecticut and Rhode Island will come together to compete in croquet at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, September 23rd and 24th.
Sponsors of the event include L. Suzio York Hill Companies - Platinum Sponsor, Liberty Bank and Mohegan Sun - Gold Sponsors and Feroleto Steel Company, Inc., the KBE Foundation, Lincoln Waste Solutions, LLC, Nirenstein, Horowitz Associates P.C., the PGA - Connecticut Section and the Singer Family - Bronze Sponsors. Also, the Dime Bank Foundation, Centreville Bank and the Chelsea Groton Foundation - Supporting/Contributing Sponsors and Hearst Connecticut Media Group, iHeart Radio Connecticut and NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut - Media Sponsors.
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Suzio York Hill Supports Special Olympics Connecticut, Celebrates 125 Years of Success | |
When you meet the Suzio brothers, Len and Ric, they have a way of making you feel like a friend from the start. Their warmth, personality and innate care for others is likely what's led to their solid reputation and their successes, both professionally and personally. Day to day, they manage the family business, the L. Suzio York Hill Companies, which was started as a construction and building materials company by their grandfather who came to America from Italy in the 1880's. Today, the company is focused on the building materials business and provides stone, asphalt and concrete for the construction of major projects here in Connecticut including highways, bridges, and university, residential and commercial buildings. It's vital work. Also important are the values they espouse and cornerstones of the company which include safety, quality, environmental stewardship and community citizenship. Special Olympics Connecticut is extremely fortunate to have Rick, Len and the employees of Suzio as partners, working with the organization to create a more inclusive and community-focused world.
This year, Len and Ric Suzio and the close to 100 employees of Suzio York Hill are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the business - and are doing so in ways that will impact their community and spread joy to others - including Special Olympics athletes. Suzio was a 2023 Special Olympics Connecticut Summer Games sponsor and will be a Platinum Sponsor of the 2023 Unified Sports® Fall Festival in September - an event it has sponsored for over 10 years. Employees will be on hand for golf competition at Sleeping Giant Golf Course and they'll be sporting hats that feature the Suzio and Special Olympics Connecticut logos. The hats are a gift Ric and Len are offering to employees this milestone year to encourage them to experience Special Olympics personally. Ric and Len strongly believe once their colleagues participate in the Games, they'll be hooked - just as they were. Ric and Len also welcomed several Special Olympics Global Messengers to their Meriden headquarters recently to see the company trucks they've embellished with the Special Olympics Connecticut logo to show their commitment to the athletes and inspire greater awareness for the organization.
Most of the credit for the company's success in the safety, health and philanthropy arena would have to go to their eldest sister Cheryl who Ric says deserves to be the center of a story about their company and Special Olympics. Cheryl sadly passed away in 2021 after a valiant battle with cancer but leaves a legacy of compassion, empathy, and kindness.
Ric shares that Cheryl should be the hero of this story because she was a passionate advocate for Special Olympics and a very involved supporter of the organization. She also served as the company's Special Olympics Connecticut liaison. She developed a strong bond and cherished friendship with Special Olympics Connecticut's Sharon Rozum with whom she worked closely.
Their upbringing had a strong influence on the Suzio siblings. Having a cousin with intellectual disabilities inspired their family to become involved in volunteering for the organization. Len recalled that the Special Olympics state games hosted by Southern Connecticut State University was his first volunteer experience and where he collected autographs from the Shrivers and Kennedys.
Len also remembers supporting Special Olympics as one of the volunteers in charge of entertainment for the 1995 Special Olympics World Games in New Haven. Ric helped out at World Games as well. He assisted athletes from around the world with arts and crafts at Olympic Town on Yale field, helping them to create bead necklaces and macaroni bracelets. Ric remembers that he couldn't always communicate with the athletes with words - many were non-verbal or spoke a different language - but was able to communicate with them through gestures and expressions. He also recalled that the athletes would arrive a little timid, but after a few minutes, he'd see them smiling ear to ear.
More recently, Ric and his family have volunteered together at our Unified Sports® Fall Festival golf tournament. Ric said it was especially wonderful to see his son, who's an athlete himself, interact and connect with Special Olympics golfers.
Other ways Len and Ric are celebrating the 125th anniversary of Suzio York Hill Companies include planting 125 trees on their properties and donating $125,000 to civic and community organizations. With all his family's and company's accomplishments, Ric shared he has one regret - that "Unified Sports® wasn't around when I was an athlete." He admires the way athletes with and without intellectual disabilities work together through the program. He also shares why he, Len and the Suzio York Hill Companies remain dedicated to supporting Special Olympics. "It's the celebration of the athletes that happens at events and the enthusiasm of the athletes. No matter where the athlete finishes. The sense of finishing is a victory. The smiles and affection you get from the athletes - it's rewarding." To read the full story, click here.
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Mordasiewicz, Chute Named New Torch Run Council Co-Directors
Outgoing Directors Madera, Didato Thanked for their Service
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Sgt. Nikki Mordasiewicz of the Hartford Police Department and Chief Chris Chute of the Connecticut State College and University Police Department have been named new Co-Directors of the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch Run Council and will serve in this role through 2026.
Chris has been involved in Special Olympics as a member of the Torch Run Council since 2020 and was formerly the Chief of the New Britain Police Department - a position he retired from earlier this year. As Chief, he started an athlete ambassador program in his department and established a community penguin plunge and 5k fundraising event to benefit our organization.
Nikki was a sophomore in high school when she got involved in Special Olympics as a Unified partner and began participating in the Torch Run program as a police explorer. Since then, she's participated in track & field as a Unified partner and has coached Special Olympics basketball, snowshoeing and bowling. In addition, Nikki serves as a local coordinator for Special Olympics Hartford PAL - an up-and-coming local program whose members have already taken part in Unified basketball, floor hockey skills and soccer skills at state competitions. As the Law Enforcement Torch Run Town Captain for Hartford, she supports Special Olympics through the Super Plunge and Tip-A-Cop events.
Assistant Director Rob Didato of Fairfield University's Department of Public Safety and Assistant Director Tom Madera of Yale University Security completed their terms as Co-Directors of the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch Run Council. Both served in the role from 2018 through the first half of 2023, and helped us navigate through all the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Kovlakas Joins Special Olympics Connecticut Board of Directors
We are pleased to announce that Lisa Kovlakas has rejoined the Special Olympics Connecticut Board of Directors.
Lisa is a corporate lead for strategic partnerships and programs at ESPN. In this role, she develops and implements strategic plans to increase awareness of ESPN’s commitment to using sport for social good where we live, work and play... all while giving back, enhancing corporate reputation and brand image, and driving awareness and impact to ESPN’s strategic cause partners.
Lisa’s nearly 40 year career at ESPN has given her many opportunities to be involved with Special Olympics. Lisa has volunteered with Special Olympics for over 35 years and was instrumental in securing ESPN’s title sponsorship of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) school-based Unified Sports® program as well as the ESPN production partnership for televising the USA and World Games. She also helped create and was a coach for the the Special Olympics Unified Sports® elementary school program in Milford, Connecticut for 14 years.
Lisa previously served a term as a Special Olympics Connecticut Board Member from 2009-18. For her dedication and extraordinary efforts, she received an Unsung Hero Award in 2006, SOCT President's Award in 2021 and was inducted as a member of the Shriver Society.
Lisa attended Central Connecticut State University and Tunxis Community College. She resides in Milford.
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Oxford High School Teammates Will Serve as Special Olympics Ambassadors
Special Olympics Unified Sports® teammates Freddie Blum and James Badeau from Oxford High School were selected to represent Special Olympics Connecticut and Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Unified Sports® as Special Olympics North America U.S. Youth Ambassadors for the 2023-25 term. Only seven Unified pairs are chosen to become Ambassadors each year.
They are coached by Jennifer LaCapra who also nominated them for this prestigious role.
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SOCT All-Star Team Seeks Support | |
Our Over the Edge event is completely SOLD OUT, but you can still get involved and help members of our All-Star Athlete team reach their fundraising goal by donating here.
Athletes Abby, Kyle, Matt, Raishaun, Robin and Sammy will rappel more than 30 floors down Mohegan Sun's Sky Tower on September 1st. Participants will also include Chief Inspiration Officer for Special Olympics worldwide Loretta Claiborne and more than 90 thrill-seeking Special Olympics supporters. Mohegan Sun, WWE, Chelsea Groton Bank and MidState Medical Center are sponsors of the event.
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Pulling Together for a Cause: Avelo Airlines Will Host Plane Pull to Benefit Special Olympics | |
Avelo Airlines and Special Olympics Connecticut are joining forces to hold a first-of-its-kind Plane Pull fundraiser at Tweed-New Haven Airport on Tuesday, September 12th. To register a team of 20 members or more or donate, click here.
Participants will flex their muscles and show their support for athletes of all abilities by coming together to pull an Avelo Airlines Boeing Next-Generation 737 jetliner 20 feet. Each member of the winning team that pulls the 90,000-pound aircraft 20 feet the fastest will receive a free Avelo roundtrip ticket. To participate, teams will raise a minimum of $2,000 - just $100 per person.
Event sponsors include Avelo Airlines - Presenting Sponsor, WWE - Platinum Sponsor and the Omni New Haven Hotel - Bronze Sponsor.
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Athletes who participate in our Special Olympics equestrian program were special guests at the Dream Ride Cup Polo Match at the Farmington Polo Club on August 5th. Dream Ride, a highly anticipated event for local Special Olympics athletes and athletes worldwide and one that offers something for everyone, will be held August 25th through 27th. For the complete schedule of events and to purchase tickets, click here. Have a classic or exotic car and are interested in participating in the Dream Cruise with an athlete? Email us at specialolympicsct@soct.org. | | |
The American Legion's Harry R. "Butch" Hansen, Department Adjutant for The American Legion, visited the Special Olympics Connecticut office where he was presented with a plaque of appreciation by SOCT's Senior Director of Partnerships and Corporate Relations Sharon Rozum.
The American Legion was a sponsor of our 2023 Summer Games, an event it has supported since 2010.
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Friends at Synchrony invited our Global Messengers to be part of the employee cornhole tournament at their Stamford headquarters on August 4th. The athletes assisted by keeping score, cheering on the players and presenting medals to the winners.
They also presented an award of appreciation to Christine Kica, President of Synchrony's Diversity Network, for her support of our Athlete Leadership Program. Synchrony also sponsors our Games and provides volunteers for events.
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The employees at SliceWorks in Glastonbury held a fundraiser for Special Olympics on August 1st with 10% of proceeds from sales going to our organization. Global Messenger Justin Prince stopped by for lunch and to say thank you. | | |
The 7th Annual SPUD Open Golf Tournament in memory of Dave Yellen to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut took place at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington on July 15th. The event raised over $13,000 to support our athletes. | | |
August is Make a Will Month
Because Everyone Deserves a Healthy Future
Many people with intellectual disabilities struggle to get the healthcare they need. In Connecticut, our Healthy Athletes program has offered thousands of free screenings. Improving their health not only allows our athletes to compete, but also leads to better opportunities for education, employment and community leadership. A gift in your will can help people with intellectual disabilities have every opportunity to be healthy and thrive. Learn more about ways to name Special Olympics a beneficiary of your will, living trust, retirement plan or life insurance, or let us know that you’ve already included a gift. Visit specialolympics.org/wills.
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Free Resources to Care for Loved Ones
To show our appreciation for all you’ve done for Special Olympics Connecticut, we would like to offer you something in return. Something we hope will have a positive impact on you and your family. If you’re like many people, creating or updating your will, trust and other important documents is something that often falls to the bottom of the to-do list. But planning can help you care for your loved ones and offer significant peace of mind. And it doesn’t have to be complicated.
We hope our free publications will help you get started. Some of the information available includes:
- Considerations for taking care of a loved one with special needs, parents or elder family members
- Tips for choosing an executor
- Creating an Advance Care Directive
- Why you need a digital estate plan
You’ll find a complete list of free publications here.
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Thank you to our Partner Sponsors: | |
Thank you to our Year-Round Suppliers: | |
We welcome your feedback.
Contact us at 203-230-1201 or specialolympicsct@soct.org.
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