March 2022
Thank you for supporting the 2022 Chicago Polar Plunge presented by Jackson!
We want to give a huge thank you to everyone who helped make our return to North Avenue Beach such a fun and successful event! Thank you to everyone who plunged with us, everyone who participated virtually, those who donated, all of our spectators, those who helped spread the word, and our amazing sponsors! Your kindness, dedication, and generosity help support thousands of athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities all across Chicago!
Use the code thankyou to download.
It's not too late to be a part of the action!
There is still time to support Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities and help us make a difference for our athletes! If you are a Plunger, don't forget that fundraising is ongoing and money raised through March 31 counts towards your fundraising incentives!
We also have limited quantities of our souvenirs available to order from our online store. Click here to start shopping!
Join Team Special Olympics Chicago!
If you're looking for another exciting challenge you can do to support Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities, join #TeamSpecialOChicago for the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon! This incredible team will be running 26.2 miles this October to support our athletes! Join them today!
See what our athletes have been up to this month!

This past month has been a busy one for both athletes and coaches! The first session of the new Chicago Park District’s intramural leagues for our athletes has ended, and the second session is about to start. About 1,200 coaches and athletes from across the city participated weekly for training and skill-building for either soccer or volleyball. Special Children’s Charities provided transportation, uniforms, lunch, and cost of the venue rental.

Powerlifting, one of our most popular events, was held on February 19, and it was great to see how all of our athletes’ training paid off! We saw several personal bests in squat, bench press, and deadlift attempts. Ed Doby of Eckhart Park was this year’s recipient of the Keith Tyler Spirit Award, and it was well-deserved! 

CPS soccer competitions wrapped up in February with individual skills competitions and team competitions. Gold medal winners advance to the State Summer Games in Bloomington in June. 

State Basketball took place this month, and approximately 200 of our athletes and coaches were in Bloomington, IL for some tough competition and a great time. The Chicago Park District hosted a dinner and dance, supported by Special Children’s Charities. Athletes were beyond excited to get back on the dance floor!

The 54th Annual Spring Games are coming soon. We will have approximately 1,500 athletes competing in track and field events. Opening Ceremonies will be on May 5, and the competition will be held May 9–11 at Eckersall Stadium. 

Congratulations to the SOC/SCC Associate Board!
We want to congratulate our Associate Board. Team Young, Wild and Freeze raised over $31K as a plunge team, including over $7K from our benefit concert with The Mild West and Marina City. This was our biggest plunge team yet with 50 members! 

Special thanks to athletes Colleen and Matt for welcoming everyone to the concert and for getting everyone excited about the Plunge!
Are you a Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities athlete who wants to join our classes and activities?
Sign up, and we'll send you an invitation for our next event!
Winter Family Opportunities from the Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District's Family Opportunities are back! Indoor Rowing, Virtual Fitness, Archery, Open Gym, Open Swim, and Bowling are all on the schedule for this winter. We are excited to be sponsoring these fun programs again this season! Click here to see the full schedule and sign up today!
Athlete Artwork Feature
Our calendar artwork for this month is by Connor Fallon from Norwood Park and is called Polar Plunge. We love Connor’s bright and cheery drawing filled with smiles! We were lucky enough to have Connor and his teammates join us at North Avenue Beach to cheer on participants at the 2022 Chicago Polar Plunge presented by Jackson. We had a lot of fun supporting Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children’s Charities athletes like Connor.
Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities
2 E 8th Street, Suite 2M
Chicago, IL 60605

312-527-3743 scc@sochicago.org