January 2022
Sign up and join us at North Avenue Beach on March 6, 2022,
or plunge virtually to support the athletes of Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children’s Charities!

Register today and start fundraising to take advantage of some great incentives:

• All plungers who raise $200 or more will receive a commemorative Chicago Polar Plunge shirt!

• The first 22 Plungers to raise $1,220 get a custom Chicago Polar Plunge Hawaiian shirt!

Get inspired and join Team Special Olympics Chicago!
The 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon may be sold out, but we have a spot for you! Run with Team Special Olympics Chicago and receive guaranteed free entry, race day swag, and the opportunity to support thousands of Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities athletes in Chicago. Check out this video of #TeamSpecialOChicago at the 2021 race!
See what our athletes have been up to!
Ski training in Galena: Earlier this month a group of athletes took a ski trip to Galena! 71 athletes and coaches spent two days training on the slopes! Even though the temperatures got too cold for their qualifying event, everyone had a great time and learned a lot.

You can see more photos from the trip here!
Museum of Science and Industry Event: On December 16, an event for 350 athletes and family members was held at the Museum of Science and Industry. Our group had exclusive use of the museum, and was able to enjoy exhibits such as Christmas Around the World, Holidays of Light, Science Storms, YOU! The Experience, and Take Flight.  
Second City Virtual Improv Classes: Over the last several months, some of our athletes have been participating in virtual improv classes provided by Second City. Each class had approximately 12 students and was taught by an instructor who designed the class for our athletes. The classes were a huge hit, and enjoyed by all!
Learn to Cook with FarmTaste: We will begin our 2022 season of Learn to Cook with FarmTaste on Monday, January 24, with a virtual class on how to cook Split Pea Soup. The class will be taught by Chef Eric Babula, who is a favorite of ours! 
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
This month we are featuring two great works of art by our athletes from our 2022 Calendar. The first is called 54 Years of Special Olympics by Joey Schachlemayer. Joey's drawing is on the cover of this year's calendar celebrating the 54 years since the Special Olympics were first held right here in Chicago.
Stephanie Padilla's artwork, entitled Ski at Winter Games, is our January artwork. It shows some of the fun our athletes had at Galena this month!
Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities
2 E 8th Street, Suite 2M
Chicago, IL 60605

312-527-3743 scc@sochicago.org