March Ezine out now!
At last, spring is upon us and already it’s beginning to get a little warmer and the hours of daylight are lengthening. I know that many of our clubs will be delighted to put the cold, dark evenings behind, so training can take place outside again. Whilst the impact of COVID-19 is beginning to diminish we still need to remain careful as more and more clubs open up and our level of activities increases. Your safety and good health and wellbeing will remain a priority.
As you know, at Special Olympics we are a global family. It is impossible to understand what is going on in Ukraine. I know we all send our thoughts and prayers to all Ukrainians who are experiencing unspeakable atrocities and we especially think about our fellow athletes and volunteers there.
I’m delighted to report that over 60% of our clubs are back up and running in some capacity. We are looking at every feasible opportunity to continue to support all clubs, services and schools that previously offered a Special Olympics programme to reengage, wherever you are in this journey. We know that there is a strong appetite from athletes, their families, coaches and volunteers, so please do reach out to us and let us know if there are barriers, you have been unable to overcome.
As you know all too well, Special Olympics depends 100% on the dedication, commitment and relentless support of volunteers at our clubs and also to run our competition and other events. Today, we have a significant shortage of event volunteers. Our four-year sports calendar has been squeezed into 18 months and over the next eight months, we are holding over 50 advancement events. We would really appreciate your support. Please, if you can, sign up for at least one event and you will make a real difference and also really enjoy the experience. Details of events are available here.
Last weekend, I was delighted to meet many of our athletes, coaches and volunteers at the first 2023 World Summer Games advancement event in Gormanstown, Co.Meath. 81 athletes from all five regions competed in Badminton, striving to secure a place on Team Ireland for the Games in Berlin. Off the field of play, athletes got access to our Healthy Athletes Programme and I would like to sincerely thank all the volunteers who helped make this event possible. Please read on for more information and photos from the event.
We will officially launch our Annual Collection Day Appeal soon, which takes place on Friday, April 29th across the island of Ireland, with the exception of Kerry where it will take place on Thursday, April 28th. This year, we are planning to have on-street collectors and are appealing to you to volunteer even an hour of your time on this day to help collect.
Last month, I was also delighted to meet up with athletes Una Coates and Ayoub Deboub along with Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail and Patron of Special Olympics Ireland to launch a limited-edition reusable shopping bag from which proceeds will go towards supporting our programme this year. Thank you to Una and Ayoub for their time in supporting this initiative and you can check out the colourful photos as well as how to purchase a bag here. I would like to again thank Una for her outstanding contribution to this year’s Operation Transformation series. We are all so proud of her!
Wishing you all a Happy St. Patricks Day.
Warm Regards,
Matt
Matt English,
CEO, Special Olympics Ireland
#CantStopNow #LetsGetBack
