
eel the material or decide on the right size for you.
eel the material or decide on the right size for you.
Special Olympics Burlington was SO proud to have two of our athletes and Coach Cate attend the Special Olympics National Games in Antagonish, Nova Scotia, representing Team Ontario! An incredibly opportunity and wonderful memories made.
Zoe represented for Track and Field – and Sarah for Rhymthic Gymnastics. Coach Cate brought her never ending enthusiasm, energy, mentoring and of course FUN to Ontario’s Rhythmic Gymnastics team.
Zoe achieved a big medal tally, with Bronze in Long Jump, Silver in Javelin and GOLD in the 400M. Well done Zoe!
Congratulations also to Sarah – who returned with an incredible 6 medals, including a silver all around in the top division of Rhythmic Gymnastics. Wow! Way to go Sarah, and her mom, Mary, who coached her with the Oakville Butterflies.
Our athletes at Special Olympics Burlington never cease to inspire. With this year being Provincial Qualifiers once again, we’re behind all our athletes rooting for them to shine!
Spring is in the air…and we are excited about summer sports starting soon!
Special Olympics Burlington is incredibly thankful for the unbelievably generous donation from Compass Point Bible Church, announced in March, 2018.
We have a number of families who attend the church and last month, Laura, one of our rhythmic gymnasts and swimmers, nominated Special Olympics Burlington for the annual BIG GIVE . The BIG GIVE, in its third year at the church, is the donation of one Sunday’s collection in order to support a worthy cause in the community. This year, after a meeting with the selection committee, Special Olympics Burlington was successful. Prior to selection our athletes Laura, John, Kyle and Rachel, along with Coach Stu White and Community Co-ordinator Cate Hawkins, made a presentation at Sunday service. They told the congregation about how Special Olympics Burlington has changed the lives of athletes and families in our community. The following week, donations for the BIG GIVE were collected.
Laura, John, Kyle and Rachel joined Cate Hawkins in receiving the donation from Compass Point Bible Church for $43, 922.50. Yes, you read that right….$43,922.50!
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Special Olympics Ontario
Special Olympics Burlington is proud to launch a brand new 8 week program for children with an intellectual disability aged 2-6!
The Active Start Program relies on the rationale that if children with intellectual disabilities are provided early instruction in the areas of basic motor skills and developmentally appropriate play, that there is an excellent opportunity for improvement in physical, social and cognitive abilities. By participating in weekly activities that focus on the basic motor skills of manipulation, transport, and balance, children will then gain perspective on their development skills.
Each child will be mentored 1:1 with a Special Olympic athlete – as well as Special Olympics coaches who will run the program.
If you are interested in registering your child or know someone who is, please contact Cate Hawkins callcoachcate@gmail.com.
As the summer season comes to a close, we are already thinking about which winter sports to sign up for!
Sign Up night will be Thursday September 14 at the Frank Haber Community Centre on Tim Dobbie Drive in Burlington, 6 to 8 pm.
If you’re a new athlete, visit our Register page to find out the steps to join – and who to contact.
If you are a returning athlete, you know the drill! Fill out a Coach’s Page for each sport you would like to join (either beforehand or on the night) and bring your cheque book/cash payment ($25 – $100 per sport for the season).
All your coaches are looking forward to seeing some familiar and new faces!
Just two requests to a Burlington and Oakville Facebook group, asking for donations for our golf team – that’s all it took to be swamped with equipment! Clubs, bags, shoes, towels, balls and tees were all donated by our amazing local community.
Our golfers are now more than ready for their second tournament opportunity this season, taking place in London Ontario. The athletes were absolutely delighted to receive all the equipment and this means that everyone is now able to practice on their own, outside of the regular Tuesday night Special Olympic practices.
The overwhelming response to a simple request shows that we are incredibly lucky to be part of such a kind, giving community in Halton Region. Thank you to everyone who donated!
(Picture coming soon!)
Congratulations to our Track and Field Athletes Katie, Mert and Zoe for bringing home handfuls of medals from the Ontario Special Olympics Provincials Games at the weekend.
Not only did they each achieve multiple Gold medals, but they were fantastic representatives for Special Olympics Burlington and for the South Central team. You rocked the orange and blue team colours!
It was a hot three days of competing in more ways than one. The summer weather did not disappoint – and the competition did not disappoint. 1500 athletes from all over Ontario came together to run, jump and throw – and the pressure did not get to Mert, Zoe and Katie at all!
Results to date (more updates to come):
Zoe – Gold in 100m, 200m and Standing Long Jump
Mert – Gold in Shot Put , Silver in the 200 M, Bronze in the 400m and Long Jump
Katie – Gold in Standing Long Jump and Mini Javelin, and Bronze in the 200 and 400m
Of course, the Ontario Provincial Games were both exciting and an incredible opportunity! Our Softball and Track and Field athletes did exceptionally well to qualify and we were SO proud of them.
But it really hits home just how much taking part in the Provincials – and being a part of this organization – means to individuals, when we see their personal messages of appreciation. Here are just a couple of examples of why we LOVE our Special Olympics Burlington community so much:
Softball athlete and Special Olympics Ambassador Amy sent this message…
“On the way home from a busy 4 days a little emotional saying goodbye to new friends. Reality hits when we getting back on the bus. I hope coach Kevin, coach Mary Ann and coach Carlo know how appreciative I am for helping us all season long. Especially when I’m down on myself they pick me up. To the Burlington Blues thanks for having my back and congrats guys we did it we should be very proud of ourselves.”
Track and Field athlete Katie’s family sent this message:
“Thanks for your encouragement regarding Katie. We have been blown away by Special Olympics – the dedication of the coaches and volunteers, and the difference it makes in the lives of the athletes is amazing. Katie has a lot to work on, but her self-esteem has grown immeasurably because she now has medals and ribbons and a Provincial Games to match her siblings. So thanks for welcoming us into the Burlington Club so generously.”
Congratulations to the Burlington Blues who are bringing home Bronze in their division from the Summer Games!
The Region of Peel welcomed close to 800 athletes along with coaches, staff and spectators for the 2017 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games. Our athletes trained hard to qualify – and the Games were truly their moment to shine. The camaraderie and excitement among the team was something special – and a great time was had by all.
The Blues played four very tough teams, winning two and losing two to proudly take home their bronze medals. Coaches Carlo, Kevin and Mary Ann were incredibly proud – and so are all of us at Special Olympics Burlington! Lots of family and friends turned out to cheer the team.
Congratulations Blues, what a team.