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SONH Office Schedule
The SONH office will be closed July 4th - July 8th.
During the summer the SONH office will be open Monday - Thursday. Our summer hours begin the week of July 10th and continue through Labor Day. |
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Calling All Law Enforcement
To Serve and Protect Day - Fueling Dreams Promotion takes place on Saturday, July 23rd from 10AM - 2PM at Circle K locations and Irving dealers across the state. We need law enforcement to help SONH achieve our goal of raising over $100,000 with this promotion.
The money raised through this event will help us support first year athletes with expenses associated with competitions - this fundraiser allows SONH to offer new sports experiences to our athletes at no cost to them!
If you are interested in working with an SONH Local Program on July 23rd to help raise funds for SONH - please contact Carol Cray, CarolC@sonh.org or (603) 624-1250 ext. 32. |
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Did You Know?
SONH refers to participants in Special Olympics as "Special Olympics athletes" rather than "Special Olympians" or "Special Olympic athletes." |
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A Special Thanks
SONH would like to thank TD Bank for their support of Special Olympics and for their generosity as they gave SONH 100 Fisher Cats tickets to the June 24th game against the Portland Seadogs. The tickets were shared with our SONH family - thank you!
SONH would also like to thank Irving Oil for donating 25 tickets to the June 26th Fisher Cats game against the Portland Seadogs. Irving Oil also arranged for SONH athlete Alexandra Marcoux from Manchester to throw out the first pitch! |
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July is National Ice Cream Month
The Big Scoop Book is still available for Local Programs to sell as a fundraiser - 40% of the sale price will go back to your Local Program. The Big Scoop Book features over $50 of coupons and LP's are welcome to contact the vendors featured in the book to set-up your own event. |
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Chief's Golf Tournament
Please join us at the 20th Annual SONH Board of Directors/New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police (NHACOP) Golf Tournament on Monday, August 15th at the Country Club of New Hampshire in North Sutton. We still have sponsorship opportunities available, please consider becoming a sponsor today before the opportunity is gone.
- Video Sponsor $2,500
- Lunch Sponsor $2,000
- First Place Sponsor $800
- Second Place Sponsor $600
We are also looking for golfers to gather a foursome and register today!
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Local Programs Give to Missouri Athletes
In the June 16th edition of the SONH Newsletter, we shared the story of the Joplin tornado that struck the southwest Missouri town in May. The tornado destroyed buildings, property and killed 156 people. Our friends at Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) lost one of their area offices and three Special Olympics Missouri athletes lost their lives in the tornado.
Local Program Coordinators in New Hampshire read that story and responded by donating money to buy gift cards for many SOMO athletes displaced by the tornado.
Special Olympics New Hampshire (SONH) is humbled by the support our Local Programs have shown to our friends in Missouri, donating more than $1,500 to help the athletes of SOMO. SONH President, Mary Conroy said, "The support our Programs have shown is a testament to the character of our Local Program Coordinators."
Local Program Coordinators volunteer their time to lead more than 100 Local Programs in New Hampshire. Every Local Program is responsible for holding practices, transporting athletes to competitions, chaperoning overnight trips and raising funds to provide their athletes with uniforms, paying for facilities and all other costs associated with running a Local Program. |
The World Games are Underway
The Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece kicked-off on Saturday, June 25th with the Opening Ceremonies. The Opening Ceremonies were streamed live on ESPN3.com and were co-emceed by actress and recording artist Vanessa Williams and by the tenor, Mario Frangouli. Members of Special Olympics Team USA were greeted by a cheering crowd as they marched into Panathenaic Stadium, among those marching in were New Hampshire athletes Charlie Helfrich and Cindy Bunszel along with SONH coaches Butch Beers and Robin O'Dougherty.  As Special Olympics athletes and coaches from across the world settled in to the stadium, everyone welcomed legendary singer, songwriter, musician and producer Stevie Wonder. Wonder opened with his song 'You can feel it' followed by 'You are the sunshine of my life' which got the crowd on their feet and dancing.
Tim Shriver gave a moving speech. "People ask me what the secret of Special Olympics is. I think the secret is that you athletes never compete with anyone but yourself. . . . When we aim to achieve our own personal best, the impossible becomes possible."
Greek history was in the air as a rendition of Homer's "Odyssey" was performed. The performance included actors on stilts and dancers in costumes that moved like ocean waves. The entire production was set to a backdrop of graphics on the over-sized television screen .
To read more about the World Games visit the following links:
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Agency Triples its Fundraising
The Hillsboro County Department of Corrections (HCDOC) presented Special Olympics New Hampshire (SONH) with a check for $2,143 last Thursday at their facility in Manchester. SONH President, Mary Conroy along with SONH Director of Development, Carol Cray accepted the check from HCDOC Superintendent, James M. O'Mara Jr., and Sgt. Syd Barnes. Mary Conroy thanked the HCDOC for their 15 years of support, and for all the work they do year-round for Special Olympics New Hampshire.
The Hillsboro County Department of Corrections raised the funds through their participation in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), tripling what they raised in 2010! In addition to their fundraising efforts, the HCDOC helps Special Olympics with awards presentations at competitions as well providing support through their Community Service Group. |
Thank You Applebee's
 Special Olympics and Applebee's teamed up throughout the month of May to help raise money and awareness for Special Olympics. Applebee's ran the promotion at locations in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. Each Applebee's location sold torch icons and local Applebee's restaurants held various promotions to increase their fundraising efforts. In addition to the promotions held throughout five states, Applebee's also held a charity golf tournament at Canterbury Woods in NH to support the athletes of Special Olympics. SONH thanks Applebee's for their support and a special thanks to the restaurants in New Hampshire that raised $22,645 for SONH. The promotion combined to raise over $51,000 for Special Olympics in New Hampshire, New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont - Thank you Applebee's! |
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NHIAA and SONH
Special Olympics New Hampshire (SONH) and the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) are teaming up to offer Unified Sports as part of the athletic opportunities in New Hampshire High Schools. Participating schools will introduce this program beginning in the fall with the sport of soccer, followed by basketball in the winter and track & field in the spring. All three sports will have a season of games/competitions culminating with a championship. This is an exciting opportunity for both organizations as we work together to provide more sports opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.
Together with the NHIAA we are hiring a new staff member to manage this program. The Special Olympics Manager will be responsible for creating and maintaining Special Olympics relationships with the 100 NHIAA member High Schools throughout the state.
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About Us
The mission of Special Olympics New Hampshire is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. |
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