For the Cool Cats, Always: Celebrating Beth Lemieux

After more than 20 years of creating opportunities, supporting athletes and strengthening the Claremont Cool Cats community, Beth Lemieux is passing the Local Program Coordinator role to local program volunteer and swim coach Jon Burdick.

September 27, 2026

For more than 20 years, Beth Lemieux has been a familiar and trusted presence within Special Olympics New Hampshire.

She has supported athletes as a coach, welcomed families into the Claremont Cool Cats, worked alongside volunteers and fellow Local Program Coordinators, helped organize the Area Summer Games in Claremont and quietly handled countless details behind the scenes. She has also experienced Special Olympics as the mother of Cool Cats athlete Eric Lemieux.

Now, Beth is preparing to pass the Claremont Cool Cats Local Program Coordinator role to current swim coach and longtime local program volunteer Jon Burdick.

While her title may be changing, the community Beth helped create will remain a lasting part of the Cool Cats.

More Than a Team

When Brandi Marsh’s son joined Special Olympics 15 years ago, she quickly recognized that the Cool Cats were about much more than practices and competitions.

“I noticed very early that we had not just joined a team but a community,” Brandi said. “Beth had created that community and made sure everyone was seen and heard within it.”

That sense of community was built through the way Beth approached each person and each challenge. Brandi remembers her helping people communicate, showing compassion and understanding, remaining firm when needed and working behind the scenes to secure transportation for athletes who needed it.

“She’s the type to take on every challenge with determination,” Brandi said.

Beth’s support also extended far beyond the responsibilities listed in any coordinator or coaching role.

The day before the first bowling practice of last season, Brandi needed to undergo a small surgery. Her son, who has autism and has been part of the team since 2011, did not have respite or other support available that day. Although he could manage his normal routine, knowing his mother was at the doctor made the day especially difficult.

Beth gave him her contact information and invited him to call whenever he needed someone to talk to. Each time he reached out, Beth listened to what was on his mind and helped him stay calm.

“Beth has been our coach, team coordinator, a mentor, sometimes a psychiatrist, but overall a friend,” Brandi said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better person to start my SONH career with.”

It was one day in more than two decades of service, but it captures the kind of impact Beth has made. Her leadership was not limited to organizing a program. It meant being present when an athlete or family needed her.

A Leader Others Could Turn To

Beth’s support has also reached beyond the Claremont Cool Cats.

When Mary Alice Leonard-Heath volunteered to become Local Program Coordinator for the Upper Valley Hawks during the COVID years, Beth offered the guidance and encouragement that helped her navigate a her new role.

Beth remained available whenever Mary Alice reached out with questions or dilemmas.

“What felt impossible and overwhelming at times was doable with Beth’s kindness, efficiency, experience and humor,” Mary Alice said.

Over time, the Cool Cats and Upper Valley Hawks developed a strong partnership. The programs shared successes and creative solutions while working together to create opportunities for athletes who wanted to explore different options or participate alongside friends in the other program.

Mary Alice believes Beth’s flexibility, willingness to help, organization and clear communication have all contributed to the Cool Cats’ success.

“I will miss collaborating with Beth in that role,” she said, “but look forward to enjoying her friendship in whatever the future brings for her.”

A Lasting Place in Athletes’ Lives

For athletes who have known Beth for much of their lives, her impact is difficult to measure in seasons or competitions.

Claremont Cool Cats athlete Kayla Millette has known Beth since she was one year old. Beth helped Kayla begin her Special Olympics journey when she was eight. Today, Kayla is 36 and still considers Beth an important part of her life.

“Kind, encouraging, a team player,” Kayla said when asked how she would describe Beth. “She is like another mother to me.”

That connection reflects the consistency Beth has brought to the Cool Cats over the years. Athletes have grown up in the program knowing they had someone who would encourage them, celebrate with them and continue showing up for them.

Cool Cats athlete Quasmir Walker also remembers the fun Beth brought to the team, including watching her participate in a relay race at the 2026 State Summer Games.

“She is always very supportive at every practice and at games,” Quasmir shared with Rachel. “Beth is able to make me laugh with her jokes and silliness. When I’m sad, Beth always knows how to make me smile.”

Beth’s leadership helped create room for all of those experiences: the competitions and celebrations, but also the jokes, conversations, friendships and small moments that make a team feel like a family.

Passing the Torch

Over more than two decades, Beth has helped shape a program where athletes are supported, families feel welcomed and volunteers know their contributions matter.

The Cool Cats’ success under her leadership has been visible in competition, at practices and community events, and through honors such as the McDonald’s Ray Kroc Spirit Award. But her greatest legacy may be found in the moments that never came with a medal or recognition.

It is in the athlete who knew he could call when he needed reassurance.

It is in the new Local Program Coordinator who found Beth ready to answer one more question.

It is in the athlete who describes Beth as another mother, and the teammates who know she can make them smile when they are having a difficult day.

As Jon Burdick prepares to take on the Local Program Coordinator role, he is stepping into the leadership of a community Beth has spent more than 20 years nurturing. As a current Cool Cats swim coach and local program volunteer, Jon is already part of that community and the next chapter of its story.

Beth may be passing the torch, but the impact of her leadership will continue through every athlete who found an opportunity, every family that found a community and every volunteer who learned by working alongside her.

For the Claremont Cool Cats, Beth has been much more than a coordinator or coach.

She has been a mentor, a problem-solver, a friend and, for many, family.