Special Olympics South Dakota Newsletter

November 11 2025

State Unified Bowling Tournament: Where Friends Become Family

Thank you Sioux Falls and Eastway Bowl for an amazing weekend

Please Join Us For The Unity Conference

The Unity Conference is open to the public on January 10th from 9 AM to Noon at the Unify Center in Sioux Falls, and you won’t want to miss it!

We are excited to announce that John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State University’s winningest head football coach, will be joining us as the keynote speaker.

Plus, hear from our new President/CEO, Nick Moen, as he shares more about himself and the future of Special Olympics South Dakota.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall,

I am a Quiter After All!

Last spring, I was suffering from leg cramps. I mean, drop me to the floor, cramps. They were so bad that my family and I determined I needed a medical consult. My Doctor strongly recommended I stop drinking soda. Wow! This wasn’t something I wanted to hear. I had been drinking 5 Mt. Dew’s daily, and I enjoyed them. But the cramping wasn’t getting better. So, around the State Basketball Tournament in March, I decided to quit soda cold turkey. I wouldn’t say it was easy to stop, but I realized, if you set your mind to something, you really can do anything.

Today I’m jumping higher, running faster, and feeling better than ever. I truly believe it has everything to do with saying no to soda and saying yes to more water than I’ve ever drunk before. If I can be a quitter, you can be too. Make today the first day of a lifetime of healthier decisions!

Chris Keiser is an athlete with the Sioux Falls Lancers

Celebrating World Kindness Day

On Thursday, November 13th, 104 South Dakota schools will participate in World Kindness Day. This global observance was established to highlight the importance of kindness, compassion, and empathy. Over 21,000 Kindness Cards were provided to participating schools.

Some of the activities planned include:

• During the lunch periods, we will have students sign and draw on the card to show their commitment to kindness. They can give it to someone they think is kind or leave it to hang in the hallway.

• At the middle school and high school, we have an assembly where we have some of our student leaders talk about kindness and then we do the pledge card in our Huskie Pack groups (small groups of middle and high school students combine who meet each month). Our student council students will go to the elementary site to speak on kindness and do the kindness cards with the elementary students.

• Mrs. Towner, the counselor will read the book, “Included: A book for ALL children about inclusion, diversity, disability, equality, and empathy” by Jayneen Sanders. Students will also create a kindness fortune teller full of different ways to spread kindness. Each student will receive the postcard to give to someone as they show kindness.

We are so proud of our schools and their commitment to kindness!

Marion High School senior Jackson Donlan chose to support Special Olympics South Dakota (SOSD) for his senior project. Jackson, who has dyslexia, was inspired by the power of sport to bring people together and create opportunities for all. With the help of Marion Principal Bill Leberman and community member Derrick Nolan, Jackson hosted a golf tournament at ParMar Golf Course that brought together more than 85 golfers and raised over $4,000 for SOSD. Jackson plans to attend a business school in South Dakota and hopes to stay involved with SOSD while continuing to help plan and grow the “ParTee on ParMar” event in the years ahead.

Pictured: Jackson and his parents presenting the donation to SOSD.

25% of proceeds go directly to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota!

Wear “Champion” proudly and show your support for our athletes’ journey to USA Games.

If you are new to Special Olympics South Dakota and looking for a Delegation,

or if you are interested in changing your Delegation, Click Here to get started!

This link can also be found on the SOSD website.

Stay tuned for your 2026

Dance Themes

Click Here to learn more.

Click Here for Website

To stay up to date on the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games or to get involved, visit www.2026usagames.org

Click Here For Roster

Click for the 2025

Schedule of Events

TORCH Winter 2024

TORCH Summer 2025

Click to learn more

Visit our online calendar for event updates!