Darryl Nordquist, President/CEO

Johna Thum, VP Field Services

Julie Briggs, VP Outreach / UCS

Turner Gaines, Director Unified Champion City Schools

Haley Zerr, Sports Director / Northeast Area   

 Cathy Grubb, Sports Director / Black Hills Area

Cade Lyon, Sports Director / Southeast Area

Cody Carlson, Sports Director / Southeast Area

Melanie Frosch, Sports Assistant

John McHale, Sports Assistant-Data Entry

 Michelle Paulsen, LETR Event Manager

 Jill Kvanli, Marketing Manager

Lane Riedel, Office Manager

Nick Mills, Administrative Assistant

August 20, 2024

Special Olympics South Dakota

Newsworthy:

timely. important. interesting.

Thanks for Everything

After 34 years of dedicated service to SOSD, Melanie Frosch will be retiring. Her last day will be August 30th. Please help us celebrate this amazing woman!

Click to read about her legacy

What: Open House Celebration

for Mel Frosch

When: Wednesday, August 28th

Time: 4pm -7p

Where: Unify Center – 900 E. I-90 Lane

If you are unable to

attend, please send your well-wishes to mfrosch@sosd.org or

Mel Frosch

800 E. I-90 Lane

Sioux Falls, SD 57104

WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

Minnesota State University, Mankato.

My sport experience includes fastpitch softball, basketball, volleyball and golf.

I’m happy to be back in my hometown and a member of the Special Olympics team!

Izzy can be reached at

Imattacheck@sosd.org

Special Olympics has earned a remarkable spot in Morning Consult‘s Most Trusted Brands report for 2024! Out of 50 top nonprofits, Special Olympics ranks #5 out of 50 nonprofits tested.

The ranking reflects a survey of 4,415 U.S. adults conducted between July 9-11, 2024. This achievement highlights the dedication and impact of #SpecialOlympics in fostering inclusion and support for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. #MostTrustedBrands #ChooseToInclude #InclusionRevolution

BURGER KING CONTINUES ITS SUPPORT OF SOSD

From August 15th – 31st, Burger King restaurants across the state will sell $1 icons to raise funds for the athletes of Special Olympics South Dakota.

Please visit your local Burger King restaurants and show your support for SOSD.

A huge thank you to Burger King employees and management for going the extra mile for us.

Pampered Chef is a company that sells kitchen tools, food products, and cookbooks to help people prepare food at home.

During the month of August, Pampered Chef is donating 30% of sales we help generate.

Click Here to start shopping! Your orders will be mailed directly to you.

The 40th Annual Swine Open Golf Event has donated all proceeds since 2012 to Special Olympics South Dakota to help the over 2,750 athletes across the state.

This year the event raised $9,875 for the athletes of SOSD. For the last 7 years Jeff and Paula Orthaus of Watertown have matched the event proceeds, making the 2024 grand total $17,375.

The Swine Open has helped raise over $125,000 for Special Olympics since 2012.

The fundraising committee of Mark Williams, Lisa Williams, Jim Redlinger and Bart Hallberg have been involved since its inception

We hope you were one of the lucky 1,000+ patrons of Sioux Falls Hy-Vee stores who were served up delicious root beer floats earlier this month.

Thank you Hy-Vee for hosting this event.

Gaming for Inclusion is back! Registration is now open for all Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners to participate. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, September 4 at 3p MT / 4p CT

This year’s theme, GFI_24: Become Legend, not only speaks to the skill of our athletes, but invites people from all backgrounds to become legendary by choosing to include.

Athletes and Unified partners will compete in a Unified Rocket League tournament on Saturday, September 14. The winners of this tournament will have the chance to compete in the Celebrity Showcase in Forza Motorsport on Saturday, September 21. These two events will be recorded and then broadcast later in October (exact date TBC).

Eligibility:

· Participation is only available to Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners.

· All participants must be 15 years or older on the day of the athlete tournament.

· Participants must have access to an Xbox console or a Gaming PC as well as access to high-speed internet.

Participant questions: Email gamingforinclusion@specialolympics.org.

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL, UNIFIED GENERATION!

The new school year brings on many emotions, happy, excited, nervous, literally all the feels. There is one thing that can help manage emotions and enhance your 2024-25 school year experience… INCLUSION.

Click to learn what your inclusive school could look like.

Please contact Julie Briggs or Turner Gaines at the state office to get your school signed up to become a Unified Champion School.

If you are currently a Unified Champion School programs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for help, resources, or opportunities for you and your school.

Here is to a wonderful 2024-25! Good luck and happy learning.

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.

Join us for fun and community

3•21 Fun & Friends is a social group for families with young children, ages 0-10, who have a disability in the Sioux Falls area. Join our monthly meetups in the Special Olympics South Dakota Unify Center to socialize, play, and build a community.  These meet-ups will be free of cost, in a setting where children can play with their peers and parents can connect. If you are reading this and wondering if this group is for you, it is! We hope you’ll come to our next meet-up.

Check us out at www.321FunandFriends.org or find us on Facebook!

Click Here

for your 2024 Dance Themes

ATHLETE HANDBOOKS

Fall Sports

Bocce Handbook

Softball Handbook

Bowling Handbook