Company Profile
Special Olympics Arizona, Inc.
Company Overview
The vision of Special Olympics Arizona is to help bring all persons with intellectual disabilities and closely-related developmental disabilities into the larger society where they are accepted, respected, and given the chance to become useful and productive citizens. We realize this vision through health, leadership and advocacy programs, as well as our mission 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.
TRADITIONAL SPORTS TRAINING AND COMPETITION
Special Olympics Arizona offers training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities who are 8 years or older in 24 sports. Currently, there are more than 180 Delegations across Arizona serving 15,529 athletes.
UNIFIED SPORTS®
Unified Sports is an inclusive program which combines individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on sports teams for training and competition. Athletes and partners compete alongside one another, each in a meaningful and integral role on the Unified Sports team.
PROJECT UNIFY®
The goal of Project UNIFY is to promote school communities where all young people are agents of change; fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. Project UNIFY empowers students to speak and act through sports, awareness events and school-wide campaigns.
HEALTHY ATHLETES®
Healthy Athletes improves the health and fitness of Special Olympics athletes through free medical screenings in seven disciplines: general fitness, podiatry, hearing, vision, dental hygiene, healthy lifestyle choices, and sports physicals.
HEALTHY LEAP
Healthy Lifestyle Education and Practice provides nutrition, fitness, injury prevention and general health information and practical application to high school students with and without disabilities.
YOUNG ATHLETES PROGRAM™
The Young Athletes Program is an innovative sports/play program designed to develop the building blocks of physical skills which result in notable improvements in a child’s motor, cognitive, social emotional, adaptive and communication skill development.
ATHLETE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
As leaders and message-bearers of the movement, Athlete Leaders communicate the powerful declarations of hope, acceptance, dignity and courage of Special Olympics athletes around the world. Athletes also serve in positions on committees and on the Board of Directors.
ANNUAL REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE COMPETITIONS
Special Olympics Arizona offers three statewide, three regional and 207 local competitions annually. Special features include gala Opening Ceremonies, a Victory Dance and Olympic Village to provide for socializing between events. Special Olympics Arizona provides all meals, lodging, venues and equipment necessary to host these events.
SOAR
The SOAR Program was created to facilitate advocacy-related services to individuals with intellectual disabilities. SOAZ partners Special Olympics athletes with local lawyers, other professionals and available resources to fulfill legal, advocacy, job and life skills training needs.
Company History
In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver began a summer day camp at her home in Maryland for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This camp was designed to allow these special individuals a chance to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities. The idea quickly took off, and in 1968 the first International Special Olympics took place at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, with 1,000 athletes from the US and Canada competing in Track & Field and Swimming.
In 1975, the hard work and good will of Eunice Kennedy Shriver reached Arizona. The first Special Olympics Arizona competition consisted of a one-day Track & Field event with 100 athletes and 20 volunteers. Today, Special Olympics Arizona offers 24 sports, 180 regional competitions, and three statewide competitions for more than 16,000 athletes, 1,300 Class A volunteers and 5,000 day-of-event volunteers on an annual basis. In addition, SOAZ now provides health, leadership and advocacy programs. We work so that we may realize founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver's vision: to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities everywhere, and, in turn, transform the lives of everyone they touch - building a better, more accepting world for all of us.