Special Olympics Minnesota

Will you help us wish Special Olympics Minnesota athletes a happy holiday season? Sign the card today to send warm wishes and words of encouragement! Learn more: https://shorturl.at/SStOR ✨ #SOMN #InclusionRevolution

Proud of Minneapolis Public Schools Roosevelt for all that you have accomplished this fall! Roosevelt participated in of our Special Olympics Minnesota & Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® Inclusive Schools Week: Every Voice Matters this December Inclusive Schools Network Goosechase Challenge. I was proud to see a Minneapolis school participate in this challenge for the very first time, and student leaders were thoroughly engaged every step of the way. Roosevelt also participated in Marine Toys for Tots Foundation with Scheels -- giving back to our community, plus were invited to a game with the Unified Basketball Team at the Minnesota Timberwolves in November. Thank you to the incredible Unified Student Leaders and physical education teacher/Unified Liaison Jacki Wincek for making this all possible for the students and our community! Appreciate the support of the entire Roosevelt community for Unified, with the incredible leadership of Christian Alberto Ledesma Looking forward to what 2025 will bring to our Roosevelt community and the entire city of Minneapolis via Unified! #MPSProud #SOMN #InclusionRevolution #GenerationUnified

Meet Alexis Edmundson, Special Olympics Minnesota's Southern UCS Coordinator! “My role is to support pre-K–12 Minnesota schools, educators and students in southern Minnesota by implementing Unified Champion Schools strategies in various ways,” says Alexis. “This includes facilitating sports, assemblies, fundraising efforts and more!” Her favorite part of working at SOMN is the culture: “In every aspect of my work, the environment is collaborative, uplifting and supportive. It means the world to me to have colleagues who celebrate the small wins while striving for continued growth as a team.” In addition to her work at Special Olympics Minnesota, Alexis enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading books, and baking sweet treats! 🧁 Alexis is making a big difference through her work with our Unified Champion Schools programming. Way to go, Alexis! #SOMN #InclusionRevolution #StaffAppreciation #SpecialOlympics #UnifiedGeneration

"𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙊𝙡𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚...𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙤𝙮. 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨." ❤️ President Joe Biden paid a warm tribute to the #SpecialOlympics community during last night's event at The White House, celebrating our athletes as they prepare for the upcoming Special Olympics World Games in Turin in March 2025. Watch his speech in full here ▶️ https://brnw.ch/21wPlOs #ChooseToInclude

This month some of our staff used their volunteer hours to help at Christmas with Dignity, a program put on by Hospitality House Youth Development! Hospitality House provides education, athletics and community outreach in North Minneapolis. Christmas with Dignity is a program that allows families to shop and buy presents for their children at 10 cents on the dollar. Learn more about their mission: https://hhyd.org/

UPDATE: As of 3:15 PM on 12/12/24, all tickets have been spoken for. We are partnering with Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union and Gopher Athletics to host a Special Olympics Minnesota Day at the January 5 Gopher Women's Basketball game against Illinois! Affinity Plus, proud sponsor of Gopher Athletics, is generously providing FREE tickets for the SOMN community. After the game, all fans are welcome to stay for a postgame autograph session with an SOMN Student Athlete Ambassador from the team! You can claim up to four tickets per person. To claim your tickets, go to https://lnkd.in/gAfRf83w

“𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞.”– President Joe Biden addressing Special Olympics athletes at The White House. At "A Christmas for All: Celebration of Unity, America, and Special Olympics," President Biden honored over 50 years of support for the #InclusionRevolution. Follow this link to learn more about last night’s memorable event: 🔗https://lnkd.in/evZ8Ep5p #ChooseToInclude

Minneapolis Public Schools and Minneapolis Community Education Sanford Middle School Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® via Special Olympics Minnesota had a tremendous Unified Indigenous Games after school class led by the phenomenal Dan Ninham https://lnkd.in/gaQBYE_G https://lnkd.in/gEzy8Tuh https://lnkd.in/gKUhwyXp Unified students learned to play stick ball, lacrosse, and other traditional indigenous games. This was a wonderful combination of indigenous celebration and exposure -- intentionally done via Unified. Students who normally are hesitant to do "sports" had a great time -- as these were activities that everyone could try and enjoy. What a wonderful day we will never forget! #MPSProud #MPSCommunityEducation #IndigenousGames #SOMN #InclusionRevolution #GenerationUnified

Zack and Deacon, seniors at Watertown-Mayer High School, are impeccable examples of students leading the Unified movement, showcasing their leadership at the school and across the country. Their friendship began over a decade ago on the kindergarten bus, but thanks to Unified programming, they have become as close as brothers. The pair agrees that participating in Unified has changed them for the better (and for good). "Once my parents introduced me to Unified, my life changed completely," Zack says. "I wouldn't be the person I am today without Unified." Learn more about Zack and Deacon's story at https://lnkd.in/gQ3f9a_u

Meet Lucy: a fierce competitor, a talented creator and an extraordinary Special Olympics Minnesota athlete. Special Olympics is an incredible competitive outlet for Lucy. Our sports, health and leadership programs have changed her life for the better.   Perk's Playbook is presented by Eric Perkins, producer, TV host, sports enthusiast and advocate for inclusion. ❤️