Special Olympics Nanaimo
July Newsletter

The annual meeting for Special Olympics Nanaimo was held on July 8th and elections for committee positions were held at that time. Thankfully many familiar faces are continuing on in their role with the committee:

Local Coordinator – Dave Forrester
Program Coordinator – Angela Behn
Treasurer – Heiko Behn
Secretary – Tracey Murphy
Registration Coordinator – Deborah Munday
Fundraising Coordinator – Jacky Sheng
Parent Representative – Heather Phillips
Volunteer Coordinator – Vacant

The local committee meets the third Thursday of each month and if you would like to bring something to our attention please don’t hesitate to touch base with one of the committee members or email us at so.nanaimo.local.coordinator@gmail.com.

On behalf of the local committee, volunteers and athletes we want to say thank you to the committee members that have completed their terms with SO Nanaimo. This has been a challenging period for the local and we’re grateful for all that you do for Special Olympics and hope to see you continue to volunteer with the organization in other roles!

Geoff Lowe – Local Coordinator
Marcela Mulcahy – Program Coordinator
Kate Lowe – Secretary

All of us are eagerly anticipating and hopeful for a more normal return to sport this fall. With that in mind the local committee has already been discussing plans for the upcoming year. Considering that things may change here’s how we see the next couple of months playing out:

August: Registration info will be sent out to athletes and volunteers

September: We’re planning to host a welcome back type event for all volunteers and athletes. Date and details to be confirmed. We’ll also be organizing a coaches meeting for this month.

October: Due to the uncertainty of facility availability we are hopeful for a return to sport programs in early October.

While we wait for programs to start again this Fall, Special Olympics BC wants to help everyone stay active, healthy, moving – and having fun!

All athletes are encouraged to join the #SOBCSuperSummer Wellness Challenge to stay active together and be ready for the next sport season!

This eight-week calendar includes:

Daily workouts and wellness challenges

Trainer Tuesday Facebook Live workouts weekly July 6 to August 24

Chances to win prize packs

Joining the SOBC Wellness Challenges Facebook Group to share encouragement and motivation

Full registration and challenge details can be found here.

TheSpecial Olympics BC Provincial Challenge Games were a huge success, thanks to the determination and spirit shown by about 1,000 athletes and volunteers from all over the province!

From May 1 to June 18, the Challenge Games athletes completed 49 days of at-home challenges including sport training sessions, workouts, and wellness activities. They showed remarkable dedication as well as creativity in the range of ways they stayed active. Congratulations to all of the SO Nanaimo athletes and training coaches that represented us so well!

SO Nanaimo athlete Miranda Orth (pictured above) wrote a report on the experience and you can read it here. Great job Miranda!

If you have SO Nanaimo stories, results and pictures to share for the newsletter please send them to SOnewsnanaimo. Feedback on the newsletter always welcome!