SSOA
Hope Basketball Tournament 2012: Cassady and Kristen coached and supported the multiple Area 12 teams that were competing.
STUDENTS FOR THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS ADVOCACY GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
With 2013 in front of us, we’re putting the past in the past. Start fresh with SSOA! If you’re looking for something new, something to keep you active, and people to inspire you, look no further. Students for the Special Olympics Advocacy (SSOA) is ready and packed full of new and exciting events taking place this semester. SSOA is a student organization created to help advocate for and get involved with Special Olympics. SSOA is dedicated to providing support morally and financially to the Area 12 Special Olympics Organization. Most importantly, SSOA’s focus is to encourage athletes, on and off the courts. We believe that volunteering and building relationships will foster inspiration and ultimately change lives.
January
2013 edition
SSOA membership does not cost the member anything. We participate in local Special Olympics events, volunteer at community fundraisers, as well as host our own. We coach multiple seasons of sports for Special Olympics athletes and even participate in unified sports teams. There are many different S.O. chapters across the state of Michigan, and ours here in West Michigan is our local Area 12. Special Olympics Michigan (SOMI) has over 19,620 athletes competing in events and participating in regular sports practices. SOMI offers 23 different sports for athletes to choose from. There are over 20,000 volunteers involved with Special Olympics state-wide that make all of these teams, events, and competitions possible.
Area 12 has 485 athletes and 200 volunteers to run their programs. SSOA joined Grand Valley’s campus in order to help supplement the volunteers in any and every way possible in order to make Special Olympics an enjoyable experience for each athlete involved! If you are interested in joining our vision, e-mail one of the officers listed on the last page or come to a meeting Wednesday nights! We can’t wait to meet you!
weekly meetings: Wednesdays 9:00pm Ausable 1117
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january 2013 sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
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7 - First Day of Classes
8 - Basketball Practice 6:30pm at Oakwood Intermediate
9 - SSOA Meeting 9pm
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11 - Campus Life Night 7-9pm KC
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15 - Basketball Practice 6:30pm at Oakwood Intermediate
16 - SSOA Meeting 9pm
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21 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO CLASSES!
22 - Basketball Practice 6:30pm at Oakwood Intermediate
23 - SSOA Meeting 9pm
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26 - 2013 World Winter Games
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28 - Buffalo Wild Wings - Special Olympics Michigan Night
29 - Basketball Practice 6:30pm at Oakwood Intermediate
30 - SSOA Meeting 9pm
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THIS MONTH: Unified Basketball Practice Special Olympics athletes. Basketball partners. One court. Huge competition. Are you looking for an interactive way to get involved in the community? Are you a sports lover? Well, we have just the event for you. Tuesday evenings, from 6:30pm - 8:00 pm, Area 12 Special Olympics is hosting multiple unified basketball teams. Unified sports help bring students and athletes together, especially through SSOA! Basketball is a club favorite around Grand Valley and we just can’t seem to get enough! Last year, during our first year of participating with unified sports, we helped create two full teams for the Area 12 competitions. Club members carpooled over to the practice gym and ran the courts, practiced shooting, and did warm up and cool down activities to prepare them for the big games. At the end of the season, all of West Michigan’s unified teams come together and compete to decide who will move further to the state-wide tournaments. If you’re not a basketball star, or even if you can only dribble the ball while walking, we have a
spot for you! Teams are composed of athletes and students that share similar ages and sports ability. If you played varsity basketball in high school, and feel over-qualified for our teams, YOU’RE WRONG! We can promise that you will work up a sweat chasing players across the courts, and these athletes will truly give you a run for your money! So join us on Tuesdays for evenings you won’t forget!
Buffalo Wild Wings Night Spend your Monday night chowing down on hot wings with some friends to help support Special Olympics Michigan! January 28th, 2013, Buffalo Wild Wings will be hosting an ALL DAY fundraiser in which 10% of all meals bought that day will be donated to Special Olympics and all of the 2013 Polar Plunges. So hop on over to either the BWWs on Alpine, or the one downtown, and enjoy some wings and help out a great cause at the same time!
NEW T-SHIRTS! This month we will be starting orders for our newly designed shirts, created for us by our own graphic designer Sam Atherton. Stay tuned for the order list, which should be announced at meeting and via Facebook within the next few weeks!
S.O. College One of SSOA’s generous sponsors and loyal supporters is devoted to helping college organizations succeed. We are very thankful to have their support, and a few members created a video to show what this organization has meant to them. Click on the link HERE to open a new window to view this video!
What is in Store Farther Down the Line Polar Plunge: Feb 23, 2013 The polar plunge is just around the corner for SSOA! Last year we had a huge turn out, and a great team of jumpers that couldn’t wait to take the plunge into the icy waters of West Michigan. This year, we are hoping for an even larger group, with an even larger fundraising goal! This year’s event will be hosted at Boatwerks Water Front Restaurant in Holland, Michigan. Registration will begin at 8:00 am, a parade of different costumes at 9:00 am and jumping at 9:30 am. There will be an awards ceremony immediately following the last plunge! Statewide, the Special Olympics is hosting 27 Polar Plunges this year. Each of these events are sponsored by the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), which is one of the largest grassroots sponsors for Special Olympics that exists.
Spread the Word to End the Word One of our biggest events of the year, or rather, our biggest weeks of the year, will be coming up within the next few months. The Spread The Word To End The Word official day of awareness is March 6, 2013. SSOA and a few other clubs that support this cause will be teaming up to put an entire week together of tabling with free goodies, a banner to sign in support, and speakers and awards that will take place on a to-be-determined date. Be sure to stop by our tables in Kirkhof in early March to pick up your Spread the Word apparel, and be brave enough to take the pledge and to stand up for a cause that is affecting our lives, as well as the lives of the athletes we love so much.
disability in life is a bad attitude.”
Cassady President president.ssoa@gmail.com
Kristen Public Relations VP prvp.ssoa@gmail.com
Marlena Financial VP fvp.ssoa@gmail.com
Jessica Sports Coordinator sports.ssoa@gmail.com
SSOA Spring Prom!
“The only
E-Board 2011-2013
In the midst of the cold and dreary winter, we have our eyes on the end...PROM! This spring, we will be hosting our first annual SSOA Prom! So pull out those dusty tuxedos and wrinkled homecoming dresses and get all dolled up for this night full of music, dancing, and a fantastic photo booth. Not to reveal all of our secrets yet, but we will have a spectacular surprise DJ, as well as a propfilled photo booth and even a few more special end of the semester events to take place at a surprise location! Keep your ears open for when we release more details soon... and don’t forget to keep your calendars wide open... this is one event you WON’T want to miss.
Kristin Travel Coordinator travel.ssoa@gmail.com
Aubrie Fundraising Chair
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THAT DEPARTMENT.