Nearly 600 athletes and 18 Unified Partners competed in the 2019 Outdoor Sports Festival over September 7 and 8. This event, which serves as the state finals for those competing in golf and softball, took place at Rotary Park and Hickory Point Golf Course in Decatur, Illinois. For Special Olympics Illinois athlete Allen Platt and…
Category: Region I Stories
#PlungeWith Courage for Madeleine
Mahomet, Ill. ā On Saturday, February 24th, the brave friends and fans of Special Olympics Illinois Region I will #PlungeWith courage into the freezing waters of the Lake of the Woods in Mahomet as part of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge. In the next couple of weeks, Polar Plungers will complete their final…
Dad, I Can Do It
Running has not traditionally been the sport of choice for the Baxter family, so when Melani and Dougās daughter Riley said she wanted to run the 800 meter race for Special Olympics Illinois, it came as a bit of a surprise. What made it even harder to believe is that Riley wanted to run 800…
A Will and A Way
92-year-old Champaign area resident, Lyle Cole, has unique dunk technique raising money for the Mohamet Polar Plungeā¦.ā When Speech Pathologist and SOILL Family Ambassador, Kathleen Williams, wore her Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge hoodie on the job, she didnāt know that she had an admirer. Then one day when 92-year-old Lyle Cole asked Kathleen…
Coca-Cola Plunges for a Cause
The Coca-Cola Company is well known for its Polar Bears tumbling in the snow under the “Northern Lights” and enticing consumers to Taste the Feeling⢠of a cold, refreshing Coke. For so many, Coca-Cola is also recognized for its philanthropic efforts, including providing yearly donations of DasaniĀ® waters for Special Olympics Illinois events, establishing scholarship programs…