by Michelle Mayer | Jun 24, 2026 | Mission Focused, Organizational Impact, UCS/Unified, USA Games
By Lily Goodfellow
I had the chance to interview the President & CEO of Special Olympics, David Evangelista, at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to David, Unified sports are the future.
“I want the world to wake up and realize that for close to six decades they missed what is the biggest opportunity for us to heal ourselves, which is simply to play Unified. That’s my goal for countries around the world … This is a world of no judgement. This is a world of just play.”
I was able to see the spirit of inclusion while watching the Team Illinois Unified basketball and volleyball teams compete at the Games.
Special Olympics Unified Sports is a program that pairs athletes with intellectual disabilities with partners who do not have an intellectual disability on the same team to compete together. Arik Sorenson is a Unified partner on Team Illinois volleyball. “Unified means everything. Seeing these athletes succeed and get out there, game after game, and practice after practice, it’s awesome.”
Becca Gehle is a Special Olympics Illinois athlete who participates in both Unified and traditional Special Olympics sports. She loves playing Unified because “it’s not just about the athletes. We’re all working together.”
Team Illinois basketball players agree. Athlete Osaze Ikponmwosa says, “It’s about respecting others.”
It was awesome to watch the teams compete, but even more fun to see how much they enjoy playing together and how much they have bonded as teammates. Unified sports give athletes and peers the opportunity to do something they both love and learn from each other.
Family members of both athletes and partners came to Minnesota to support the teams. Barb Alexander’s son, Grayden, is a partner on Team Illinois Unified basketball. She says that for Grayden, being a Unified partner has been one of the best experiences of his high school career. “He has grown and experienced so many amazing things, met so many people, gotten to play a sport that he loves. Just being so inclusive with everyone, he’s learned and grown so much from it.”
Every athlete and partner I talked to said the same thing, how excited they were to be on the team and how much it means to them.
Taylor Sweeting is a Special Olympics Illinois Athlete Leader and is serving as the team manager for the Unified volleyball team at the games. “It’s not just about winning the medals. It’s about being good teammates and athletes, and sportsmanship.”
Sportsmanship is about treating others with kindness and respect, even if you aren’t winning. Team Illinois Unified volleyball coach, Julie Smith, helps her players handle the pressure of competing at this level by encouraging them to enjoy every moment.
“We try to make it light and have fun because our team likes to have fun together.”
The players and coaches agree that having fun is the most important part of playing Unified. “My favorite part is playing with my friends and having fun with them always,” said Marium Wahid, an athlete on the volleyball team.
David Evangelista thinks it’s more than that. He believes everyone is looking for the same thing, they just don’t know it. “They are looking to be accepted. They are looking to be loved. They are looking to be part of something bigger than themselves. They are looking to be around people who won’t judge them. They are looking around for people who will help them become better. That’s all right here in Special Olympics.”
As the Team Illinois basketball team won an incredible game against Washington on Tuesday, via double overtime, it was easy to see all of those things. But it was even greater to see them from the volleyball team after a tough loss.
Arik Sorenson said it best. Despite any score, “Unified means inclusion. It means going out there and having fun. We’re Team Illinois – we are fun!”
Follow along with all the Team Illinois sports as they compete in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. And, learn more about Special Olympics Illinois Unified sports and how to get involved.
by Michelle Mayer | Jun 22, 2026 | Athletes, Mission Focused, USA Games
The Delegation Prepares to Compete While Making New Friends and Enjoying the Opening Ceremonies
By Lily Goodfellow
The Illinois delegation arrived in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday, June 19 for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. Everyone agreed that they were excited, especially Tina Mango, who is competing in bocce. “I am very excited. I can’t wait to have fun and try my best.”
Matthew Friedman is also happy and excited. “I was nervous when I first found out, but it’s a big honor because not everyone gets this honor. It’s special.” He is representing Team Illinois in athletics, running the 400 meter run, the 4×4 relay, and the 3,000 meter run.
All of the athletes had time to get settled in the dorms and learn their way around the University of Minnesota campus and the different venues where they will compete this week. And everyone had the opportunity to go to Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday evening, June 20, for the Opening Ceremony.
It was amazing to see all the athletes from each state parade into stadium, especially to see the different uniforms each delegation was wearing. My favorites were the hockey-type jerseys on Team Nebraska and the colors of Team Northern California that looked like the sunset we all saw at the end of the ceremony.
Demi Lovato sang inspirational songs that both Christy Sovereign, Chief Executive Officer for the 2026 Games, and Tim Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics Board of Directors, tied to their speeches, because there is “nothing wrong with being confident,” and all Special Olympics athletes are “skyscrapers.”
There was also a cultural program with amazing singers and dancers, and Jon Batiste performed at the end, causing the athletes from many states to form a conga line and dance around the stadium floor.
The entire event was awesome! It was so fun to see the athletes from all over the country dancing together and, as Tim Shriver said, these athletes are “the best of the USA.”
Scott Maess, who competes in bowling for Team Illinois, said his favorite part of the Opening Ceremony was parading in to the stadium, “because it’s huge and I never got to do it at this level before.” Unified Volleyball team member David Mathews-Dedmond added, “Obviously, my favorite part was Demi Lovato.”
Now that the oaths have been said by the officials, coaches, and athletes, the Flame of Hope (all the way from Illinois) has lit the cauldron, and the games have officially been declared open, it’s time for the athletes to compete.
The excitement is still there, but there are also nerves. Anthony Boyce from Team Illinois Unified basketball is feeling “really nervous, because this is going to be live – in front of a lot of people. But I’m really excited, too. I’m going to be pumped when I walk on that court.”
Follow along with all the Team Illinois sports as they compete in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games at soill.org/usa-games.
by Michelle Mayer | Jun 16, 2026 | Athletes, Families, Fundraising, LETR, Mission Focused, Sports, State Tournaments
By Randy Kindred
A voice from inside the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) tent shouted, “Whose birthday is it?”
A few feet away, a Kane County police officer in the LETR’s dunk tank replied, “It’s our birthday!”
A Special Olympics Illinois athlete hit the bullseye, sending the officer into the water. She was still fully drenched after emerging from the tank, but that did not deter an athlete from wrapping his arms around her in a hearty embrace.
Both came away smiling.
It was a brief moment Saturday in the Olympic Town area of the 2026 Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games. Yet, it spoke volumes about the connection between the state’s law enforcement and Special Olympics Illinois communities.
The “birthday” was the 40th for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which has raised more than $70 million for Special Olympics Illinois.
“What we give does not even come close to equating what they give back,” LETR Director Bill Devine said of the Special Olympics Illinois athletes. “The friendships, the bonds, the hugs, the inspiration. And it goes beyond us as individuals. It goes to our families.”
Devine has seen it from all angles. His 20-year-old son, C.J., was born with Down syndrome and has participated in Special Olympics Illinois athletics, bowling, baseball, Unified cornhole … you name it.
“Pretty much the only month he has off is July,” Devine said.
Devine, a retired Tinley Park police officer, serves as a coach in the agency for which C.J. competes, South Suburban Special Rec. The family’s link to Special Olympics Illinois doesn’t end there.
“I have a daughter (Madison) who just graduated with her Masters (degree) as a speech language pathologist,” Devine said. “Her inspiration came from her association with Special Olympics, being around the athletes and watching them with their trials and the way they do things.”
The Law Enforcement Torch Run presented Special Olympics Illinois a check for $5.9 million during Friday’s Opening Ceremony. It was the total raised in 2025, a number unfathomable when Illinois’ LETR was born in 1986.
Devine has been involved since 2000, when he began “as a local leg runner” before progressing to a state committee member and, in 2020, to state director.
“It’s a lot more than money,” he said of the fundraising efforts. “When we started, everything was centrally located. We did everything out of the university. Because of our growth, we had to expand the footprint. That’s exciting for me to see the amount of people we’re able to provide services to.
“We have a lot of young people coming up who are doing phenomenal work. The awareness factor is growing exponentially. We’re seeing it in the (fundraising) numbers and that’s leading to the numbers.”
State committee member Robbi Peterson, an investigator with the Illinois Attorney General’s office, called the totals “staggering,” as well as the $1 billion that has been raised worldwide by Law Enforcement Torch Run organizations.
Peterson first got involved during his time with the West Chicago Police Department and said the connection with LETR and Special Olympics has “changed my life so much.”
“It’s just become part of my everyday life,” he said. “I stay in touch with athletes not only at events like the Summer Games, but throughout the week, sending messages back and forth. I’ve really seen the impact of the work we’ve been able to do. You see how much it impacts families.”
Peterson was part of the Torch Run for the World Winter Games last year in Italy, as well as this spring for the upcoming 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis.
His 17-year-old son, Jayden, is active in helping with LETR events. He shares the passion his father and other officers have for Special Olympics Illinois athletes and families.
“We all say we got in this job to help people,” Robbi Peterson said. “I couldn’t think of a better way of helping people than helping these people who are facing daily challenges of just being accepted. And there’s no reason they shouldn’t be accepted.
“It is about fundraising, but the biggest piece is the awareness and the inclusion and just getting the message out there that they’re no different than us. We all need opportunities. They need opportunities to be seen and we’re making sure they’re recognized and seen for who they are.”
That is the mission of Amy Williams, deputy chief in the Huntley Police Department. Williams has been involved with LETR for 22 years.
She seeks to advocate for the athletes, in part because of words she heard as a child.
“My dad always told me the world is so much bigger than me,” Williams said. “He said to go out and plant seeds and make a difference. As I started my career, what better opportunity than to be able to work with such an amazing organization and be inspired by amazing athletes with Special Olympics?
“The (fundraising) numbers continue to grow, but for me the importance over the money is ensuring that people see our athletes for more than their disabilities. It’s more about who they are and what they contribute to society.”
LETR conducts a variety of fundraising efforts in addition to the annual Torch Run. Some include corporate partnerships, among Cop on a Rooftop, in partnership with Dunkin’ as well as Plane Pulls supported by United Airlines.
Yet, a good portion of the LETR initiative is based in police departments and their communities.
That warms the heart of Diane Vanderkooy, a retired Illinois State Police officer who has been involved with LETR since 1990. She is a safety officer with the Chatham school district and serves as athletic director and a coach with the Chatham Chargers Special Olympics program.
She called the local fundraising “kind of a badge of honor.”
“We look at other programs and they have a lot of corporate input,” Vanderkooy said. “Ours is so grass roots. It’s boots on the ground and grinding and doing it. That fits my wheelhouse. That fits me, my character.
“The athletes and the families I’ve met on this journey is amazing. Once you embed yourself in there, there’s always somebody to talk to, to reach out to. It’s a partnership. It’s a family.”
Unified Cornhole a Hit
Unified cornhole made a successful Summer Games debut Friday inside Horton Fieldhouse. Among those delighted for the opportunity were 13-year-old Reed Castleman and his mother, Amanda Castleman.
The Virden residents were competing for Auburn Area Special Olympics.
“It was fun for Reed and I to be able to partner together,” Amanda said. “I’ve been watching him compete for six, seven years (in other sports), but I’ve never gotten to actually participate with him. It was really fantastic.”
The Castlemans gravitated to the sport because Reed is unable to sweat, meaning he “overheats easily,” said his father, Cory Castleman.
“Knowing it’s a new sport and realizing it’s going to be indoors, it’s a good opportunity for him to enjoy participating and not have to worry about the heat as much,” Cory said.
Reed also competes in Special Olympics Illinois basketball and bowling. The plan is to participate in Unified cornhole again next year.
“This was our first time ever playing,” Amanda said. “We don’t even have one at home.”
Unified cornhole featured 15-foot and 27-foot divisions. Among the 80 teams were six with participants from Morton College in Cicero.
Merrick Hill and two of his Morton College baseball teammates served as Unified partners. Hill teamed with Victor Alvarado in the 15-foot competition.
“They (Morton College officials) do a really good job of getting the word out and getting a lot of teams,” said Hill, who graduated from the community college in May. “Special Olympics is a great organization. It’s fun to be able to just do anything to help.”
by Michelle Mayer | Jun 8, 2026 | Athletes, Mission Focused, State Tournaments
Summer Games brings together athletes, families, coaches, and fans from across the state for a weekend that celebrates inclusion, ability, connection, and achievement. Hosted in Bloomington-Normal, this multi-day event goes beyond competition, offering opportunities to connect, recharge, and be part of something bigger. Here are just a few ways to make the most of your Summer Games experience.
Momentum Refresh
Stop by the Momentum Refresh vehicle located in the parking lot on the west side the ISU track near the bullpens. This universally designed, ADA-compliant mobile restroom and changing area brings an added level of accessibility and inclusivity for all participants, families, and fans.
Healthy Athletes
Athletes can take part in free screenings including dental, hearing, vision, and mobility checks on Friday and Saturday at CEFCU (Redbird) Arena. Plus, visit the Healthy Habits station for water refills and healthy living tips, located at the top of the Redbird Ramp.
Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg
Members of the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run celebrate its 40th anniversary in Illinois by concluding the Final Leg of their intrastate relay, carrying the Flame of Hope to Opening Ceremony on Friday evening. Officers run from The Shoppes at College Hills to Hancock Stadium.
Opening Ceremony
This signature event features the Parade of Athletes, Athlete Oath, special guest speakers, live entertainment, and the lighting of the cauldron. The celebration takes place Friday evening at Hancock Stadium. Can’t make it in person? Watch the ceremony via live stream from the Summer Games website.
Young Athletes Statewide Culminating Event
Experience the joy of the Young Athletes program as children ages 2 to 7, with and without intellectual disabilities, participate in a series of obstacle based activities on Friday at Hancock Stadium. Preregistration is required.
Olympic Town
Held at ISU’s Turner Hall Parking Lot on Saturday from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Olympic Town offers a variety of family-friendly activities, including carnival games, a Law Enforcement Torch Run dunk tank, athlete vendor fair, live entertainment, a dance party, and more. This free event is open to all.
Families
Special Olympics Illinois celebrates families throughout Summer Games with activities and resources available at multiple venues, including Horton Field House, Olympic Town, Grossinger Motors Arena, and Normal Community High School. Stop by for event information, Fan Zone fun, and more. Families can also attend the Family Tailgate Picnic on Friday evening. Preregistration is required for the picnic.
Victory Dance
Celebrate the weekend at the Victory Dance on Saturday evening from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM in Uptown Normal. Athletes can connect with friends, enjoy music, and take in the energy of Summer Games.
Summer Games offers something for everyone, whether you are competing, cheering from the stands, or spending time with family and friends. Explore the full schedule and event details on the Summer Games website, and stay connected throughout the weekend by signing up for updates by texting “summer” to 844-393-0980.
by lauryn | May 20, 2026 | Athlete Leadership, Athletes, Mission Focused, USA Games
At Team Illinois Training Camp, Lily Goodfellow stepped into her role as an athlete reporter, capturing the energy, preparation, and personality that define Team Illinois.
Through interviews and behind the scenes moments, Lily is helping tell the stories of athletes and coaches as they prepare for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
“From being an athlete to a reporter, I want people to know that I’m ready and that they can do this,” Lily shared.
Lily’s perspective is rooted in her own experience competing with Special Olympics Illinois, allowing her to connect naturally with the athletes she is covering and highlight what this journey means to them.
Her time at training camp offered an early look at the stories she will continue to share in the lead up to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
Read Lily’s story covering training camp.
Read more about Lily and her passion for storytelling.
Learn more about Team Illinois and how you can show your support.
by lauryn | May 7, 2026 | Athletes, DEIB, Mission Focused, Region C, UCS/Unified
This May, Special Olympics Illinois is proud to highlight athlete Adam Jeffery, a dedicated competitor in the District 204 STEPS program whose commitment to sport and leadership continues to grow each season.
Adam first became involved with Special Olympics Illinois in 2018, when he represented Gregory Middle School in Region C athletics. “I qualified for state that year for softball throw,” he said, “and have made multiple trips back throughout the years.” What began as a middle school opportunity has since expanded into a year‑round athletic journey.
Today, Adam participates in both STEPS and WDSRA programs, competing across soccer, basketball, and athletics. He is also preparing for a major milestone ahead: “I will also be running the Chicago Marathon 2026 as part of Team Special Olympics Illinois,” Adam shared.
One of Adam’s favorite experiences has been joining the Chicago Fire FC Unified Team. “I love being part of a team that gets to travel and play against other MLS Unified teams,” he says. “It’s pretty cool!”
This month holds something special for Adam as the Chicago Fire FC Unified Team prepares for its home appearance this Saturday, May 9, at 9:00 AM at Endeavor Health Performance Center Field in Chicago. Later, the Unified team will be recognized at half time during the professional match at Soldier Field.
When asked what inclusion means to him, Adam offers a perspective that reflects the heart of the Special Olympics Illinois movement. He said, “Inclusion means being able to come together, as a team, feeling included and safe, regardless of ability.”
Adam also participates in Athlete Leadership and continues to embrace every opportunity that comes his way. “I look forward to every game and event I have been part of with Special Olympics Illinois,” he said. “It brings me joy, happiness and positive vibes.”
As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Adam’s story serves as a reminder of the many athletes whose voices, talents, and leadership strengthen Special Olympics Illinois every day.
Thank you, Adam, for being the SOILL Difference!
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