by lauryn | Jan 27, 2026 | Mission Focused, Region A, UCS/Unified, Uncategorized
Check out our latest UCS Brag Report! These updates spotlight the amazing ways schools and students are making inclusion come alive — from creative ideas to inspiring moments that show the true impact of Unified Champion Schools. Check out North Boone High School Annabella & Ethan’s brag report.
Annabella & Ethan’s Brag Report
Hello readers! We are so excited to get to brag about the incredible opportunity we have been given this year. As a pair we have been selected to be Youth Leaders at this year’s Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, MN. Being chosen for this experience is something we are extremely proud of, and it represents the hard work, dedication, and strong partnership we have together.
Unified sports has taught us so many valuable life skills like partnership, trust and communication on and off the field. Being able to trend the games this year will give us a once in a lifetime experience by getting to meet athletes and partners from across the United States. We will also get to see many unified sports we have never seen compete which will also be very interesting. This experience will push us out of our comfort zones and challenge us to be our best!
We are especially excited to represent Special Olympics Illinois and Illinois as a whole to show others how powerful inclusion can be! We hope that our journey inspires other students in Illinois to get involved. We especially hope to inspire students at our school North Boone High School to get involved in our growing programs to show how powerful it is to practice inclusion.
We are very grateful for the support from our advisors, teammates, school, families, and Special Olympics Illinois for believing in us and helping to make this incredible experience possible. We can wait to represent Team Illinois at the Special Olympics USA Games and make our school and community proud!
Proud to represent Special Olympics Illinois,
Annabella Torres & Ethan Jimenez
by lauryn | Jan 21, 2026 | DEIB, Mission Focused, Statewide, Uncategorized
Special Olympics Illinois is proud to recognize Molly Dill, Director of Program Administration, for more than a decade of dedication to ensuring athletes have safe, inclusive, and high-quality opportunities to compete.
Molly’s connection to Special Olympics Illinois began long before her professional career with the organization. She first became involved as a Polar Plunge participant, drawn by a deep belief in the mission. Motivated by a desire to make a difference, she found her place behind the scenes, where her work now powers every event across the state.
In her role, Molly oversees the review and approval of athlete, coach, volunteer, and partner registrations and background checks, a process she modestly describes as “just a fancy way of saying data entry.” In reality, her leadership has been instrumental in streamlining processes, strengthening policies, and building a data team that takes pride in accuracy, efficiency, and service. Her efforts ensure that events run smoothly, allowing athletes to focus on what matters most: competing and shining.
Over the past year, Molly has played a key role in training staff and implementing the new Center of Excellence system statewide, elevating the support provided to programs and participants.
For Molly, inclusion goes beyond simply providing access to sports. She explains, “I think that inclusion means that you look inside yourself and see what biases you have or had, and how to overcome them so that you can treat people the way they deserve, with kindness and respect.”
Whether working behind the scenes or witnessing athletes’ achievements firsthand, from local competitions to World Games Berlin, Molly never loses sight of why this work matters.
Special Olympics Illinois thanks Molly for her leadership, dedication, and countless contributions that make the organization stronger every day. Her commitment and heart exemplify the #SOILLDifference.
by lauryn | Dec 9, 2025 | Healthy Athletes, Mission Focused, Region D, Uncategorized, Volunteers
For more than three decades, Dr. Ricardo Y. Mendoza, DDS, MS, FICD has been a driving force behind Special Olympics health programming. His journey began at Boston University, where he trained under Dr. Steve Perlman, founder of Special Smiles. “I had an amazing mentor, Dr. Steve Perlman, who happened to be the founder of Special Smiles,” Dr. Mendoza recalls. “Secondly, I have family members with special needs back in Venezuela, so I totally understood the challenges this population has. Easily, the passion towards helping this population grew inside of me.”
That passion has carried him through 30 years of service, where he’s seen how health programming changes lives. “The Special Smiles program is a fun event where athletes are competing, getting awards for their efforts, and receiving dental exams in a fun environment,” he explains. “With puppets, stickers, big models, and volunteers showing tender care, it gets easy for athletes to understand the importance of improving their oral health. And we get the caretakers and chaperones involved too.”
The impact of Special Smiles goes far beyond education. Dr. Mendoza recalls one powerful moment with an athlete whose family had just arrived from Mexico. “The parents didn’t know about any resources on how to even go about the care for this child, and we found social workers to help out,” he shares. Stories like this highlight how health programming connects families to critical support they might not otherwise find.
Over the years, Dr. Mendoza has seen many smiles restored through urgent care. “On occasions when we identify urgent dental needs and we are able to channel this through grants to cover the entire oral rehabilitation … that kind of capability is without any doubt one of the many reasons I am so proud of our program.” These interventions not only improve health but also transform lives.
Families, he emphasizes, are central to this work. “It’s very important to understand that we can help these individuals, that there are resources and dental tools available.” By equipping caregivers with knowledge and tools, Special Smiles ensures athletes have lasting support at home as well as on the field.
At the heart of it all is inclusion. “Inclusion means everything,” Dr. Mendoza says. “All individuals are to be treated equally and opportunities have to be equitable in our society. Special Olympics Illinois is a perfect example of how inclusion within our beautiful diversity of individuals can work in harmony.”
Dr. Mendoza’s story is a reminder of the incredible impact of our health programming. From screenings that restore confidence to Healthy Habits stations that empower athletes with lifelong skills, Special Olympics Illinois health initiatives are more than care, they’re a celebration of dignity, inclusion, and the joy of a healthy life. Thank you to Dr. Mendoza and all volunteers who make a difference!
Learn more about Special Olympics Illinois’ health programming.
by lauryn | Dec 9, 2025 | Athlete Leadership, Athletes, Mission Focused, Region I, Sports, State Tournaments, Uncategorized
By Randy Kindred
In a matter of three hours, Summer Nagele sang the national anthem to open the 2025 State Bowling Tournament, participated in doubles competition, received a medal, chose her sandwich for lunch, answered a reporter’s questions and prepared to compete in singles.
It was a busy schedule for anyone, but especially for a 20-year-old whose doctor once told her parents she may never walk, talk or eat on her own. Nagele is a Special Olympics Illinois Athlete Leader and has been crowned four times as Illinois Miss Amazing, a program for girls and women with disabilities.
Miss Amazing indeed.
Currently the Illinois Miss Amazing Teen Queen 2025, Nagele’s disability went undiagnosed for many years. Autumn and Michael Nagele of Champaign sought answers for their only child and, despite the doctor’s grim early prognosis, “We never set limits on her,” Autumn said.
“It took 16 long years and we finally got a diagnosis,” Autumn added. “If she wants to do something, we’ll try to support her in any way we can. Because of that, she is the amazing human she is today. She doesn’t let anything stop her.”
Summer was diagnosed with KCNK9 Imprinting Syndrome (also Birk-Barel Syndrome), a condition so rare her mother said she is “one in about 100 in the world” to be diagnosed. Characteristics include intellectual disability, decreased muscle tone and unusual facial features.
Yet, there she was Saturday at Victory Lanes in Decatur, performing the national anthem, serving as a friend and mentor to her 12-year-old doubles partner, Alorah “Lou” Rosenberger, and embracing one of the nine sports in which she participates, most through Special Olympics Illinois.
“Special Olympics Illinois has meant that I’ve grown more confident, more self-esteem,” said Summer, a Champaign Central High School graduate who works at Rally House in Champaign. “My confidence grew a whole lot. I was able to self-advocate for myself before, but with Special Olympics Illinois, I kind of got the ability to get more confidence in advocating for myself.”
That has led to advocating for others. In her role as an Athlete Leader, she speaks to organizations about the benefits of programs such as Special Olympics Illinois and the Miss Amazing program.
Summer’s three previous Miss Amazing titles were 2017 Illinois Miss Amazing Preteen Queen, 2019 Illinois Miss Amazing Junior Queen and 2023 Illinois Miss Amazing Teen Queen. This year, she also was first runner-up at the national Miss Amazing competition in Chicago.
Summer said she relishes spreading the word about the program, saying it helps others “build self-confidence and self-esteem and allows people just like us to compete.”
“We all have some sort of disability,” she said. “It’s just so much fun to do it and you get to tell them about your passions.”
She embraces being an Athlete Leader, saying it “enables me to do what you saw me do this morning … sing the national anthem, and also give speeches and tell people who might not know a lot about Special Olympics Illinois more about Special Olympics Illinois.”
Autumn Nagele said her daughter “enjoys telling people about the things she does and Special Olympics Illinois is right at the top of the list.”
Michael Nagele expressed pride in how his daughter has grown from a young, inexperienced athlete to a mentor and positive role model.
“We really look at what we have, not what we don’t have,” he said. “There’s a quote I remember that says something like a flower doesn’t look at other flowers, it just blooms. I think about Summer in that way.
“Are there kids who can perform better athletically than her? Yeah, and there are some who don’t do as well as her. We take the wins where we can get them with her and she develops at her pace. We just really encourage her and help her to learn and grow at her own pace.”
‘Victory’ in Itself
The State Bowling Tournament had long been at Landmark Lanes in Peoria. Special Olympics Illinois learned in mid-September that a change in ownership at Landmark would necessitate finding a new location.
Tracy Hilliard, Senior Director of Sports and Competition at Special Olympics Illinois, said Victory Lanes was secured by mid-October.
“We were fortunate,” Hilliard said. “Our staff that is in Decatur indicated they were looking at this facility. We had a couple of suggestions and they made the visit here. It was pretty quick.
“This is a 40-lane (facility), which is a good size. Landmark was 50, but we already have three shifts. The staff here at Victory has been phenomenal. The regional tournament is moving their tournament from Champaign to here as well.”
Millikin Lends a Hand
Decatur’s Millikin University provided several volunteers to assist with the tournament. Hilliard said the school also sends volunteers to the State Golf Tournament each September at Decatur’s Hickory Point Golf Course.
“Millikin is a strong supporter of Special Olympics Illinois,” Hilliard said. “That college has always been very supportive.”
View photos and results from the 2025 State Bowling Tournament.
by lauryn | Dec 8, 2025 | Mission Focused, Organizational Impact, Uncategorized
As we approach the close of another remarkable year, I find myself reflecting on the power of a single moment. At Special Olympics Illinois, moments are not fleeting; they are transformative. They are the smile on an athlete’s face as they cross the finish line, the pride in a team celebrating a hard-earned medal, and the courage of someone stepping onto the field for the very first time.
This fall, we have seen countless examples of what inclusion looks like in action. From Fall Games in Rockford to leadership conferences and health initiatives, every event has reminded us why our mission matters. Yet, as inspiring as these moments are, they also underscore a challenge: there are still far too many people on the sidelines. In Illinois alone, more than 600,000 individuals live with intellectual disabilities, and we currently serve only a fraction of them. That means thousands are waiting for their chance to shine.
One of those individuals is Eva. Eva was born with cerebral palsy and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Until recently, she did not know that Special Olympics Illinois offers a motorized wheelchair slalom race as part of our athletics (track & field) competition. When she learned about it, her eyes lit up with excitement. Eva cannot wait to compete. She is ready for her moment! Stories like Eva’s remind us why we do what we do. Because every person deserves the opportunity to discover their strength and experience the joy of inclusion.
As we look ahead to 2026, our goal is clear: create more moments. Moments where athletes like Eva can experience the thrill of sport. Moments where Unified partners and athletes come together to show the world what true inclusion looks like. Moments that remind us all that communities are stronger when everyone is welcome.
The close of the year is always a time for reflection and planning. It is a chance to celebrate what we have accomplished together and to imagine what is possible when we keep moving forward. Every program, every competition, every opportunity is made possible because of you; our supporters, partners, and champions for inclusion. Your commitment ensures that athletes have access to sports, health programs, and leadership training.
It ensures that next summer, Team Illinois will proudly represent us at the USA Games in Minneapolis.
As we turn the page to a new year, let us carry this momentum forward. Together, we can make 2026 a year filled with more moments that matter. Moments that change lives and strengthen communities.
Thank you for walking beside us on this journey. On behalf of our athletes, coaches, and families, thank you for believing in inclusion and for helping us make it a reality.
Pete Beale-DelVecchio
President & CEO, Special Olympics Illinois
by lauryn | Nov 18, 2025 | Mission Focused, Region E, Sports, UCS/Unified, Uncategorized
UCS Brag Reports are back! These updates spotlight the amazing ways schools and students are making inclusion come alive — from creative ideas to inspiring moments that show the true impact of Unified Champion Schools. Check out Andrew High School’s Ava and Kareem’s report below.
Ava & Kareem’s Brag Report
Hey everyone! We are excited to brag about Andrew High School’s Unified Soccer team and our 2025 season! It has been an unforgettable experience. This season, our team practiced once a week on Thursdays during T-Bolt time out on the field. Each week, we worked hard to build our teamwork and soccer skills while having fun together. Every practice helped us build our confidence and prepared us for the big game day.
All of our hard work led up to the Unified Soccer Regional Tournament hosted at Homewood-Flossmoor High School on Sunday, October 5. Our team was excited as we competed in our first game against the HF White team. It was a tough match, and all athletes and partners played with determination. Our Andrew Thunderbolts took the win and advanced to the next round.
Our second game was against Thornton, and it was one to remember! The match was intense from start to finish. We were neck and neck the entire game. When the score was tied, we went into overtime, and the energy on the field and in the stands was incredible. It all came down to a penalty kick shootout, where Thornton came out on top. Even though we didn’t advance to state, we proudly brought home silver medals and celebrated how far we came!
We are so proud of our entire team for their effort, sportsmanship, and positive attitudes throughout the season. Competing together, facing fellow Unified Soccer teams, and representing Andrew High School and Special Olympics Illinois was an amazing experience we’ll never forget. Go Bolts!
Forever T-Bolts,
Ava & Kareem
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