From June 20 to 26, Team Illinois competed on the national stage at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, joining athletes from across the country for a week defined by competition, connection, and shared pride.
From the moment the delegation arrived on campus to the final celebration at Closing Ceremony, the week reflected what it means to compete, grow, and represent Illinois on a national stage.
Settling In and Stepping Up
After arriving in Minnesota, athletes quickly returned to their routines as practices began and competition drew near.
“The water’s cold, but it is what it is, I’m just here to compete and have fun,” said swimmer Drew Kirkman.
That mindset carried across the delegation, combining focus with excitement for the opportunity ahead.
Early in the week, Unified volleyball also set the tone for what Team Illinois would represent. During early competition, Coach Julie Smith shared that the team received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
The group was described as a model of inclusion and Unified sport, with strong relationships between athletes and partners and a level of teamwork that stood out on the national stage.
For many athletes, simply reaching this stage was a powerful moment.
“You know … when I was born I wasn’t even supposed to walk or talk and here I am at USA Games,” said Unified volleyball athlete Travis Brady.
The gymnastics team opened the week with strong all-around performances, setting the tone for what followed. Athletes across sports built on that momentum, contributing to a growing list of award performances throughout the week.
Bowling also made a major impact, highlighted by Jordan Derossett, who recorded a 668 series, averaging 229, during singles competition, the highest singles series across all competitors, male and female.
Across the week, athletes reached the podium while others delivered strong finishes, contributing to Team Illinois’ presence in every venue.
Equally important were the personal milestones. Throughout the Games, athletes across sports achieved multiple personal records, reflecting both their preparation and the energy of competing at a national level, including at least seven personal records realized on a single day of competition.
“I just can’t stop looking at this, I’m going to treasure it forever,” said swimmer Christine Leverenz, reflecting on her gold medal performance.
Moments That Defined the Experience
Beyond competition, the week included experiences that extended well beyond the field of play.
Athletes connected with national media outlets, sharing their stories with a broader audience. Others had the opportunity to meet and interact with high profile figures, including Olympic champion Suni Lee.
“I love her, this has honestly been the best, this is my highlight,” said gymnast Katie O’Neill, after receiving her medal from Lee.
Through the Healthy Athletes program, Team Illinois participants also accessed important health services. At least one athlete received hearing aids and five athletes received vision care, including glasses and bifocals.
These services represent lasting impact that continues beyond the week of competition.
Defining Team Illinois Through Performance and Teamwork
As the week progressed, Team Illinois built momentum not only through results, but through teamwork and resilience.
The bocce team delivered a strong performance in team competition to earn gold, highlighting coordination and consistency across the lineup.
In bowling, the men’s team produced one of the most dramatic moments of the week, overcoming a 64-pin deficit to secure gold by just three pins.
Unified team sports also played a major role in the delegation’s success, with both basketball and volleyball earning silver medals in their divisions.
Individually and collectively, athletes continued to push themselves and compete with confidence.
“I am the ultimate girl boss,” said powerlifter Sheridan Coleman during warmups, reflecting the mindset she brought to the platform. She went on to earn three gold medals and a bronze.
Recognition for sportsmanship and leadership also reinforced the team’s impact. Unified partner Arik Sorensen was awarded the Spirit of Unified Sports Award, honoring his commitment to inclusion and teamwork.
A Week That Extended Beyond Competition
As events wrapped up, athletes had the opportunity to step into a new role, supporting their teammates.
Those who had completed their competitions spent time attending other events, cheering on fellow athletes, and experiencing sports they had not yet seen.
For Youth Leadership Experience athlete Ethan Jimenez, the week was about fully taking in every moment.
“I am so happy to be a part of this,” he said.
His mentor, Katie McFadden, reflected on a week where Ethan attended competitions across venues, built connections, and embraced the full experience, forming new friendships and learning from others.
Closing with Pride
As the Closing Ceremony brought the Games to an end, Team Illinois left Minnesota with more than results.
Athletes across the delegation reached the podium, set personal records, and delivered strong performances in every sport. They also built connections, gained confidence, and represented their communities with pride.
From the first day on campus to the final celebration, the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games reflected the strength of Team Illinois, not only in competition, but in the way athletes, Unified partners, coaches, and staff came together to represent something larger than themselves.
Lily Goodfellow has a message for other Special Olympics Illinois athletes, delivered through the example she sets in front of a microphone, video camera, or computer keyboard:
You can do it.
You can make your voice heard, share stories and have an impact beyond athletic competition.
“I just want them to know that they can help make the world a better place,” she said.
It is not a catch phrase for the 22-year-old Goodfellow. She lives it every day through podcasts, videos, and the written word.
Goodfellow will attend the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, June 20–26, where more than 70 members of Team Illinois will take part in the games experience. She will serve in a non-competitive sports reporting role, producing written, video, and other content to highlight the event before, during, and after the games.
“I’ve never been to the [Special Olympics] USA Games, so it’s the very first time for me,” she said. “I am looking forward to seeing everyone and getting to interview them.”
Born with Down syndrome, Goodfellow is passionate about sports. She has competed with Special Olympics Illinois from a young age, formerly in swimming and track and more recently in basketball, powerlifting and bocce. She also loves the theater, performing throughout her youth in local productions and musicals.
“She loved being on stage and in the spotlight,” said her mother, Nancy.
That outgoing personality led to Lily joining the Hawks TV club at Naperville Central High School. She conducted on-camera interviews with Redhawks’ athletes and developed her own segment called, “Lily’s Inclusion Corner.” It highlighted inclusion opportunities within the school, many based on Special Olympics Illinois.
She was recipient of the Strongest Redhawk Award, which her mother said goes annually to “someone who did what they could to make positive change in the school and exemplified the qualities the school tries to get behind.”
Lily has served as co-emcee for Special Olympics Illinois’ Champions Ball and emcee for the Chicago Ducky Derby. She also traveled to Los Angeles three times to broadcast the Gaming for Inclusion e-sports celebrity showcase alongside another Special Olympics athlete and a professional broadcaster. In 2024, her work there led to being honored as the “Game Changing On-Air Talent” by an organization called Cynopsis.
While attending the College of DuPage, Lily began writing a weekly question-and-answer story from Athlete of the Week interviews. She has continued that for the college newspaper as a graduate of the school and recently was deemed a “Highlighted Alum” by the Board of Trustees.
“I really like all of it, actually,” she said of her media endeavors. “I think the best part is actually I have my own YouTube Channel (Lily’s Sports Beat), so I have experience doing interviews.”
Her connection to Special Olympics Illinois began early. She was part of the first class of the Young Athletes program, which introduces children ages 2–7 to the basics of sports and prepares them for future Special Olympics training and competition.
The oldest of Ross and Nancy Goodfellow’s three children, she has had the support of her siblings. Luke, 21, is a student at British Columbia University in Vancouver, and Holly, 19, attends the University of Maryland.
“They’ve both been very involved,” Nancy Goodfellow said. “Lily and Luke went through a high school leadership program together. Both (Luke and Holly) were Special Olympics Illinois peers and worked for the special rec association. They’ve been very supportive.”
Lily is a guest services associate and greeter for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Stars. At the United Center, she checks tickets for Bulls and Blackhawks games to ensure attendees have tickets for her section.
One day, she hopes to work for some, or all, of those teams in a different capacity.
‘I want to have a career,” she said.
The goal is to do on-air, in-arena interviews, etc. Those likely would come with her standing on a step stool.
At 4 feet, 6 inches, Lily often is much shorter than the person she interviews. Thus, Nancy said, “We carry around a stool in the car.”
Height aside, Lily stands tall in all the ways that matter. That warms the hearts of her parents.
“My husband and I often say we are entirely blessed that she found something she was passionate about,” Nancy said. “For her to be able to do something she loves so much and to see how much Special Olympics Illinois and others have lifted her up and done everything possible to make her dream come true, it has been amazing.
“It’s a little overwhelming as a parent to see how much people love her and want to support her. That’s pretty great.”
As Team Illinois prepares for the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota this June, Lily will bring fans behind the scenes in a new way. Stay tuned over the next few months as she shares interviews, stories and updates, beginning with Team Illinois’ training camp in late April. Learn more about Team Illinois and the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
Respect Week is an annual, statewide movement where students celebrate during the first week in March by championing inclusion, kindness, and respect within their schools and communities.
Each year, the Special Olympics Illinois Unified Generation Committee develops the Respect Week campaign focusing on disability awareness and respect for all This statewide effort will reach more than 205,000 students across Illinois, creating real change through unified action.
The 2026 campaign will educate the community on disabilities like hydrocephalus, autism spectrum, microcephaly, craniosynostosis, ADHD, and more.
“Thank you to everyone who has promoted and encouraged engagement in this outstanding campaign,” shares Jillian Hosteny, Director – Youth Leadership & College Engagement, Special Olympics Illinois. “Our Youth Leaders are very proud of the work they have done.”
Respect Week promotes respect for all people, of all abilities, through shared activities and meaningful conversations. Schools across Illinois will spend the week celebrating what it means to be unified, to be kind, and to be courageous enough to speak up.
Standing Up Against Bullying
A key part of building a culture of respect is recognizing how our words and actions affect others, especially when it comes to bullying. This featured anti-bullying video encourages students to think deeply about how they treat one another.
Many of our Youth Leaders, like Unified pair Ireland and Derek, are already setting that powerful example. Special Olympics Illinois sat down with them to discuss bullying in schools.
One sign of respect is taking responsibility when you’ve hurt someone, according to Ireland. “Always apologize,” she says. “Realize what you did wrong and try to fix it.” Her message reminds us that change begins with acknowledging our impact and choosing to do better.
Derek adds another important perspective, calling on students to look out for one another. “Stop the hate, stop being mean to other kids.” His message is simple but strong: respect starts when we decide that every person deserves to feel safe and valued. He adds, “stop the bullying, just end it.”
These insights reinforce what Respect Week is all about, creating spaces where kindness is the norm, differences are celebrated, and students feel ready to stand up for themselves and each other.
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
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.
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!
