by Kira Ryan | Dec 19, 2022 | Uncategorized
We’ve almost reached the end of 2022. The past year was filled with competition, volunteer involvement, health
programming, and most importantly, opportunity. Opportunities that let our athletes show the world what they can do.
And, opportunities that helped to build more inclusive communities throughout the state.
The holiday season is yet another opportunity. This opportunity allows us to look back over the last twelve months and celebrate all that our athletes have achieved. And to make that a little easier for you we present the 12 Stories of Special Olympics Illinois.
So, we invite you to join us in those festivities. Below, find the 12 stories we’re featuring as we reflect on 2022. You can also find these stories each day on our Facebook and Instagram stories.
Meet the 2022 Champions Ball Featured Athletes
Announcing Our Historic Partnership in Rockford
Building a More Inclusive Future in the Workplace
Meet #TeamSOILL Unified Soccer
Big Wins and Brave Attempts at USA Games
Healthy Athletes Health Screening at USA Games
“It’s Great to Be Back” at Summer Games
Teamwork Pays Off at Fall Games
East. St. Lous Players Fully Embraced at the State Flag Football Tournament
Bree’s Marathon Run
Athlete Leader reflects on 2022 Leadership Academy
Wishing all the members of the Special Olympics Illinois community a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
by Kira Ryan | Dec 15, 2022 | Uncategorized
In November, more than 80 athletes from all over North America convened in Chicago for the two-day Special Olympics Illinois‘ Leadership Academy at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. For athlete leader Ryan Murray, it was a weekend filled with workshops, fellowship and fun.
Ryan is an athlete who regularly competes in track and field as well as tennis. This was his second time attending Leadership Academy. “The event was on an even bigger scale than last year,” Ryan said. “I really enjoyed talking to athletes from the Caribbean and making new friendships.”
The weekend’s workshops were tailored to different aspects of each Athlete Leader’s growth, Ryan said. He especially enjoyed the workshop on employment readiness, as Ryan currently works for Special Olympics Illinois as an Event Project Assistant. The Health Messenger workshop was good too, according to Ryan, because it reminded each attendee of the health services Special Olympics Illinois offers. There were also workshops for parents, mentors and coaches on topics like housing and how to best support their athlete leader.
The weekend wasn’t just all work and no play, Ryan noted. There was an improv workshop and plenty of fellowship events. Ryan said he and his fellow athlete leaders laughed a lot over the two days. Athlete leaders participated in eSports, karaoke, bingo, and a dinner with Dave Breen, Special Olympics Illinois President & CEO.
Overall, Ryan rated the entire experience “A+” and added he would, “recommend Leadership Academy to any athlete leader that wants to develop their leadership skills and abilities.”
Want to support Special Olympics Illinois programs like Leadership Academy? Click here to donate.
View photos of Leadership Academy here.
by Kira Ryan | Dec 14, 2022 | Uncategorized
Building a More Inclusive Future in the Workforce
Throughout 2022, Special Olympics Illinois and local partners worked together to create opportunities to build a more inclusive workforce. Special Olympics Illinois values these partnerships as they allow athletes to interact in different job settings to learn new skills.
As of October, the unemployment rate of those with disabilities was 7.4%, nearly double the rate of those without disabilities. Statistics such as this are alarming and prove why implementing job shadow events are pertinent. This movement is much more than just placing athletes within companies – it’s about creating a shift in the culture.
Initiatives like this are imperative to growing awareness of an over-looming issue in today’s workforce. These events open access to new employment opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities and help shift towards a more inclusive environment. Those with disabilities face many barriers to joining the working world, and these job shadow events help eliminate them.
“Having the ability to connect our athletes to employment opportunities has been such a great experience for us at Special Olympics Illinois, our partners and our athletes,” said Dave Breen, CEO, Special Olympics Illinois. “Making strides to create an equitable workforce is important to us, and we are extremely happy about the progress made this past year.
In April, Special Olympics Illinois partnered with Hyatt Hotels to host a job shadow event, Career Builder Day. This event was the first of the year and took place at four locations throughout the city of Chicago. Athletes spent the day meeting members of the staff and learned what working at Hyatt would entail.
Some of these jobs included different aspects of guest services, housekeeping, as well as preparing food and beverage items. Through these activities,
athletes were able to learn the importance of working as a team and the comradery necessary to make a company like Hyatt operate.
View photos from Hyatt Career Day.
Similarly, in November, Amazon Fresh held a job shadow event that took place in both Norridge and Oak Lawn. Here, Special Olympics Illinois athletes were able to experience different hands-on training within the grocery store. This training included maintaining inventory, working in the kitchen, helping prepare delivery orders and greeting and checking out customers.
One athlete from the job shadow, Nick Lorenz, was recently hired and had his first day as an employee on December 6. Nick is the perfect example of why this initiative is so important and how we can break the stigma surrounding people with disabilities in the workforce.
View photos of the Amazon Fresh job shadow day.
For the most recent job shadow, Special Olympics Illinois partnered with Formula Fitness Clubs to host an event at its Park Ridge location. This event allowed students from Ridgewood High School and Maine South High School to go through various roles within the organization. These roles included greeting members at the front desk, housekeeping, personal training, membership services and working in the café.
At the conclusion of their work, all the students came together and took part in a group fitness activity. This was the perfect opportunity to match athletes’ passions in sports and apply it to a potential employment opportunity.
View photos of the Formula Fitness Clubs job shadow day.
Hyatt, Amazon Fresh and Formula Fitness Clubs join the ranks of Steak 48 and United Airlines, who both have athletes currently on staff. This success with previous partners provides encouragement and hope that athletes will be able to build relationships during the event and potentially be offered a position with the company afterward.
In 2023, Special Olympics Illinois is excited to continue working with new companies to further this initiative across the state of Illinois. If you or your company are interested in getting involved in this initiative, reach out to Jennifer Kelso at jkelso@soill.org.
by Kira Ryan | Dec 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
For Alyssa Yost and Isabella Shababy, volunteering at their first Special Olympics Illinois event was purposeful, impactful, and most importantly, fun.
Both are already service leaders at their school, Elgin Academy. Alyssa is the Senior Varsity Volleyball Captain and Isabella is the Freshman Captain for Junior Varsity Volleyball. The two, along with their teammates, volunteered two weeks ago at the State Floor Hockey Championships.
Each helped athletes get to their stations in the skills competitions. Isabella said she felt “so welcome and became fast friends” with each athlete and said their happy faces were unforgettable.
Alyssa was moved by how well each athlete performed. “How much patience and effort that the athletes put into the sport was very inspiring to see,” she said. Alyssa also loved the comradery of athletes competing, and said her favorite interaction was an athlete who asked how many points everyone in their skills round got because the athlete wanted to cheer them on as they competed against her.
Isabella said after volunteering, she better understands how impactful everyday interactions can be. “I understand now how being supportive and having a positive attitude can make someone’s day,” she said. “And I will be volunteering more often!”
Alyssa agreed with Isabella in the teachable moments volunteering for Special Olympics Illinois taught her. She added, “I realize that no matter how competitive I am with others, I should also be proud of my teammates and myself no matter where I am at in the learning process of my sport.”
Interested in volunteering for a Special Olympics Illinois event? Click here for more info.
by Kira Ryan | Dec 6, 2022 | Uncategorized
By Randy Kindred
After bowling a 158 in his first game Saturday, Todd Peddycoart was feeling a bit overheated. He decided to take a short walk prior to his second game in the Special Olympics Illinois State Bowling Tournament.
Peddycoart strolled to a lobby area at Peoria’s Landmark Lanes, where the temperature was cooler than inside the bowling center.
“I needed to get a little fresh air,” he said.
Feeling rejuvenated, the 27-year-old from Monticello returned and began to burn up lanes 41 and 42. He rolled nine strikes to start the second game, attracting a growing number of spectators hoping to witness a perfect game.
“I appreciate everybody who gathered around and actually watched,” Peddycoart said later. “I could hear it, but I wasn’t letting it get to my head.”
Needing three strikes in the 10th frame to complete his first 300 game, Peddycoart got a split on his first ball. It led to an open frame and a score of 265.
“That was the closest I’ve ever gotten to a 300,” he said. “I was just going out there and rolling the ball and doing what I came here to do … roll the ball and it doesn’t matter if I win or lose.”
Prior to Saturday, the most strikes Peddycoart had strung together to start a game was seven.
“I was trying to keep him calm,” said his coach, Darlene Baker. “Other people started saying, ‘Has he ever had a 300?’ He could hear that. He’ll do it one of these days.
“He’s a good guy. He works a lot (at McDonald’s in Monticello) and he likes bowling and basketball. He wants to do well. He’s harder on himself than anybody is. But he’s also very supportive of other athletes. He likes to make friends.”
Among those he has befriended is Jordan Derossett, a 20-year-old from Belleville who was bowling in the same division and on the same lanes as Peddycoart.
Derossett earned the gold medal with a 647 series that included games of 207, 247 and 193. Peddycoart rolled a 200 in his third game to finish with a 623 series and the silver medal.
“I’m happy with second place,” Peddycoart said. “Jordan is a really good bowler. It was a fun time bowling with him.”
Peddycoart wore his USA Games bowling shirt. He represented Team Illinois at the USA Games in June at Orlando, Florida.
Derossett was aware of that and was eager to compete with Peddycoart.
“This is my first time actually taking on someone who is at a national level,” Derossett said. “I’m glad I could do it. Bowling has been my sport since I was a kid. I started when I was like eight. My grandmother got me into it. She really got me into what I’m meant to be.”
Derossett participates in a variety of Special Olympics Illinois sports and in mid-June read the Special Olympics oath during Opening Ceremony for the 2022 Summer Games in Normal.
Still, he calls bowling “my passion.”
“I like (Peddycoart). He’s great,” Derossett said. “It’s good competition and that’s something that really inspires me. I love bowling with people who are at his level or higher. It gets me ready for things to come.”
Derossett is hopeful of bowling in the USA Games someday. For now, he can celebrate his state gold medal.
A lot of medals were handed out on a day more than 250 Special Olympic athletes competed. The event included roughly 150 coaches and 175 volunteers as well. Landmark Lanes, the tournament host since 1989, also was filled with family, friends and well-wishers.
Click here to view results from the 2022 State Bowling tournament. Click here to view photos.
by Kira Ryan | Nov 27, 2022 | Uncategorized
This is a story on Heaven.
For Mary Jo Fromm, Heaven can refer to a few things. Heaven is where her grandparents are. Heaven is a bowling lane, somewhere in the Midwest.
And most importantly, Heaven is her daughter, a Special Olympics Illinois athlete, on her way to the State Bowling Tournament this December.
Heaven was born in September 2009, at 25 weeks and 3 days old. She was 1.25 lbs. at birth. Mary Jo said the doctors told her to expect Heaven to do anything, or nothing, or something in between. Heaven may not be able to do what every other kid does, they said.
Heaven is blessed, according to Mary Jo. And Heaven bowls.
Heaven spent sixteen weeks in the NICU. Heaven grew. Heaven loves music. Heaven loves kicking her legs from her wheelchair and dancing. Heaven is mostly non-verbal, but Mary-Jo also knows Heaven loves to bowl. “You can tell,” Mary Jo said, breathlessly. “She loves bowling. She absolutely loves it.”
Heaven comes from a family of bowlers. Heaven’s great grandfather and great grandmother took Mary Jo and the family to Spare Time Lanes in Decatur every Saturday. They passed, five days apart, in 2012. Him, from cancer. Her, from a broken heart.
People may not understand how Heaven bowls, Mary Jo said. But she does, and it’s all on Heaven. Heaven has to know where to put her hand on the ball, how much force is needed down the ramp, what velocity it will take to knock down pins. There are so many factors when it comes to Heaven. “Bowling is in our blood,” Mary Jo said.
Heaven placed third at her first bowling qualifier for Special Olympics Illinois. That was three or four years ago. She then had corrective spine surgery in August 2020. Lots of hospital visits. She has been bowling again for the last year and a half.
Heaven has friends. Her friend Avery is another athlete. Avery’s mom, Nicole, grew up with Mary Jo. Heaven’s grown through her friendship with Avery and bowling. They bowl together, same lane. Being on a team has been wonderful for Heaven, Mary Jo said. “They’re the cutest and sweetest thing.”
Mary-Jo was nervous at qualifiers. Despite bowling being in their blood, despite her daughter’s affection for the sport, Mary Jo still had jitters going into the competition. And when the results were in, Heaven finished in first place. “FIRST!” Mary Jo exclaimed through tears. “I remember thinking, this is something huge. I never got to see something like that. It’s an overwhelming feeling that your kid accomplished something like that.”
At sectionals Mary Jo, again, had her nerves. Heaven didn’t have the best night of sleep. Even she seemed nervous. Heaven started fine, like herself, Mary Jo said. But then she became sluggish. Mary Jo cheered her on, and Heaven perked up (Heaven is funny like that, Mary- Jo said). She started to shake when Heaven was with the other athletes during the medal ceremony. One by one, they called each athlete’s name. And then they said, “Heaven. Heaven Fromm.”
Heaven won gold.
Heaven is gold.
“I just knew,” Mary Jo said, tears and all, “my grandparents, they would’ve been with her at every competition. Every practice. And I know how proud they must be.”
Heaven has big plans for the State Bowling Tournament in Peoria. She’s getting a hotel room along with her mom, Avery and Nicole. Avery video calls Heaven all the time. “She’s not always verbal,” Mary Jo said, “but man, she loves to blow kisses. Her and Avery. All they do is hold hands, and hang out, and blow kisses.”
“I am so blessed,” Mary Jo said, describing Heaven. Heaven dances. Heaven does ballet. Heaven is smart, as in, Heaven’s sassy. “She tries to make this mean face, but can never hold it,” added Mary Jo.
She thinks back to when a nurse, pointed out Heaven’s name, when categorized by last name says, “Fromm, Heaven” and Mary Jo has always remembered that.
“I got so, so lucky,” Mary Jo said. “Heaven is it,” she said. “Heaven is it.”
Update: Heaven placed third in her division and received a bronze medal at the 2022 State Bowling tournament. Click here to view more results from the State Bowling tournament. To see pictures from the event, visit our Flickr page.
Click here to learn more about the 2023 State Bowling tournament. Click here to support Heaven and athletes like her.
