Special Olympics West Hawaii

The Hawaii Police Department will reach new heights next month to support Special Olympics West Hawaii, a year-round program dedicated to helping children and adults with intellectual disabilities improve their quality of life through sports.

For Cop On Top, local police officers will spend held Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 in the air on scaffolding at the Safeway on Henry Street in Crossroads Center in Kailua-Kona. They will rally support and drop buckets below to those passing by for donations to SOWH.

This year’s goal is to raise $15,000 and the police officers will actually sleep in the scaffolding for the three night — or until the monetary objective is reached.

All funds raised will stay in West Hawaii to be used for the SOWH program and its athletes. Cop On Top is SOWH’s biggest fundraiser of the year. SOWH is a nonprofit organization that is funded by donations, said SOWH Area Director Dave Ross.

SOWH helps athletes develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skill and friendship with fellow athletes, families and the community. SOWH teams compete in Area Games on the Big Island and on Maui in order to qualify for the State Games on Oahu, where Special Olympics teams throughout the Hawaiian Islands compete for medals, Ross said.

SOWH appreciates the support the local community and makes giving back a priority. Annually, SOWH participates in service projects like beach cleanups, tree plantings, as well as runs aid stations for Ironman events, Kona Marathon and the Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Ross said.

Here are some ways the public can help with Cop On Top:
* MAKE A DONATION – When you do your Safeway shopping Sept. 3 through Sept. 5, contribute. Or, thank the local police officers, athletes, volunteers and Safeway employees for their time and effort in supporting and promoting SOWH.
* GET INVOLVED – Become a part of this Fundraising event. Volunteers are needed to solicit donations and give information about SOWH. Those interested in volunteering should contact SOWH Volunteer Coordinator KC Strand at zionvideos@yahoo.com or 315-7944.

Special Olympics West Hawaii is hosting its first-ever Ohana Jam Fest Aug. 30 at the Keauhou Kona Yatch Club on Keauhou Bay.

From noon to 8 p.m., there will be performances by local bands, food, drinks, and door prizes donated by Big Island businesses.

Attendees are asked to give a $10 donation as a suggested admission. All the proceeds will go to SOWH, a free, year-round program dedicated to helping children and adults with intellectual disabilities improve their quality of life through sports.

SOWH helps athletes develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skill and friendship with fellow athletes, families and the community. SOWH teams compete in Area Games on the Big Island and on Maui in order to qualify for the State Games on Oahu, where Special Olympics teams throughout the Hawaiian Islands compete for medals. SOWH is a nonprofit organization that is funded by donations, said Area Director Dave Ross.

The money received goes toward transportation and housing costs, sports equipment, coaches training, and local events such as community barbeques. SOWH appreciates the support of the local community and makes giving back a priority. Annually, SOWH participates in service projects like beach cleanups, tree plantings, as well as runs aid stations for Ironman events, The Kona Marathon, and The Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Ross said.

For more information about the Ohana Jam Fest or SOWH, contact Ross at 345-1344 or sowhdave@yahoo.com. Also visit www.sowh.org.

Special Olympics West Hawaii athletes and volunteers donned their official shirts and worked Aug. 16 alongside Denny’s Restaurant employees as waiters and greeters to raise funds and awareness for SOWH.

The Project Compassion event was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kona and Denny’s. Corporate sponsors included Great American Self Storage and Sign-a-Rama.

From 4 to 9 p.m., Denny’s donated 100 percent of the tips received, as well as 20 percent of all food and drink sales, raising nearly $1,500 for SOWH. All of these funds will stay in West Hawaii to help pay for uniforms, equipment, transportation, competition, coach training and leadership opportunities for SOWH athletes.

Volunteers had a great time taking orders, serving, greeting customers and chatting with folks about SOWH. All the extra “apprentices” in the service areas turned Denny’s normally smooth and efficient operation into a crazy party scene, but “real” Denny’s employees were extremely gracious and accommodating. Several employees said, “We do this once a month – it’s no problem we’re happy to help!”

SOWH sends a very big mahalo to all the wonderful Denny’s people. It also wanted to thank The Rotary Club of Kona for naming SOWH the Project Compassion recipient for the month of August. Another mahalo goes to Rotarian, SOWH volunteer and head swim coach Holly DeGeal,who got SOWH a spot on the Rotary Club’s meeting agenda this month, where SOWH Area Director Dave Ross, along with athletes Casey Haydon and Adrian Cleintuar, gave a presentation to the Rotary membership. Recognition also goes to Great American Self Storage and Sign-a-Rama for their ongoing support and volunteers.

As always, SOWH appreciates the people at the heart of this program whose year-round efforts and enthusiasm make it work: Ross and his team of SOWH athletes, volunteers, coaches and families.

Please enjoy the following photos, taken by SOWH Volunteer Coordinator KC Strand, during the Project Compassion event. To view the entire album, click here.

It is with a heavy heart that I write to let you know that my mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Founder of Special Olympics, passed away early this morning.

At the time of her death– as it was throughout her long and full life– she was surrounded and comforted by her family, her husband, her children, her grandchildren and those who loved her.

And as we mourn her passing, my father, siblings and I are strengthened by the outpouring of sympathy and heartfelt wishes we have received from her extended family — the Special Olympics movement that she loved so deeply.

All of us would be proud and honored if you would take a moment to learn more about her life and the lives of those she touched by visiting a website that was recently established to honor her legacy www.EuniceKennedyShriver.org.

That legacy would not exist without the Special Olympics family- athletes, families, volunteers, supporters and friends – who so fulfilled, motivated and enriched her during a lifetime of advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities.

Her faith in the Special Olympics community of which you are a vital part was unfailing. And ultimately, that faith and confidence is what allowed her to envision a radically different world, in which people with intellectual disabilities would be welcomed, included, accepted and valued at all levels of society the world over.

She fought a good fight, she kept the faith, and though she knew the race for equality and inclusion was not finished, she knew that the worldwide Special Olympics movement that she had hoped for long ago had become a reality that would carry and someday complete her vision.

Though at the end her body had become weak, her heart was strong and it was abundantly full. It was overflowing with faith in God’s will. It was replete with a sense of contentment about the past and a deep hope for the future. It was full of love and gratitude for those to whom she had dedicated her life’s work and who had in return given her life the gifts of clarity, aspiration and friendship.

On her behalf, as we prepare to say our last goodbyes, my family and I thank you for your shared commitment to that dream.

With great appreciation,
Timothy P. Shriver
Chairman & CEO
Special Olympics