Special Olympics Maryland

Dedicated to promoting interactive social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences, unified sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together provides a pathway to respect, understanding and friendship. In 2022, somd celebrated our 14th anniversary of interscholastic unified sports (ius). We're proud of our collaboration with all 24 school districts. Since 2011 student athlete participation among those students with intellectual disabilities has grown from 853 to 2,433 while the number of unified sports teammates without intellectual disabilities has grown from 1,101 to 3,385. In addition, in 2022 somd's young athletes program served 1,783 students aged 0 to 5 with intellectual disabilities along with 5,064 of their teammates without intellectual disabilities. These interscholastic unified sports programs yield positive results as a transformative social change agent in schools where non-disabled students who historically did not engage with their disabled student peers now have forged lasting relationships through sport.the ius program provides a blueprint to expand reach through a comprehensive unified champion schools (ucs) program model at all grade levels including early childhood. Our unified young athletes program has grown over the last six years. Of the 15,588 unified athletes and teammates, with and without intellectual disabilities, over 6,800 student athletes aged 7 and under participate in this program: more than double the number from last year. Research shows that physical activity in early childhood helps accelerates cognitive development so our collaboration with the schools is far reaching in the holistic development of all students.because of the ucs program, Special Olympics Maryland received $209,000 of donated supplies, facilitators, and other services associated with the program for training, competition and related activities. Smart growth through schools remains a pillar in our strategic plan while also serving as a catalyst for building interactive inclusive communities of dignity and respect. Through these organized scholastic unified sports programs, we are inspiring and growing a generation that will live the most interactive inclusive lives in history.as one would expect, the pandemic influenced our ability to reach athletes and conduct programs which resulted in a decline in athlete participation from 8,716 athletes (in 2019) to 4,340 (in 2021) to 6,442 (in 2022). We stay committed to athlete recruitment that targets those athletes who became disconnected from the program during covid while also seeking "new" athletes. We are eagerly implementing recruitment strategies and tactics to fulfill our mission by reaching as many athletes as possible.

Special Olympics Maryland has a goal to engage as many active athletes as possible by 2025. Athletes are playing a critical leadership role to achieving that goal. Somd has developed a comprehensive athlete leadership and outreach program which develops competencies that enable our athletes to develop leadership skills that will help shape the future of Special Olympics and more generally the opportunity to advocate for themselves. We provide an environment that focuses on and highlights individual abilities. The athlete leadership curriculum helps identify the strengths of each individual and develop leadership skills. Special Olympics Maryland works with staff, board members, volunteer leaders, coaches, event management teams, corporate partners and other supporters in an effort to find opportunities that allow our athletes to tell their story. Using social media and in person presentations, athletes engage with a wide range of stakeholders and community members all focused on building interactive communities of dignity and respect.

Special Olympics Maryland is proud to have a core group of dedicated community-based, leadership volunteers who organize and manage 19 "area" (county/city) programs across the state. These volunteer management teams recruit athletes; secure facilities, uniforms and equipment; schedule practices and competitions. They recruit and train volunteers and raise funds and awareness all directed at delivering the mission to our athletes in the communities where they live. Somd staff also hold training workshops and provide resources for coach certification for our sports programs. Families also play a critical role in supporting their athletes. In addition to getting athletes registered and transported to and from practice and competition, family members volunteer, raise money and advocate for their athletes. Finally, over 5,200 volunteers play vital roles as coaches, officials, event organizers and day-of-event facilitators. Included in this pool of volunteers are clinicians from around the state of Maryland who participate in medfests single day health and wellness screenings held throughout the year - to promote healthy athletes. These dedicated professionals perform eye exams, hearing tests, podiatry evaluations, dental evaluations, mental health evaluations, and education on nutrition & fitness, including providing referrals for follow up care as needed.