Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be

in the attempt.

www.SOMO.org

— Athlete’s Oath

2013

Annual Report

BRAVE

MissionOur mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition

COMMUNITY.& the Special Olympics athletes

giving them continuing opportunities to develop demonstratephysical fitness, courage,in a variety of Olympic-type sports forchildren and adults with intellectual disabilities,

experience joy,and participate in a sharing of with their families, othergifts, skills & friendships

1

Sports Offered State Summer Games — May 30-June 2; Columbia, Mo.

- Aquatics, track & field, basketball, bowling, powerlifting and volleyball

SPECIAL OLYMPICS MISSOURI

COLUMBIA 2013may 30-June 2

State Summer Games

State Fall Games — Oct. 11-13; Cape Girardeau, Mo.

- Bocce, flag football, golf, softball and tennis

SPECIAL OLYMPICS MISSOURI

CAPE GIRARDEAU 2013

State Fall Games

OCTOBER 11-13

OTHER SPORTS OFFERED:

- Alpine skiing

- Equestrian

- Figure skating

- Floor hockey

- Gymnastics

- Horseshoes

- Nordic skiing

- Snowshoeing

- Soccer

- Speed skating

2Dear SOMO fans,

The future of Special Olympics Missouri is here and now. The future of our athletes and their experience in our program is our focus both figuratively — what our athletes repre-sent for people fighting stigmas of those with intellectual disabilities on a daily basis — and literally — our future Training for Life Campus (www.somocampus.org).

Strategic plan after strategic plan has put us in our current position, which allows us to not just focus on the next three years for our athletes, but for the next three decades as we ramp up our capital campaign to build the world’s best training campus designated specifically for people with intellectual disabil-ities, their families and the thousands of dedi-cated volunteers who selflessly serve them.

This very calculated and strategic plan is driven by the determination of our board mem-bers who know this campus will give our ath-letes every opportunity they so fully deserve, but hardly ever receive from the outside world. This campus will be a readily available resource that athletes and their families typically have to search for on their own.

To ensure this campaign started off on the right foot, the board of directors felt it was time to show that commitment by investing our excess reserves in a willful manner to attain a six-month operating reserve. This laid the groundwork for the future and is reflect-ed in our 2013 financial statement (found on page 23).

To express just how important this future 44,000-square-foot facility will be for the bet-terment of our athletes, just look at how our total athlete count has risen in the past few years.

In 2013, we served more than 17,140 ath-letes statewide, which includes Unified Part-ners® (page 21), Young Athletes (page 21) and Challenge Day participants (page 24).

That number has steadily increased since the

1980s. It’s amazing to think just how far our program has come since its inception in 1971. That shows just how important it is for a grow-ing program and team to find proper training facilities and equipment.

In order to light the way for future genera-tions of SOMO athletes and their families, it’s important for us to also recruit new coaches and give our current coaches the right tools to accommodate a rapidly increasing athlete count.

Our volunteer coaches are the lifeblood of the movement; without them we wouldn’t be able to provide for our athletes (read more about our coach recruitment plan in the box to the right).

Even while growing the program in 2013, SOMO was still able to keep its operating ex-penses low with 87 cents of every dollar going directly to training and competition programs (a total of 250 in 2013 alone).

In addition to being awarded an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau based on 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, SOMO was one of only two Special Olympics programs in the United States to receive a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.

We will never stop working to provide qual-ity programs for our athletes and be consci-entious stewards of every dollar donated to our program from our generous sponsors and donors.

As excited as we are about the future of our organization and our athletes, we know it won’t be possible without your help as fami-lies, volunteers and supporters. Please join us in planning, implementing and growing SOMO now and into the future.

Lifetime fans,

Randy Reddick Mark Musso2013 Chairman President & CEOBoard of Directors

Coach recruitment is a focus for the 2013-2015 strategic plan developed in 2012. It is important that we bring in new coaches, as well as retain the experienced and outstanding ones.

In order to offer our athletes the best training possible, we have determined that a ratio of 1 coach to 9 athletes is optimal. Our goal in the next two years is to reach that ratio.

We are looking for ways to help our experienced coaches avoid “burn-out.”

One avenue that would help is through our push to better engage our youth volunteers.

We are also seeking help through our partners in law enforcement, Knights of Columbus and Missouri Associa-tion for Student Councils (more on the MASC on page 21 of this report).

Another way to help recruit coaches and help the ones we currently have is to do a better job of engaging our families.

One way to do this is through the Young Athletes Pro-gram and a family questionnaire at all of our events (more on our push to better engage our families on page 22).

To help grow our number of coaches we have taken or are taking the following steps:

• Developed a plan that includes coach mentoring by our experienced coaches

• Currently creating plans to seek out youth by engaging them as coaches as early as possible through a plan to offer different coaching levels that appeal to them

• Currently making plans to develop PSAs to help recruit coaches in the areas that need them the most

Our hope is to have a different coach for every sport in each agency. This may be difficult to attain in the next two years, but with these plans and the vision to see them through, we will reach our goals.

For more information on how you might become a coach at any level, visit www.somo.org/Coach.

Focus for the futureRecruiting new coaches and retaining current ones for the next year and beyond

2013 Highlights 2014 Goals

3

As the health and safety of all Special Olympics participants is of paramount importance to Special Olympics Missouri, an Athlete Housing Policy was approved by the SOMO Board and implemented.

More than $450,00 worth of donations were contributed toward the Training for Life Campus through the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits.

Secured 18 new sponsors for a total of $45,000 in new revenue

Charity Navigator awarded SOMO its highest rating for non-profits as a 4-star charity.

Developed and launched a new and progressive website that is focused on improving the user experience

The Missouri Association of Student Councils came on board as a statewide partner after more than 20 years of supporting SOMO as its charity of choice.

Held a selection camp for Team Missouri attending the Special Olympics 2014 USA Games in New Jersey; a total of 125 delegates were selected and trained for the games (www.somo.org/USAGames)

Established a weekly video athlete spotlight focused on highlighting our amazing athletes (www.somo.org/AthleteSpotlight)

Grew the number of athletes in the program to 17,142, which has been consistently growing every year since the ‘80s

•

•

••

•

•

•

•

•

Maintain 80 percent of 2013’s new sponsors and secure 14 new sponsors statewide

Host a Unity Event to showcase what Special Olympics Missouri will look like once the Training for Life Campus is built

Maximize our signature events in revenues and strengthen the relationship with our media partners

Formulate an aggressive plan focused on the recruitment and retainment of new coaches to eventually reach our goal of a coach-to-athlete ratio of 1:9

Identify and train our athletes who are awarded the chance to attend the Special Olympics 2015 World Games in Los Angeles

Focus on youth engagement and ensure our partnership with the Missouri Association of Student Councils is as beneficial as possible to the students who are passionate to lead the charge for our athletes

Through our new partnership with the Missouri State High School Activities Association, ensure the growth of our Unified Sports® program at the school level (www.somo.org/UnifiedSports).

Maintaining the integrity of our constituent information is of utmost importance to SOMO; in 2014, we will implement a plan to encrypt all personal data that is used outside of our secure database.

Support and showcase the 125 delegates of Team Missouri who will compete at the 2014 USA Games in New Jersey in June

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

4Training for Life Campus

The year 2013 was a busy one for the steering committee of SOMO’s Training for Life Campus, the planned new home for Special Olympics Missouri. More than 40 Missourians are leading the capital campaign, which raised $3.1 million by the end of the year toward its $12.5 million goal.

The Training for Life Campus will serve current and future genera-tions of individuals with intellectual disabilities, and will be the largest such facility in scope in the United States.

The centrally located 44,000-square-foot campus will offer year-round training opportuni-ties for athletes, coaches and volun-teers from throughout Missouri.

The campus is designed to ac-commodate trainings and practices for some of SOMO’s most popular sports programs. The campus will in-clude a track, tennis courts, softball infield, bocce courts, wellness trail, soccer field and multi-sport training

areas, just to name a few. The campus will provide enrich-

ment opportunities for existing SOMO programs, as well as bring many new programs to athletes and other individuals with intellectual disabilities, such as the Healthy Athletes program, life-skills train-ing, exercise programs and even intervention services for children as young as three with our Young Athletes program. These additional programs are specifically designed to improve health, fitness and so-cialization among our athletes.

For 40 years, our athletes, coach-es, volunteers and staff have not had their own place to call home.

The Training for Life Campus will be their transformative place to train and learn the lessons of sport and life that inspire all of us. Please consider a gift or pledge to support the SOMO Training for Life Campus.

Visit www.somocampus.org for more info.

A preliminary rendering of what the TLC will look like.

LEGEND:2. Entry Plaza3. Drop-off6. Flagpoles7. Donor Plaza8. Observation patio9. Bocce courts 10. Pavilion11. Tennis court12. Practice soccer fields13. Long/Standing jump15. Golf skills16. Shotput17. Softball practice field18. Discovery Trail/Vita course 19. Points of interest 20. Sculpture 21. Donor tree

Drive Approach Main Entry

Progress coming along on TLC

5

The SOMO Training for Life Campus offers do-nors two generous options to support the Training for Life Campus while dramatically reducing their federal and Missouri state income taxes. Two state tax credit programs are available immediately to reduce 2014 and 2015 taxes:

• Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits

• Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB) tax credits

Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits are ideal for businesses, owners of farm or rental property

The SOMO Training for Life Campus benefits greatly through Missouri NAP tax credits, which provide a 50 percent credit on 2014 state income taxes, as well as additional savings on federal income tax.

The end result is that you can get nearly 70 per-cent of your donation returned to you.

On a $10,000 donation to our campaign in 2014, your out-of-pocket costs would be just $2,650, assuming a 35 percent tax bracket.

Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB) tax credits are ideal for corporations, funders and individuals

The SOMO Training for Life Campus has been awarded $1.75 million in MDFB tax credits, which can be purchased by Missouri corporations, funders and individuals to support the develop-ment of the campus. Any individual, business, es-tate, trust or corporation that files Missouri taxes is eligible to receive the tax credits by making a donation on behalf of the SOMO Training for Life Campus to MDFB.

These tax credits can reduce your tax obliga-tion significantly or be sold or transferred. For ex-ample, a donation of $50,000 can result in a net out-of-pocket costs of just $13,250 after taxes.

But the impact of your donation is great — the SOMO Training for Life Campus capital campaign receives the entire $50,000 benefit from the donation.

Certain provisions apply, and details and eligi-bility guidelines are available at www.somocampus.org.

You should consult a tax advisor regarding a donation of any kind. If you’d like to learn more about either of these tax credits, contact Laurie Shadoan, SOMO chief advancement officer, at Shadoan@somo.org or directly at (913) 789-0353.

Tax credits fueling TLC donors’ interest

“There’s more dollar impact with these tax credits. In addition to the charitable deduction, I reduced my tax liability.

Interior View

To see how the TLC will change the lives of Unified Partner® Amanda Geno and athlete Arthur Murphy, watch their videos at www.somocampus.org.

— Scott Meader, SOMO Training for Life Campus

donor who took advantage of NAP tax credits in 2013

7

2013 Board of DirectorsThe Special Olympics Missouri Board of Directors is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organization. Members formulate and establish policies and oversee the president and CEO. The Board also protects SOMO’s assets and resources and develops goals to meet the organization’s needs to ensure its long-range stability.

Randy Reddick, Chairman Bethalto, Ill. Shop ‘n Save, Senior Vice President of Operations (retired) Dr. Phil Cook, Vice-Chair Carl Junction Carl Junction School District, Superintendent

Jeanie Byland, Secretary Columbia Mid America Mortgage, Vice President

LeeAnn Barrett, Treasurer Boonville Missouri Optometric Association, Executive Director Randy Boehm, Immediate Past ChairColumbiaUniversity of Missouri Health Care, Manager of Security and Parking Services

Charles BernskoetterJefferson CityMissouri State Highway Patrol, Retired

Greg BrownPlano, TexasLearfield Communications, President & CEO

Robb EichelbergerBoonvilleAthlete Representative

Robyn KaufmanRocheportBoone County Family Resources, Executive Director

David KeuneEllisvilleOlin Corporation, CPA

Colleen LamondColumbiaUniversity of Missouri, Associate Athletic Director

Andrew MundwillerSt. LouisCagle LLC, Attorney Bernard Simons Jefferson City Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities, Director

Don Spears Belton Belton Police Department, Captain Melissa Vighi St. Louis Lashly & Baer PC, Attorney

Lawrence WadsackSt. Louis Lashly & Baer PC, Attorney

Bea WebbKansas CityJackson County Parks & Recreation Special Population Services, Recreation Therapist

Gary WilbersJefferson CityAscend Business Strategies, Executive Coach Marty Willadsen Springfield Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Vice President of Operations & Administration

Amy WurstKansas CityHenry Wurst Inc., Vice President

By the Numbers

To find out more information about the Board of Directors, visit www.somo.org/BoardOfDirectors.

43Years Special Olympics has been incorporated in Missouri

84Schools that participated in the Spread the Word to End the Word program, which was an 18 percent growth over 2012 (SOMO.org/RWord)

$7.2 million2013 Operating Budget

250Number of trainings and competitions

1,142Registered

coaches

SOMO athletes with

autism (estimated)

Estimated number of Missourians with intellectual disabilities

not yet participating in Special Olympics

Athletes statewide (includes Unified Partners, Young Athletes and Challenge Day participants)

9

2013 Hall of Fame Inductees

Mark Bussen, coach — St. LouisMark Bussen became involved with Special Olympics Missouri in 1997 as the coach of the West County Special Olym-

pics team. He has two passions: the great rewards that sports bring and an overwhelming desire to make an impact on the lives of people. He always had a special connection with individuals with intellectual disabilities, so it was a natural fit for him to coach SOMO athletes.

Through his leadership, the West County team is one of SOMO’s premiere programs with more than 40 athletes involved. He tirelessly supports SOMO through his charitable efforts, raising more than $15,000 in the annual Drive it Home Raffle on a regular basis. As a business leader, he has also built good-will among several industries, helping to generate nearly $50,000 annually. In 2005, Bussen was recognized as SOMO’s Outstanding Coach.

He takes his role as coach and advocate beyond the playing field and touches the lives of so many through his generosity, dedication, enthusiasm and charisma. As one athlete said, “Mark Bussen is the best coach in Special Olympics!”

To see past HOF inductees or nominate someone for the Class of 2014, visit www.somo.org/HOF.

Danny Duvall, athlete — Kansas CityDanny Duvall trained and competed in Special Olympics for 37 years. Over the years, Duvall competed in golf, bocce,

softball, bowling, athletics, basketball, floor hockey and powerlifting. In 2006, Duvall participated in the first ever USA Games in Ames, Iowa in bowl-

ing, setting a USA Games record for single-game bowling with a score of 231. In 2008, he received the Special Olympics Missouri Outstanding Athlete award and was recognized by the Kansas City Sports Commission with the Special Athlete Achievement Award.

In addition to being recognized for several honors as a SOMO athlete, Duvall won the Bishop Sullivan Award through Catholic Charities in part because of his work as a Eucharistic Minister, usher and member of the Knights of Columbus.

Duvall was a Global Messenger and had numerous speaking engagements and media interviews over the years to promote the Special Olympics movement. Du-vall’s contagious smile, fun-loving attitude, giving heart and spirit of sportsman-ship have made him a household name in Special Olympics Missouri.

Shortly after his induction ceremony at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in January 2014, Duvall passed away after a long battle with cancer. His love for his fellow athletes and our program will live on in the lives he touched.

102013 State Award Winners

Jennifer Neihouse has everything a coach could want in an athlete – hustle, hard work, an infectious smile, cheering, great

teamwork, willingness to try new sports and then some! She participates in bowling, track, swimming, basketball, bocce, soft-

ball and powerlifting. She would do more if we offered it and it fit her schedule! Neihouse is currently tackling a swimming

routine to improve her times so she can do well at the 2014 USA Games in New Jersey. Once again, we have challenged Nei-

house to work hard at a sport that is not easy nor her best one, but once again she is doing the work and making improvements

so she can do her very best. Neihouse also exhibits a love for promoting the program and has taken the steps to become a Global Messenger. She has given her time to go out and

promote the message of Special Olympics to many groups in Kansas City.

Jennifer Neihouse — Outstanding Athlete

The Hewlett family is a family that goes above and beyond to build awareness for Special Olympics Missouri. Kim Hewlett is the mother of D.J., Emily and Sarah. Emily and Sarah are both athletes in the program and D.J. is their older brother who volunteers in a variety of ways as a chaperone, Unified Partner® and

venue coordinator. Kim is a single mom who works a very demanding full-time job. She is an advocate not just for her own children, but for others as well. D.J. works full time at a sheltered workshop and goes to college in the evenings. D.J. applied for the job at a workshop because of his families’ involvement with Special Olympics and his love for working with individuals with special needs. This family is so generous with its time. We are lucky to have a family in the St. Louis area that is so passionate about Special Olym-pics and wants to bring other families into the program for the same experience. They exemplify the mission of Special Olympics as they demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with other families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The Hewletts — Outstanding Family

By the Numbers

87 Percent of each dollar raised that goes to program services

1,071Athletes in the Southeast Area

2,188 Athletes in the KC Metro Area

60,553 eNews subscribers

111Counties in Missouri with Special Olympics programs (out of 115)

1,270Athletes in the North Area

20,221Active volunteers

statewide

30,100Awards presented at area and state games

11

Jeff Fugett is a corporal with the Missouri Highway Patrol and has been involved with SOMO since 2000. In his time with SOMO he has served on various committees and participated in the Law Enforce-ment Torch Run every year. Fugett also has volunteered his time at various events as well as hosted an area basketball tournament and has served for several years on the infamous water crew at State Summer Games. At the 2013 State Summer Games, Fugett decided to come up early and help coordinate a group of officers to set up the games. He then participated in the Final Leg of the Torch Run to open the games. When medal presenters weren’t available, he stepped in and helped award medals to the athletes. On top of what he did at State Summer Games this year, he then did the same

thing at State Fall Games, helping with the tear down of each venue. In addition to his volun-teering at events, he is also a Super Plunger raising a minimum of $2,500. He has been a Super Plunger for many years and truly does NOT enjoy jumping in the icy cold waters at the Lake of the Ozarks 24 times in 24 hours, but does so because he believes in the mission and in the more than 17,000 athletes in Missouri. Fugett also serves as a Team Missouri coach giving his time to train the athletes throughout the year to prepare for the 2014 USA Games.

Jeff Fugett — Outstanding Volunteer

Kathy and Mike Lowry are both dedicated, passion-ate and selfless coaches who give their all to Special Olympics Missouri. The two-for-one package is hard to break. Kathy and Mike are coaches who work on improving their athletes’ lives by growing them as leaders both on and off the playing field. They are

always looking for better ways to improve their athletes’ skills. They often give their time on a free

weekend to travel to sports clinics and other activities, so the athletes can learn new skills and improve others. Mike and Kathy offer seven different sports at William Chrisman High School, but when athletes want to play a sport they do not offer, the Lowrys find a team for athletes

to play on and make sure they get to practice. Besides these duties, they both volunteer their time as key volunteer managers at the area and state competitions. Both Mike and Kathy also bring their talents to Sports Camp for a week, in order to help make camp a wonderful expe-

rience for the athletes. It’s nice to count on them as they can be moved around at events to assist with different activities and they will make it fun for everyone.

Mike & Kathy Lowry — Outstanding Coaches

By the Numbers

160Key partnerships statewide

524Local programs

and teams

1,767Athletes in the

Southwest Area

14,077LETR T-shirts sold

2,657Athletes in the

Central Area

What it WOULD cost per athlete to participate year-round (SOMO doesn’t charge athletes

to practice nor compete at the local, district or regional levels)

Total constituents (includes volunteers, family members,

donors and law enforcement officers)

19,940Gifts made online

8,017Athletes in the

St. Louis Metro Area

“The right to play on any field. You have earned it. The right to study in any school. You have earned it. The

right to hold a job. You have earned it. The right to be anyone’s neighbor. You have earned it.”

— Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Founder of Special Olympics

14Donors

BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS $500,000+ • Law Enforcement Torch Run®

$250,000+• Shop ‘n Save

$100,000+• Centene Charitable Foundation• Shelter Insurance Foundation• Special School District of St. Louis County

$50,000+• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education • Missouri State Council Knights of Columbus• The Lee Company• Royals Charities• Zimmer Radio Group

$25,000+• Hubbard Radio, LLC• Learfield Communications• Mississippi River Radio Group• Missouri Automobile Dealers Association• SLBS Limited Partnership

$10,000+• ABM Janitorial Services• AEP River Operations• American Direct Marketing Resources, Inc.• Benne Broadcasting Co. LLC• Brown Shoe Company Charitable Trust• Carthage Area United Way• Jackson County Parks & Recreation• City of Columbia• Coca-Cola

• Columbia Missourian• Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau• Frito Lay• Fuldner Family Foundation• Glazer’s Wholesale Drug Co. Inc.• J & J Charitable Trust• Kansas City Corporate Challenge• KFVS-12• KMIZ-TV (Networks of Mid- Missouri)• Lohr Distributing Company Inc.• Major Brands, Inc.• MFA Oil Company• Missouri Military Academy• Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.• Price Cutter Charity Championship• Procter & Gamble Paper Products• Southeast Missouri State University• Southeast Missourian• Southwest Dairy Farmers• St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau• St. Louis Track Club• Tan-Tar-A Resort• Town & Country Bowling Lanes• University of Missouri Division of Student Affairs• Veterans United Foundation• Walgreens - Jefferson City• Walmart Foundation• Webb City High School• Wells Enterprises, Inc. • Xtreme Fitness of Lee’s Summit

$5,000+• Al Embry International• Allen P. and Josephine B. Green Foundation• Ameristar Casino St. Charles• ARCO National Construction Company, Inc.• Bings• Blue Bunny• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri• The Boeing Company• Brooke Leitterman Memorial• Burns & McDonnell Foundation• Cave Springs Lanes• Chateau On The Lake • Da-Com Corporation• Del Monte Foods• Desmet Jesuit High School• Dick Weber Lanes• Double Vision Enterprises, LLC• D’Sport• East Buchanan C-1 School District• Emerson Charitable Trust

• Employee’s Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis• Enterprise Rent-A-Car of St. Joseph• EPIC Systems• Ferguson Law Firm• Flowers Foods Bakeries Group, LLC• Garco Wine Company, Inc.• Hartford Bakery, Inc.• Harvest Lanes• Hazelwood West High School• Hickman High School• Jarden Consumer Solutions Community Fund, Inc.• John Morrell Food Group• Knights of Columbus Nixa No. 13748• Knights of Columbus St. Joseph No. 571• Kohl’s Inc.• KOMU/Mid-Missouri CW• KRCG-TV• Lake TV• Lamar Advertising of Missouri• Lashly & Baer• Lunar Bowl• McCarthy Building Companies• Mike’s Hard Lemonade Company• Missouri Foundation for Health• Missouri State Employee Charitable Campaign• Missouri State Parks/Department of Natural Resources• Mohawk Packing Company• Mueller Prost PC, CPAs• Nodaway County SB-40 Fund• Novosad Enterprises• Parkway North High School• Parkway South High School• Pi Kappa Alpha at Univ. of Missouri• Prime, Inc.• The Property Shop @The Lake, LLC• Q20, LLC• Ritenour High School• Rotary Club of Springfield- Southeast• Safety National• Sam’s Club St. Joseph No. 4920• Scott County SB-40 Fund• Snyder’s of Hanover and Lance• Socket Internet Inc.• SouthSide Family Fun Center• Special Education Foundation• St. Joseph Public School District• St. Louis Country Day School• Strike N Spare• Theodore A. Kienstra Foundation• Town & Country Lanes• Wallstreet Financial Group, Inc.

• Walmart Distribution Center Harrisonville No. 6065• Webster Groves High School $2,500+• Above and Beyond Roofing• Access Independent Living II• Apple Market Store No. 751• Argosy Casino• Bacardi USA• Banterra Bank• Bearcat Lanes• Belfonte Ice Cream & Dairy Foods Company• Bledsoe Rentals Inc• Blue Leasing• Boone County National Bank• Boone Electric Community Trust• Branson Photo• Brunswick Zone Lakeside• Buchanan County Assessor• Cameron R-I School• Camp Bow Wow• Camp Quality• Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau• City Market• City of Cape Girardeau• Columbia Parks & Recreation• Courtyard by Marriott of Columbia• Cummins Mid-South• Drury Hotels of Cape Girardeau• Edward M. Potter Charitable Trust• Express Scripts, Inc.• Fast Lanes• Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund• Gateway Combined Federal Campaign• George Von Hoffmann Foundation• Glazer’s Midwest• Grey Eagle Distributors, Inc.• Hampton Inn Cape Girardeau• Heart of America Tractor Club• Heart of the Ozarks United Way, Inc.• Heartland Trailways• Hoisting Engineers Local 513• Hotel Doubletree of Jefferson City• Huntleigh McGehee Inc.• Iguana Watersports• Isle Casino Cape Girardeau• Janik Buses, Inc.• Kirkwood High School• Koerner Distributor Inc.• KQTV 2• Krispy Kreme• KTVO-TV• L. Douglas Abram Memorial Tournament• Lake Viking Association

• Lence Charitable Fund, Inc.• Lighthouse Lanes• Lucia Distributors, Inc.• Lucia’s Pizza Company, Inc.• McCluer North High School• Mehlville R-IX• Mid-America Wireless• Missouri Basketball Coaches Association• Mizzou Sports Properties• Montgomery County R-II• New Longview Foundation• NextStep for Life• North Kansas City Basketball Assoc.• Northwest R-I School District• Orscheln Industries Foundation• Pabst Brewing Company• Parkway Central High School• Parkway West High School• Pepsi Beverages Co.• Peterbilt of Joplin• Phil Welch Stadium• Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Plant• Robert A. Gau Revocable Trust• Sacred Heart School• Scottrade• Southeast HEALTH• Southeast Missouri State University Greeks• Telecom Pioneers Missouri Chapter No. 11• The Clorox Company Foundation• Thomas Industrial Coatings Inc• Tucker’s Place• Ulrich Medical USA• United Automobile Workers of America Local No. 2250• Vianney High School• Walgreens - Kirksville• Walgreens - Columbia

15

$2,500+ continued• Warren County R-III• Wentzville School District• Word of Life Church of St. Joseph• YMCA of St. Joseph

$1,000+• A Wise Trucking Company Inc.• A.E. Wease, Inc.• ACOSTA Sales and Marketing• Active Health Solutions• Aeci Associated Electric Coop, Inc.• Affton Athletic Association• Ahrens Appraisal Service• All Seasons Party & Tent Rental- Grandview• Alpha Sigma Alpha of Kansas City• Altec Industries, Inc.• Ameren Missouri• Anheuser-Busch• Apex Oil Co. Charitable Foundation• The ARC of Clay and Platte Counties Inc.• Arctic Ice, Inc.• Arthur-Bertel & Associates, Inc.• ASA St Louis• Association of Group Homes for Nodaway County• Attic Storage of St. Joseph• Audrain Developmental Disability Services• Baer & Edington LLC• Belo KMOV Television St Louis• Bible Baptist Temple• Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.• Bleu• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City• Bob Evans Farms Inc.• Bode Ice Arena• Boggs, Avellino, Lach & Boggs, LLC• Booz Allen Hamilton• The Boston Beer Company• Boulevard Brewing Company• The Buehrle Group• BUNZL USA, Inc.• Cameron Golf Course• Carmax Auto Superstores, Inc.

• Celtic Marine Corporation• Central Bank• Champion Building Services, LLC• Chattem• Chillicothe R-II School District• Chiro-Med• Citigroup• City of Trenton• Clif Bar Company• Cliffedge Marketing, LLC• Code 3• Columbia Officials Association• Columbia Rotary Club Northwest Foundation• Columbia Volunteer Fire Department• ConAgra Foods of Florissant• Con-Way Truckload Inc.• County Beverage Co., Inc.• Crown Imports• Diamond Pet Foods International• Donnewald Distributing Company• Drury Suites of Cape Girardeau• Dutch Farms, Inc.• Eagle Communications• EKR, LLC• Epic Electric Service Corp• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation• Excel Constructors• Farmland Foods, Inc.• Finck & Associates, Inc.• First Missouri State Bank of Cape County• Flooring and More Concepts• Folsom Distributing Co., Inc.• Forty and Eight Voiture 292 MO• Four State Trucks Inc• Fox Family Foundation• Fraternal Order of Police Lodge of St. Joseph• Fulton Bowling Center• Gap Foundation Gift Match Program• Gateway Command, LLC• General Mills Foundation• George Fern Exposition & Event Services• Gold Mountain Communications, LLC• The Golf Club• Great Southern Bank of Springfield• Gregory Lee & Cynthia A Stokes Rev. Trust• GTech• Habanero’s• Hannibal Parks & Recreation• Hazelwood Central High School• Hazelwood East High School• Heineken USA• Henry E. Wurst Family Foundation• Heritage Tractor, Inc.• Hollon Family Chiropractic, LLC

• Hooters Community Endowment Fund, Inc.• Iberia R-V District Board of Education• IBEW Local Union Kansas City No. 124• Insta Golf LLC• Jackson R-II School District• Jefferson City School District• Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc.• Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc.• Jersey Mikes• JHM Restaurants LLC• John F. Kennedy Catholic School• Johnson Controls Battery Group, Inc.• Joplin Elks Lodge No. 501• Just Frame It, LLC• Kansas Speedway Development Co.• KC Endurance• KC Supply Co. Inc.• Kellogg’s• Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy • Kloster Charity Fund• Knights of Columbus Bunceton No. 1061• Knights of Columbus Columbia No. 1529• Knights of Columbus Jefferson City No. 12992• Knights of Columbus Pleasant Hill No. 13113• Knights of Columbus Supreme Office• Knights of Columbus Wentzville No. 6415• Krey Distributing Co.• KSN16-TV/KODE• KWWR Country 96• L. D. Marketing• Ladue High School• Lambert’s Cafe• Les Bourgeois• Lindbergh High School• Luxco Spirited Brands• McCormick & Co., Inc.• McCormick Distilling Company• Mehlville School District R-9• Mexico Parks & Recreation• Mid America Mortgage Services • Midland Radio• Midwest Advertising• Midwest Cemetery Services• Mission Foods• Mission Road Antique Mall, Inc.• Missouri National Guard — Kirksville• Missouri National Guard Det. I 2175 - Hannibal• Missouri Trucking Association• MOM Brands• MPRA Gift Shop• Mungenast Foundation Inc

• National Beef • Nestle• Nestle Purina Petcare• New World Pasta Company• Noon Optimist Club of Cape Girardeau• Norpac Foods Inc.• Oak Grove R-VI School District• Oasis Lanes• Optimist Club of Jefferson City• Papa Murphy’s of Kansas City• Pepperidge Farm• Perficient, Inc.• Phi Gamma Delta of William Woods University • Phi Sigma Kappa of Maryville• Phillips Products Co• Premium Waters, Inc• Randolph Medical Plus, LLC• Red Bull North America Headquarters Disbursement Account• Regional Radio• Republic R-III• Rockwood R-VI Marquette High School Basketball Team• Rolla Public Schools• Ronnoco Coffee Company• Savannah Lions Club• Savannah R-III School District• Seckman Senior High School Student Council• Sedalia School District No. 200• The Segal Company• Sertoma Club - Downtown St. Joseph• Shine A Light On Autism• Show Me Lanes• Smucker’s• Spartech Custom Sheet & Rollstock• Sports Park of Southwest Missouri• SRC Holdings Corporation• Still Waters Resort• Stupp Brothers Bridge & Iron Co. Foundation• Swim Things• Tampico Beverages, Inc.• Texas Roadhouse of Cape Girardeau• Titan Wheel Corporation of Illinois• Truman Middle School• Tyson• United Community Fund of Neosho Area• United Cooperatives Inc (Grain Account)• United Way of South Central Missouri• United Way of Vernon County• Victorian Inn & Suites of Cape Girardeau• Walmart Ballwin No. 1177• Walmart Cape Girardeau No. 188

• Walmart Distribution Center St. James No. 6869• Walmart Harrisonville No. 96• Walmart St. Joseph No. 560• Warren County Handicapped Services, Inc.• Webster Groves Lions Club• Wentzville School District No. 4• West Central Missouri Regional Lodge No. 50• Whiskey Tango• William K. Busch Brewing Co• Willow Health Care, Inc.• Woods Fort Country Club• Zimmer Radio KZRG & KIX

INDIVIDUALS$25,000+• Greg and Geralyn Brown• Roger and Cheri Gardner• Scott Meader

$10,000+• Estate of Jack (John) Holland• Tom Mengel• Gary Stanley• Audrey Walton• Gary and Dana Wilbers

$5,000+• Nancy Banks• Craig and Jill Bridell• Mark and Debra Bussen• Ronald and Judith Carter• David and Debra Humphreys• Jim and Shanta Keeven• Rebecca and Nicholas Llorens

$2,500+• Gary and Martha Aldenderfer• Rob Alumbaugh• Tim Arnold• Susan and Peter Brown• Jeanie Byland• Paula Campbell

16$2,500+ continued• Timothy and Jan Cox• Julie Hornsby• Benjamin and Barbara Landesman• Joey Leydens• Janet McKeon-Day• Sharon and Tom Naught• Dale Stone

$1,000+• Aaron Allen• Dick Arnoldy• Ronald and Jeanne Aubuchon• Donald and Margaret Austin• Dennis Backer• James Backsen• Dr. LeeAnn and Robert Barrett• Julie Beattie• Meredith Behrens• Linda Bennett• Keith and Sandi Bentz• James Berges• Jason Betts• Ralph Biele• Randy and Vee Boehm• Danny Boyle• A. Joseph Brandmeyer• Mary Brooks• Paula Brown• William Busch• Catherine Carpenter• Annette Cleaver• Steve Clingan• Pat and Diana Cockrill• Jennifer Dake• Duane Dean• Darcy Dishman• Lynn Duncan-Brown• Stephanie Dutton• Michael Franklin• J.T. and Michelle Gerlt• Gary Gray• Andrew Habel• Nathaniel Hagedorn• Dean Hart• Pat and Bruce Hawkins• Thomas R. Highland, MD• Billy Hill

• Ruth Hufft• Doreen Hulett• Fred and Jane Jaeckle• Michael Kahn• Donna Kendrick• Ray and Kathy Kerlagon• W. Kuechler• Clinton W. Lane Jr.• Beverly Ledgerwood• Melvyn Lefkowitz• Pamela and Kenneth Lester• Jay and Denise Levitch• N. Scott Litofsky• Douglas Mackesty• John Makowski• David Maurer• Stuey McBrews• Jennifer Meyer• Barry and Jill Miller• Mark Musso• Andrew O’Hara• Frank and Bobbie O’Malley• William Pitcher• Michael and Nancy Plunk• Jerry and Shirley Powers• William Prelogar• Nick Price• Kenton Randolph• James and Judy Rash• Kari Rawley• Lisa Riojas• Gary and Millie Schell• Stacy Scoggin• Mary Sherman• Krystal Sims• Linda Slanker• Thomas Smith• Kevin Stacy• Ben Strafuss• Jay Strako• Thomas Van Buren• Ray and Sandra Walters• Gerald Wasleski• Andrew Wegman• Greg and Angie West• Diannah and Jeff White• Steven and Linda Wiederholt• Bradley and Laura Wilson• Stephen Woodley• Truman and Peggy Wright• Amy Wurst• Curt and April Yaeger• Matt Zschoche and Kenny Beall

$500+• Phillip Algrim• Dave Allen• John Almeida• Giana and Jerald Andrews• Karen and John Armour• Beverly Austin• Richard Auwerda • Carol Barker

• Mike Barrick• Patrick Barud• Brett Begemann• Katie Benner• Charles and Millie Bernskoetter• Dustin Berry • Shirl Besinger• Algene Beugin• Stuart Block• Carolyn and Bill Bohnert• Sandra Brennan• Robert Brinkmann• Kent Brown• Pete Browne• Carolyn and Riley Buono• Robert and Linda Burns• William Campbell• Mary Castleman• John Caviness• Becky and John Chandler• Craig and Nancy Chettle• Richard Childs• Ronald Chod• Joe Choplin• Jonathan Coker• Marie Collins• Richard and Patricia Conard• Grace Condon• Michael Connelly• Mary and Daniel Cordes• Ruby and John Cox• David and Amy Crane• Rebecca Czuppon• Diane Dahlmann • Thomas Decosta• Elisabeth DeCoursy• Debra and Marino Di Meo• Chris Dix• Andrew Dowis• Denise Dudenhoeffer• Cameron Duff• Kenneth Dugan• William Dugan• Anna Duncan• Scott Durden• Andrew Efthim• Jon and Juli Ellis • Anita and Mark Essner• George and Peggy Ewers• Lindsay Favazza • Lina Finnegan• John Flatley• Gery Flattery• Debbie and Mario Florido• Mark Fountain• Cathy Friedmann• Shervonne Gallow• Sondra and Gary Gardner• Matthew Gassen• Larry and Marlene Gebhard• Nicholas Georgevich• Alan Gooch• Ronald Grant

• Sidney Guller• Chak Gupta• Richard Hare• Janice Harp• Melissa Haupt • Barbara J. Hawkinson• Rich Holland• Ron and Sharon Holt• Dr. Pamela J. Honeycutt and Dr. David Schlossman• Dorothy Hurt • Eric and Kellie Hymas• Colleen Igou• Michael Johnson• Peter and Kay Johnson• Matt Jones• James and Jill Juckette• Elizabeth Karpel• Thomas Karsten• Whitney Kerr• Mike Klamm• Julie Koenigsfeld• Maureen Kowal• Jerry Krippel• Chassadie Kruse• Lowell and Leslie Kruse• Martha Lanese• David Lanter• Ray and Bev Lauer• Jeff Lavery• Yu-Hsiang Lee• Rich Linden• Mike and Kathy Lowry• Laurence and Carol Lumpe• Kathi Matthes• Suzanne Matyiko• Brenda McClain• Stan McLerran• Michelle Mertens• Richard Metz• James and Jiaying Meyer• Melba Moore• Susan Morey• Pam Morrow• Armarie Murphy• David Murphy• Doris and Dick Myers• Aaron Neighbors• Edward Nickell• Craig Noble• Norman Noltemeyer• Gary Oberkrom• Natalie Olwig• David Ostrander• Thomas Owens• Susan Pederson• Tyler Peglow• Brent and Jennifer Peterson • Michael Petru• Gene Pettit• Kathy Przaer• Randy and Kristine Reddick• Dennis Riney

• Richard Roady• Marsha Roselli• Donald Ross• Jeff Rovegno• Constance and Curtis Ruff• Janet Sanders• Linda Scheve• Stephen Schmitz• Fred Schneider• Nancy Schuehler-Harris• James Schumer• Anthony and Joan Serpa• Keith Shatto• Thomas Shaw• Donald and Mary Ellen Sievert• Chase Simmons• Ruth Siteman• Ed Smith• Jean Smith• Mary Smith• Robert Smith• Vicki and Mark Smith• Gail Sneed• Mark Sonnenberg• Jerry Steiner• Bob and Jan Stephens• Dawn Stills• Susan Stoltz• Matt and Carol Tanksley• Ralph and Rosemarie Taylor• Dana Tennill• Nicholas Tinnel• Laurie Vancleave• Linda Vanek• Bill and Shirley Virdon• Todd and Tandy Weger• Greg and Deborah Wheelen• Marty and Lori Willadsen• Paul and Lee Ann Williams• Scott and Penny Williams• Leslie Wilson• Paula Wise• Beth and Ted Wood• Michael Wrenn• Ruth M. Yaeger• Steven and Brenda Zwaschka

18Law Enforcement Torch Run® By the Numbers

MISSOURI

The mission of the Law Enforcement Torch Run® is to raise dollars and awareness for Special Olympics. A total of 187 agencies and 6,500 officers work year-round in Missouri to accomplish this goal through unique events such as the Polar Plunge, where participants take chilly dips in frigid bodies of water; Over the Edge, where supporters rappel down prominent buildings; Tip a Cop, where officers work for tips alongside regular wait staff at local restaurants; and Drive it Home raffle, where patrons purchase tickets for a chance to win a new car, donated by the Missouri Automobile Dealer’s Association.

The Missouri Police Chiefs Association is the founding law enforcement organization for Missouri’s Torch Run for Special Olympics. What began in 1986 as a 30-mile run is now a four-day relay with thousands of runners covering more than 1,000 miles around the state. The Torch Run is much more than a run however, it is a

year-round campaign to raise awareness and funds for SOMO.

Shop ‘n Save is the Presenting Spon-sor of Missouri’s Law Enforcement Torch Run. The company is a tremen-dous partner for Special Olympics Missouri by providing year-round

support working alongside law enforcement. In 2013, more than $360,000 was raised from nine events that included Shop ‘n Save donations or employee volunteers.

2013 John Michael Letz Award WinnerMark Wiesemann — Lee’s Summit Police Department

Officer Mark Wiese-mann of the Lee’s Summit Police Department was awarded the 2013 John Michael Letz Award, the highest award present-ed by the Missouri Law Enforcement Torch Run® program. Officer Wiese-mann’s dedication to the Law Enforcement Torch Run® over the past 11 years has made all the dif-ference, especially to the Special Olympics Missouri athletes in the Kansas City Metro Area.

The John Michael Letz Award recognizes an individual whose unselfish efforts and contributions are directly responsible for the success of the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics. The recipient is an individual who constantly works to do more, not for recognition, but rather in support of SOMO athletes.

The 2012 Letz Award recipient, Sgt. Mark Koeller, acknowledged Wiesemann for his hard work and dedication at the 2013 LETR Awards Brunch in Jefferson City. Exceeding the required criteria to receive this award, Wiesemann’s dedication includes serving as his agency’s Torch Run coordinator for the last 11 years. Under his direction, the agency raised more than $490,000 for Special Olympics Missouri.

Of particular note is his leadership as the chair-man of the largest Polar Plunge event in the state. During its nine-year history, this event generated more than $1,381,000 — and in 2013 hit an all-time high of $289,000. During the presentation in front of nearly 300 law enforcement peers and support-ers, Koeller said, “What sets Officer Wiesemann apart is his ability to bring people to the table who contribute in major ways to SOMO; he recruits lead-ers, sponsors, in-kind contributors, media partners and orchestrates it all in a fashion of ‘gameday’ for college football.”

The John Michael Letz Award, established in De-cember 1994, is named after Mike Letz because of his long-time efforts while serving on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

2013 Letz Award Winner Mark Wiesemann, left, pos-es for a photo with the 2012 winner Sgt. Mark Koeller of St. Louis County PD.

7 Missouri LETR’s ranking in the world in terms of money raised

146People who rappelled in either St. Louis or Jefferson City as part of Over the Edge (SOMO.org/Edge)

$1,004,840Money raised from all of the Polar Plunges

$2,150,732Money raised from all LETR events

$21,661,129Total LETR funds raised in 28 years

$237,290Money raised from Over the Edge

13Polar Plunges held throughout the state of Missouri

4,488People who

Plunged (SOMO.org/

Plunge)

Tickets sold in

the Drive It Home Raffle, which raised

$103,700 (SOMO.org/Raffle)

19

At Special Olympics Missouri, we understand just how important social media can be in spreading our mission to as many people as possible. Whether it’s to simply get the word out about an event or to share photos and videos, we are committed to making staying connected with us as easy as possible.

Athlete Spotlights

Volunteer Spotlights

The athletes are at the heart of the Special Olympics Missouri program. We strive to give our athletes oppor-tunities to shine both in and out of the arena of compe-tition.

Once a week, one of SOMO’s more than 17,000 athletes is highlighted in a short video that gives them the oppor-tunity to talk about what they appreciate about SOMO as well as some other fun topics.

Athletes talk about the sports they play, who their he-roes are, what superpower they’d like to have and more.

Videos are posted at www.somo.org/AthleteSpotlight and on our YouTube channel every Wednesday afternoon.

We couldn’t serve as many athletes as we do if it weren’t for our volunteers, so we created a way to high-light those who make our program really shine.

Volunteer Spotlights are posted at www.somo.org/Volunteer-Spotlight every Monday af-ternoon. An excerpt from a Volunteer Spotlight is below:

Connect with us

FACEBOOK (SPECIAL OLYMPICS MISSOURI)Stay in the loop on the latest SOMO news with updates from our plethora of Facebook pages.

WORDPRESS (SPECIAL OLYMPICS MISSOURI)Our SOMO Wordpress blog is the best way for us to tell the story of our athletes, families, coaches and volunteers. On this page you will find a few excerpts from our blogs in 2013.

FLICKR (SPECIAL OLYMPICS MISSOURI)For your one-stop shop of photography needs, be sure to follow our Flickr page. Separated by area and event, finding the right SOMO photo has never been easier than with Flickr!

TWITTER (@SOMISSOURI)Twitter is another great tool that allows us to stay connected with our athletes, families, fans and partners. For news, photos and videos, follow @SOMissouri!

YOUTUBE (SPECIAL OLYMPICS MO)As we move into 2014 and beyond, we are committed to bringing more stories of triumph in a variety of ways including videos. We are working to grow our YouTube base, so subscribe and tell a friend!

Danny DruryWhy do you volunteer?I believe that it is important to give back to the community through service.

How many times have you volunteered for SOMO? About five times and I continue to volunteer

because I enjoy the excitement of the athletes.

What are your hobbies?I run for my high school’s cross country and track teams.

“I started coaching because no one in our small town was a coach and we had several athletes who wanted to get involved. What keeps me involved is the ath-letes depend on me, and I don’t want to let them down. (Dec. 28, 2013) — Julie

McCullick, coach

“The sportsmanship displayed during and after the game to everyone, including us scorekeepers, referees and each other would warm anyones’ heart. The athletes simply appreciated the opportunity to compete. All levels of competitive sports could take lessons and learn from these athletes. (May 21, 2013)

— Dave Rogowski, volunteer

“Our proudest moments are seeing how excited Eli is when competing and trying new things. We love Eli’s smile and pure joy as he runs down the track. We are excited to see how proud Eli is when he participates in the track and field Little Feet Meet opening ceremonies while the crowd is cheering. Eli has developed a feeling of self-worth by participating in Young Athletes. (Oct. 1, 2013)

— Roger & Kathy Johnson, parents

20By the Numbers

The Healthy Athletes program is an initiative developed by Special Olympics Inc., with a mission of improving the overall health of our athletes through various health screenings. This is a wonderful program that offers our athletes improved health in an environment focused on the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. For more information on how to get involved by volunteering or becoming a sponsor, contact Johnathon Hankinson at Hankinson@somo.org.

Healthy Athletes®

FUNFITNESSPhysical therapists assess and record information on athletes about flexibility,

functional strength and balance. They test flexibility of the hamstring, calf, anterior hip and shoulder rotator muscles, functional strength of the abdominal and leg

muscles and balance. Thanks to the Missouri Physical Therapy Association. FUNFitness was offered at State Summer Games.

FIT FEETSpecial Olympics Fit Feet is a free podiatric screening for participating Special Olympics athletes evaluating ankles, feet, lower extremity biomechanics and proper shoe and sock gear. Thanks to Dr. Scott Foster and Dr. Terry Sanders with Columbia Podiatry for getting this program started. In 2013, Fit Feet was offered at State Summer Games and handed out more than 200 pairs of shoes to our athletes for free!

HEALTH PROMOTIONHealth Promotion offers an overall health check, which includes a body mass mea-surements and bone density test to detect osteoporosis. Health Promotion teach-es athletes and coaches how to make healthy choices and also includes tobacco cessation and sun safety. Health Promotion was offered at State Summer Games.

HEALTHY HEARINGAthletes are screened to detect any hearing problems. Conducted by trained

audiologists, this screening will alert the athlete to any hearing loss. Thanks to the Missouri State University audiology department. Healthy Hearing was offered at State Summer Games.

MEDFEST®MedFest is a screening program that facilitates the required standard sports physical examination for current and prospective Special Olympics athletes. Special Olympics Missouri requires that all athletes who want to participate must be examined by a physician or trained medical professional who completes the “medical certification” section of the Athlete Registration Form. MedFest was offered at State Fall Games.

OPENING EYES®A complete eye exam is provided by optometrists. At the end of the screening, athletes

receive a free pair of prescription eyeglasses or designer sunglasses. Thanks to the Missouri Optometric Association. Opening Eyes was not offered in 2013.

SPECIAL SMILES®Dentists and hygienists provide one-on-one instruction on proper teeth brushing techniques, an oral health screening using tongue blades and flashlights and information on the value of nutrition in maintaining good oral health. Thanks to the Missouri Dental Association. Special Smiles was offered at both State Summer Games and State Fall Games.

72 Athletes screened through MedFest initiative

200 Athletes screened through Health Promotion initiative

308 Athletes screened through Special Smiles initiative

166Athletes screened through FUNFitness initiative

210Athletes

screened through Healthy Hearing

initiative

208Athletes screened

through Fit Feet initiative

Total number of screenings

through the six Healthy Athletes

initiatives offered in 2013

SOMO.org/HealthyAthletes

21

Project UNIFY®

Project UNIFY is an education-based program that uses the sports and education initiatives of Special Olympics to activate youth to promote school communities where all young people are agents of change — fostering respect, dignity and ad-vocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. There are many parts to Project UNIFY, some of which are discussed below.

Missouri Association of Student Councils

The Missouri Association of Student Councils chose Special Olympics as its char-ity of choice more than 20 years ago. Since that time, its students have been raising funds and awareness in junior high and high schools across the state. Many of the schools host events, volunteer at events, put on fundraisers, participate in the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign and take the Polar Plunge. The students volunteer an average of 12,000 hours per year, which add up to more than 240,000 hours they have given to Special Olympics Missouri ever since they started their partner-ship with SOMO.

Since 2009, MASC schools have raised more than $490,000 just through the Polar Plunge.

MASC promotes and teaches acceptance, respect and inclusion for all. Our athletes are included in the MASC Summer Leader-ship Workshop where they work side-by-side with their peers de-veloping their leadership skills, confidence and building a bridge of acceptance and change for all. Athletes grow from timid, un-sure individuals to outgoing, confident leaders who are ready to get involved with their student council as representatives, run for office and plan school activities. Youth leaders learn to embrace individual differences and the value of inclusion.

“Special Olympics Missouri is lucky to have found a true friend in the Missouri Association of Student Councils,” said Trish Lutz, SOMO senior director of programs. “They are edu-cating the leaders of our future to be agents of change, fostering respect and dignity

through service to others.”

Because of its commitment to our athletes, MASC won the 2013 Award of Excellence. Pictured above is Terri Johnson, MASC executive director, accepting the award from SOMO Board Chairman Randy Reddick.

YOUTH ACTIVATION COMMITTEEThe Youth Activation Committee is made up of a group of youth with and without intellectual disabilities from across the state that works to educate, motivate and activate other youth to become agents of change in their schools and communities. Members of the committee work together over the course of the year to develop strategies, conduct events and create campaigns promoting school communities where all young people are agents of change.

UNIFIED SPORTS®Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an inclusive program that combines individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (Unified Partners) on sports teams for training and competition. Athletes and partners compete alongside one another, each in a meaningful and integral role on the Unified Sports team. SOMO offers 21 Olympic-type sports divisioned by age and ability for its athletes and each and every sport has the capability of being structured for Unified Sports if someone is interested (www.somo.org/UnifiedSports).

MISSOURI STATE HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOC.Missouri State High School Activities Association and Special Olympics Missouri have partnered up to support an inclusive sports program for people with disabilities. This partnership is in response to the January 2013 letter from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in extracurricular athletics. Our goal is to build these programs in every school in Missouri who wish to develop leagues, conferences and championships similar to those already in place by MSHSAA (www.somo.org/UnifiedSports).

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORDOver the years, the R-word has changed from a medical diagnosis to a word meant as an insult or derogatory term. With this transformation, the R-word has become a form of hate speech against those who are living with disabilities. Spread the

Word to End the Word is a campaign among schools across the country to end the use of the word “retard” in peo-ple’s everyday vocabulary. The campaign asks people to pledge to stop saying the R-word as a starting point toward creating more accepting attitudes and communities for all people. Language affects attitudes and attitudes affect actions. Pledge today to use respectful, people-first language. Everybody has something to offer the world, so let’s focus on what people can do instead of what they cannot (www.somo.org/RWord).

YOUNG ATHLETES PROGRAM™ (YAP)Young Athletes™ is a unique sport and play program for children with intellectual disabilities. The focus is on fun activities that are important to mental and physical

growth. Children ages 3-7 enjoy games and activities that develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Young Athletes is an early introduction to sports and to the world of Special Olympics. The St. Louis area involves the local schools whose students help plan, run and volunteer at the events. In 2013, SOMO served more than 1,600 Young Athletes (www.somo.org/YAP).

22Fan Clubs

Fan Clubs are a unique and fun way to engage all fans in grassroots fundraising, as event volunteers and as Fans in the Stands across the state.

They are just another way to get families involved in the overall success not just of their athlete, but of their local program as a whole. They are a tool for families, but not a requirement.

It’s easy and a great solution for areas to raise funds, awareness and team spirit! Start a Fan Club and become part of an exciting opportunity to support Special Olympics athletes and help your area program grow!

What is a Fan? A Special Olympics fan can be a family

member, caretaker or friend of a Special Olympics athlete — anyone who wants to support our mission to provide year-round sports training and competition to people with intellectual disabilities.

What are the goals of the Fan Club?• The overall goal is to properly equip the entire team• Raise funds to support SOMO athletes• Support your local team and area with

volunteer needs• Communicate with fans regarding Special Olympics opportunities• Build awareness to grow the program at all levels• Lead the charge to get Fans in the Stands at sporting events• Participate in SOMO fundraising projects

What are the expectations of a Fan Club Member?

• Be passionate about the mission of Special Olympics Missouri• Communicate and work with your area staff • Help in fundraising efforts to support your

local team and area program• Have a positive attitude• Work hard with a dynamic group of people • Meet face-to-face as necessary to

accomplish your specific yearly goals• Communicate monthly via email, Facebook or phone• Be assigned a specific duty not tied to your area’s responsibilities • Be an approved Class A volunteer• Follow guidelines, rules and policies set by Special Olympics Missouri

Fan Club money assists in support of the teams by helping with the cost of:

• State Games Assessments (SGAs)• Transportation for SOMO participants to and from Special Olympics events• Uniforms for SOMO athletes/Unified

Partners at SOMO events• Equipment for use at SOMO practices and events• Training Facilities/Venues for SOMO

practices• CPR & First Aid expenses for coaches• Travel expenses to and from Special

Olympics events (meals/lodging)• A recognition/awards banquet for SOMO

participants not to exceed $500• Giving back (ie: Become a sponsor for an event or enter a foursome in a golf

tournament)

For more information on your local Fan Club or to start your own, contact your area office.

Assisting FamiliesBeing the parent of a

child with special needs can be difficult, but as an organization dedicated to serving that population we are just as determined to make sure the families are getting everything they need out of their involve-ment as well.

We are making strides in connecting with our fami-lies and helping them with all their athletes’ needs — not just the sporting needs but the development of the total person.

For this, we have developed a family page on the website at www.somo.org/Families. We are hoping this resource center will be of help to all of our families no matter what kind of information for which they are looking.

There is also a questionnaire to distribute that will aid us in gathering more information on how we can better serve them and how they can get more involved in the program.

We want to be an organization that puts the athlete first, but in order to give the athlete everything he or she needs, we must also be educating the families on what resources we have available for them.

Our goal is to provide informa-tion to our families regarding ways they can be involved or ways we can further support them. The family page’s goal is to have easy accessibility to resources regarding Social Security benefits, Medicaid, laws that protect individuals with ID or transition planning (school to adult life).

We want to provide support in every aspects of our athletes’ lives since they all affect their ability to perform at their best in and out of the arena of competition.

Travis Duncan Photography

23

SOMO and Supporting Organization Consolidated Financial Statements

Liabilities & Net Assets — $5,032,904

Funding Uses — $7,833,031Program Services: $6,843,030 Fundraising: $827,596 Management: $162,405

Accounts Payable: $47,995Current Portion of Long-Term Debt: $31,357Deferred Revenue: $22,048Accrued Vacation: $85,155

Total Current Liabilities: $186,555

Long-Term Debt: $277,527

Total Liabilities: $464,082

Unrestricted/Undesignated Assets: $2,143,594Temporarily Restricted Assets: $2,075,228*Board Designation: $350,000*

Total Net Assets: $4,568,822

* Includes Training for Life Campus capital campaign

Funding Sources — $7,183,046Contributed Services: $3,132,461Special Events: $2,251,132Grants & Trusts: $399,412 Direct Marketing: $433,697 Investment Income: $348,539

Items Released: $173,815 Sponsorships: $167,508 Contributions: $158,103 Other Income: $117,823 Change in value — Life Insurance: $556

Complete financials available upon requestAudited fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2013 Financial statement audited by Mueller Prost PC Assets — $5,032,904

Cash/Cash Equivalents: $680,006Investments: $1,549,641Pledges Receivable Current: $216,272Inventory: $7,060Prepaid Expenses: $80,604

Total Current Assets: $2,533,583

Fixed Assets: $866,598

Long-Term Investments: $920,986

Pledges Receivable -- Long Term: $684,047 Cash Surrender Life Insurance: $27,690

Management, 2%

Fundraising, 11%

Grants & Trusts, 6%

Direct Marketing, 6%

Investment Income, 5%

Items Released, 2%Other Income, 2%

Sponsorships, 2%

Contributions, 2%

Program Services87%

Contributed Services

44%Special Events

31%Without capital campaign,

program services would be 90%.

24Sports Camp Challenge Days

Every year, Special Olympics Missouri offers an Athlete Sports Camp for anywhere between 80-100 athletes. The camp takes place at the Mis-souri Military Academy in Mexico, Mo., typically in June.

It’s a great place for athletes to be on their own, meet new friends and try things for the very first time. Often, camp will be the first time some of our athletes have been away from their par-ents or guardians for an extended period of time. It teaches them to take care of themselves and be responsible for their actions.

Just like with most of our programs, Sports Camp is focused on taking care of the athlete out of the realm of competition as much as it is in.

With only 80-100 athletes at a time, it allows more interaction between the athletes, staff and volunteers — ensuring that by the end of the week everyone walks away with dozens of more friendships.

However, attending Sports Camp is something many of our athletes don’t get the chance to do simply because we can only offer it once per year. The construction of the eventual Training for Life Campus (www.somocampus.org) will allow us to offer camp multiple times per month and better serve our athletes.

Our campers share the traditional camp expe-riences — exploring the outdoors, playing sports, arts and crafts and learning new skills. All activ-

ities are designed to help the camper explore, learn and grow.

Every few years, Sports Camp doubles as a way to select the best of SOMO’s athletes for USA and World Games. In 2013, more than 200 athletes, Unified Partners and coaches attended the USA Games Selection Camp which helped identify the 125 delegates who will represent Team Missouri at the Special Olympics 2014 USA Games in New Jersey in June. In 2014, Sports Camp will be a traditional one with the exception of using it to select a softball team and any other slots that become available for the 2015 World Games in Los Angeles.

If you are interested in making a contribution toward putting an athlete through Sports Camp or want more information on Sports Camp in gen-eral, email Susan Shaffer at Shaffer@somo.org.

One way to support our campers is by participating in our yearly Dare to Dream Golf Tournament. The event is typically held in May in Kan-sas City. The registration fee covers 18 holes of golf, tee favors, food, prizes and awards and of course the satisfaction of knowing that you’re supporting the chance of a lifetime for one of our 17,142 athletes around the state. You can golf alone or put together a team. All skill levels are welcome. For more information, visit www.somo.org/Dream.

Challenge Days are a one-day event that have been designed specifically for the severe and profoundly disabled population of Special Olym-pics Missouri so that they too can experience the joy of being apart of the program.

Due to the need to offer more activities to our severe and profound population, it has been a goal of Special Olympics Missouri to expand on our motor skills programs.

While many individuals with intellectual and physical challenges compete and excel in sports, too many with severe physical challenges miss out on the athletic experience due to the sever-ity of their handicaps, transportation obstacles and activities that don’t meet their specific needs.

We felt that there was a need when it came to providing services for individuals with severe disabilities.

All activities are modified to meet these special athletes’ needs. For example, on the bocce court, a ramp is used to assist athletes when rolling the ball onto the court.

These athletes are given the opportunity to experience the joy of competition through Challenge Days and are no longer limited due to their disability. Without the equipment, athletes would not have the opportunity to participate in these special events.

A Challenge Day consists of various activities in which participants may take part either as team or an individual.

Each athlete is given the opportunity to play such sports as basketball, volleyball, dice soft-ball, wheelchair races and bocce, which have been adapted to meet the needs of their abili-ties.

In 2013, SOMO served more than 200 athletes through Challenge Days activities.

25

The Champion’s Society members are the guardians who protect our athletes’ future, by making a provision for Special Olympics Missouri in their will or other estate plans. By becoming a member of The Champion’s Society and leaving a legacy gift, you’ll help ensure that SOMO’s life-changing mission will endure for generations to come. Your selfless act of giving will also serve as an inspiring example to others as you are recognized for your caring demonstration of support. Please consider becoming a member of The Champion’s Society and secure transformative opportunities for SOMO forever.

Kristina BurnsNancy & Craig ChettleDoris ChounerGreg CopierTim & Jan CoxJeff CrumpVicky & James DannenmuellerDysart FamilyLarry & Soni ElrodWanda Ewell

Larry & Joy EwingEd & Camille FargoJim FollinaDoug & Maile GannonJean HoblerPeter & Kathy HoblerDon & Mary HolbertEstate of Jack (John) Holland Charles & Evelyn JorgensonMichael J. Kemp

Jay & Denise LevitchPeggy & Ken NeffFrank & Bobbie O’MalleyJoyce & Ken OyenEstate of Eileen A. PfeiferPrudence SchnoebelenEstate of Michael SennettBerma WebbAmy Wurst

Champion’s Society

The individuals profiled below are working to secure the long-term growth of Special Olympics Missouri. As representatives of the SOMO Endowment Fund (Foundation), these dedicated individuals help generous supporters pave the way for the future of thousands of Special Olympics Missouri athletes.

Dr. Phil Cook, ChairmanCarl JunctionCarl Junction School District,Superintendent

Tim Cox, Vice-ChairBlue SpringsPlastic Safety Systems, Inc.,Regional Sales Manager

Ralph Biele, Secretary/TreasurerJefferson CityMissouri State Highway Patrol,Retired Lt. Colonel

Charles BernskoetterJefferson CityMissouri State Highway Patrol, Retired

Don SpearsBeltonBelton Police Department,Captain

Lawrence WadsackSt. LouisLashly & Baer PC,Attorney

SOMO Endowment Fund 2013 Board

SOMO Offices

CENTRAL AREA 573-256-6367 903 Old 63 North, Suite A Columbia, MO 65201 KC METRO AREA 913-789-0332 9001 W. 67th St. Merriam, KS 66202 NORTH AREA 816-233-6232 520 Francis St., Fifth Floor St. Joseph, MO 64501

SOUTHEAST AREA 573-339-6733 1625 N. Kingshighway Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 SOUTHWEST AREA 417-624-5505 2914 E. 32nd St., Suite 304Joplin, MO 64804

ST. LOUIS METRO AREA 314-961-7755 2945 S. Brentwood Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63144

Created by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation. Authorized and accredited by Special Olympics Inc. for the benefit of citizens with intellectual disabilities.

HEADQUARTERS 573-635-1660

1001 Diamond Ridge, Suite 800 Jefferson City, MO 65109