Articles from December 2015

In 2015, UnitedHealthcare has supported Challenge Days and the Healthy Athletes program as a Gold Level Sponsor, positively impacting thousands of Iowans with intellectual disabilities.

By Katie Bonner, director of marketing and community outreach at UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare’s mission is “to help people live healthier lives.” We have operated health plans in Iowa since the 1980s, serving a wide range of Iowans, including those who get their coverage through employers, the armed forces and Medicare plans. We have served children in the Iowa hawk-i program since 2000. We are dedicated to promoting health for all Iowans in every stage of their lives.

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Thank you to all of our delegation managers, coaches and volunteers for submitting your Class A Volunteer Applications. The applications are being processed much smoother because of your help making sure all the application components are complete.

Remember incomplete Class A Volunteer Applications will be held at the state office for three months. After that, the application will be shredded and you will have to resubmit a new application to volunteer.

Applications may take up to 30 days to process, so please plan ahead when you need your credential.

Enterprise – the company used to run background checks will be closed December 9-15, so no applications will be able to be processed during that time. If you need a credential, please submit your application prior to/after this date.

Thank you for volunteering! Special Olympics Iowa programs could not exist without the generous volunteer spirit of so many Iowans!

Volunteers are the mainstay of the Special Olympics organization. They fulfill a wide variety of positions including chaperoning, coaching, event management and fundraising. Volunteers also ensure that athletes receive quality training and competition. One such dedicated volunteer is Sara Bidney, the director of instruction at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines.

Bidney was recently selected as the 2015 PGA Section Teacher of the Year and the 2015 Youth Player Development award winner. This marks the third time in six years that Bidney received the Teacher of the Year honor. She is the only professional to receive both awards in the same year and the only woman to receive both awards.

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More than 800 athletes from across Iowa will be competing in the Special Olympics Iowa State Bowling Tournament on Nov. 21. The tournament will span three locations – Westdale Bowl in Cedar Rapids, Bowlerama in Des Moines and Plaza Lanes in Sioux City.

Athletes of all ages will compete in singles, doubles and four-person team bowling. Bowing is also offered as a Unified sport in doubles and four-person team, where athletes with intellectual disabilities are paired with athletes without disabilities. Ramp bowling is available for athletes who are unable to roll their own bowling ball.

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Erin Birkenholtz has joined the Special Olympics Iowa state office staff as the Director of Regional Field Services for the Southeast Region. She will oversee the East, East Central and Southeast Areas for SOIA.

Birkenholtz has an extensive Special Olympics background, having been a part of Summer Games, Winter Games, Mid-Winter Tournament and Play Days. In addition, she has been responsible for the creation and execution of various fund raising events and program events for SOIA.

She is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where she received her bachelor of science in leisure studies with a therapeutic recreation emphasis. She has most recently been employed by the ARC of East Central Iowa where she supervised, coached and mentored direct service providers, and worked with over 90 individuals and their families in delivering care and instruction to clients.

She is looking forward to engaging with all of our athletes, families and volunteers in the Southeast Region. Please join us in welcoming her to our Special Olympics Iowa family!

Granite City will be donating a portion of its sales to Special Olympics Iowa on Nov. 19!

Visit one of the three Granite City locations in Iowa – Cedar Rapids, Clive and Davenport – on Nov. 19, show your server our flyer and 15% of your total tab will be donated to Special Olympics Iowa!

Can’t stay for a meal? To go orders are included, too!

Thanks to YOU, Casey’s General Store donated more than $34,000 to SOIA from this year’s Casey’s Cup campaign! Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, SOIA athletes and law enforcement officers were featured on the 44-oz. cups, with a portion of the sales going to SOIA.

Casey’s and SOIA also challenged customers to a photo contest, taking photos of themselves with the cups and posting them on social media with one winner each week receiving a free Casey’s pizza. Jessica Clements, an SOIA athlete from Fairfield, was the grand prize winner and received a year’s supply of free Casey’s pizza and a one-night stay with four waterpark passes to the Ramada Tropics Resort in Des Moines.

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Nothing brings fans together like a good old-fashioned tailgate! The first annual Tailgate for Teammates presented by Voya was held Oct. 17 at the State Historical Building in downtown Des Moines. Sponosrs and guests helped SOIA reach its $50,000 fundraising goal.

Athletes mingled with guests as they autographed trading cards with their photo. We Are Iowa Local 5 News Anchor Elias Johnson emcee’d the event along with SOIA athlete Tyler Leech, entertaining the crowd.

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LSB Branch Manager Derek Baker with SOIA athletes at the Banking 101 lesson.

Lincoln Savings Bank (LSB) hosted a class for Special Olympics Iowa athletes at its bank in Clive as part of the students’ Senior Plus Program at Valley High School. The class is for special needs students who have earned all their credits to graduate, but choose to stay in school longer to have access to lessons on living and vocational skills.

Derek Baker, LSB branch manager, spoke with the students about the importance of paying yourself first, the difference between checking and savings accounts, and establishing good credit.

Baker explained that when paying yourself first, you should put some of your paycheck or birthday money into a savings account before buying the things you may want. Putting away 10% of your paycheck is a good number to start. Doing this can help you learn to manage your money better, save toward a goal or have money for emergencies.

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Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA) is proud to announce Lincoln Savings Bank as its newest Statewide Partner. With a gift of $25,000, Lincoln Savings Bank will be a Premier Statewide Partner for SOIA, after agreeing to become the Presenting Sponsor of the West Des Moines and Cedar Falls/Waterloo Polar Plunges.

“We are very excited to announce our new partnership with Lincoln Savings Bank,” said SOIA CEO Gary Harms. “Their team has expressed a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement in supporting our mission – not only for the Jordan Creek Town Center Polar Plunge to be held on November 7, but also in becoming a part of the volunteer force within our Special Olympics Iowa family. Their support will be a key driver in our efforts to create inclusion-based, joyful experiences for our friends with intellectual disabilities in each of our communities throughout the state of Iowa.”

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