August 19, 2009 - Cycling across Canada for Special Olympics - Special Olympics coach inspires with the “Canadian Progress Club Cross-Canada Ride”. Richard arrived on PEI this morning and was welcomed by SOPEI. Click here to see pics from the event.

August 19, 2009 - TEAM PEI competes in the Provincial Games - A team of 24 athletes, coaches and mission staff crossed the bridge for a three day long sport competition for the 2009 Provincial Games in St. John, NB. Athletes competed in golf, soccer, swimming and track & field. Some were participating in their very first off-Island Special Olympics competition.

Check out the pictures from the weekend!

August 13, 2009 - Cycling across Canada for Special Olympics - Special Olympics coach inspires with the “Canadian Progress Club Cross-Canada Ride”.

He’s an inspiration to athletes “on the court,” and this summer, a Special Olympics coach from Brampton, Ontario, will inspire thousands more Canadians on his eight-thousand-kilometre cycle tour of Canada.

Richard Holloway, a Special Olympics coach in basketball, has kicked off a three-month fund- and awareness-raising cycling tour -the Canadian Progress Club Cross - Canada Ride- on the West Coast, in Victoria, British Columbia, in support of Special Olympics Canada and The Canadian Progress Club. With the assistance of two co-captains, Holloway expects to pull into St. John’s, Newfoundland by Labour Day.

“Special Olympics coaches like Richard become mentors, friends, and role models to Special Olympics athletes, and we applaud his efforts to motivate them by showing that with hard work and commitment, they too can achieve their goals,” says Deborah Bright, president and CEO of Special Olympics Canada.

The “Pedal for Medals” tour will see Holloway ride as the “stoker” on a Greenspeed tandem recumbent bicycle with co-captains Aaron Matthews and Len Ashby, as well as several volunteer captains along the route. An accomplished athlete who has completed 17 full marathons, Holloway is also president of the Progress Club’s Brampton chapter.

Richard and his team will be travelling through PEI on Wednesday August 19th and will make their pit stop in Charlottetown at 11:00 AM. Special Olympics PEI invites Special Olympics athletes, parents, supporters and well wishers to join us for cake and refreshments at Victoria Park near the Dairy Bar to congratulate Richard’s accomplishments and wish him well on his remaining leg of his Journey.

To track his progress or to make a donation, please visit www.blindguybiking.com Donations will also be accepted by the team along the route, or through a local Canadian Progress Club. Contact Janey Davies at j.davies@sasktel.net for details.

About Special Olympics Canada
Special Olympics Canada is dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport. It is a national not-for-profit organization that provides training and competition opportunities to more than 32,000 athletes of all ages and abilities, primarily through local sport clubs. For more information, please visit www.specialolympics.ca

August 11, 2009 - Mourning the loss of Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver - The Special Olympics family in Canada is truly saddened to hear of the loss of Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver. She was an extraordinary woman who dedicated her life to enriching the lives of millions with an intellectual disability worldwide, including 32,000 Special Olympics athletes here in Canada.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Kennedy Shriver family at this time.

Mrs. Shriver recognized that sport is a universal language, one that unites people both on, and off, the field of play, and she challenged everyone to rethink their attitude towards the intellectually disabled.

A dear friend to the movement in Canada, Mrs. Shriver inspired many with her message of hope. Canadians heard it firsthand at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Toronto and Collingwood, Ontario in 1997. She leaves us a remarkable legacy. To post a tribute, or to learn more about Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her life's work, please visit www.eunicekennedyshriver.org.