Volunteers Drive Special Olympics Winter Championships

Helping to promote the success of the 2009 Games in Virginia and World Winter Games in Idaho.

More than 100 volunteers from Booz Allen Hamilton gathered in January 2009 to continue the tradition of support for the Special Olympics Virginia Winter Championships. Surrounded by decorations touting a “Wild West” theme, 209 athletes celebrated the start of the Games with their families and coaches at the Opening Ceremonies held at St. Joseph Parish in Herndon.

Booz Allen volunteers at the 2009 Special Olympics Virginia Winter Championships

Since 2003, when now-retired senior vice president Mike Noonberg initially forged the firm’s relationship with Special Olympics Virginia, Booz Allen’s sponsorship and the volunteer efforts of its staff have helped Special Olympics provide its athletes with opportunities to achieve their potential through sports training and competition.

The Winter Championships is one of six annual Special Olympics Virginia state competitions in which athletes with intellectual disabilities compete in a variety of sports to build strength, self-confidence, and lasting friendships, and challenge themselves to meet and exceed their goals. The Championships feature competitions in speed skating, figure skating, gymnastics, and bowling events, which were held at various arenas throughout Northern Virginia.

Although Booz Allen’s relationship with Special Olympics Virginia officially started six years ago, the staff have been demonstrating their support for the non-profit organization for decades.

“Special Olympics speaks to the employee-centric model of all of Booz Allen’s philanthropic programs,” says senior consultant Meredith DeDona. “Every year, volunteers from the firm run the entire event for Special Olympics Virginia. It’s not a challenging relationship to maintain and no recruitment is needed; our employees have always been passionate about supporting it. Offices around the country include Special Olympics in their annual plans.”

Again this year, the firm’s volunteers took on all roles at the January 9 and 10 event in Northern Virginia, including planning and overseeing the opening ceremonies and decorating the facility. Associate Jose Abiles created a unique torch that used streamers to simulate a live flame for the Torch Lighting Ceremony. Booz Allen volunteers staffed the Olympic Village and manned souvenir sales. Associate Jose Rubiani traveled from New Jersey with his DJ equipment to provide the soundtrack for the dance. Staff also volunteered at the bowling competition and provided security throughout the event.

Vice president Mark Herman, a board member of Virginia Special Olympics, and administrative professional David Egan were featured speakers during the Opening Ceremonies. Egan has participated in Special Olympics as an athlete and spokesperson for more than 20 years, and has won gold and silver medals in swimming, soccer, and basketball.

“I’m very proud of our Booz Allen volunteers,” says Herman. “They truly live the firm’s values.”

Employees from Booz Allen’s offices nationwide volunteer for and donate to Special Olympics year-‘round. Norfolk takes part in the annual Polar Plunge, raising over $15,000 each year for Special Olympics Virginia. Offices in Honolulu and Seattle are involved in the Summer Games. The Atlanta office supports the Special Olympics Breakfast of Champions. In Dayton, staff participate in the Special Olympics Battle of the Businesses. Lexington Park supports Special Olympics Maryland, and San Francisco’s volunteers contribute to numerous Special Olympics events.

Booz Allen at the World Winter Games in Idaho

From February 7 to 13, representatives from Booz Allen visited Boise, Idaho to support the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

With over 2,500 athletes participating from 100 countries, the 2009 Boise Games surpassed the 2002 Salt Lake City Special Olympics Winter Games in the numbers of athletes and participating nations, says senior consultant Erin Sindelar. “Booz Allen’s sponsorship had an even bigger impact during the 2009 Games than ever before,” she says.

Competitions at the International Games included alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, speed skating, floor hockey, and snowboarding, and many athletes cross-competed.

At the 2009 Games, Booz Allen again sponsored Chad Connor, a speed skater from Northern Virginia and Special Olympian since the age of 8. This is the second time the firm has sponsored Connor as a Special Olympian; the first was in 2005, when he attended the World Games in Nagano, Japan.

Sindelar, associate Heather Thompson, associate Christi Nam, and consultant Holly Wheeler attended the Boise Games and led the All-Star Track Program, which orchestrated relationships between the athletes and celebrities who attended the Games. Senior associate Michael Fields also attended as liaison between Booz Allen and the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.

Forty-one years after the Special Olympics International Games were launched in Chicago, the spirit of the event was still evident in the highly successful “scarf project” heralded by the Games Organizing Committee. The committee asked supporters to knit or crochet scarves in the Special Olympics’ trademark blue and white colors and send them to Boise. They hoped to collect enough scarves to distribute to every athlete to wear during the Opening Ceremonies.

But the response from people all over the world was overwhelming: 60,000 scarves were collected—so many that the committee was able to distribute them not only to the athletes, but also to the families, delegates, supporters, fans, and local restaurants and stores. The entire region was festooned with blue and white accents. Even Vice President Biden wore one when he made a presentation at the Special Olympics.

story posted May 7, 2009