Thank you for taking the time to read this letter regarding Healthy Athletes at the Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games! The Summer Games will be held at The College of New Jersey from June 7th - 9th with over 3,000 athletes competing in aquatics, softball, bocce, gymnastics, powerlifting, track & field and tennis! The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Many of Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ) athletes come to us with neglected health problems. Our goal is to provide health education and wellness resources to everyone involved in Special Olympics— from athletes and their families to coaches and volunteers.. Healthy Athletes is a Special Olympics program that provides free health screenings in a fun, welcoming environment that removes the anxiety and trepidation people with intellectual disabilities often experience when faced with a visit to a healthcare provider. Health screenings are provided in eight different health disciplines which include health education, mental health, and baseline concussion assessments. Athletes are able to receive free health screenings in these eight different disciplines from doctors and dentists who are experienced in working with our population. We not only serve these athletes, but we also train healthcare providers and medical students who then go back to their practices with increased knowledge of and compassion for people with intellectual disabilities.

Healthy Athletes is being offered during our Summer Games on Saturday June 8th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday June 9th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. completely free of charge. While going through Healthy Athletes, athletes are able to enter into a raffle to win big ticket items! For each Healthy Athletes discipline an athlete visits, the athlete is able to enter one raffle ticket into the drawing, up to eight tickets. The more Healthy Athletes disciplines an athlete completes, the more chances he or she has to win a prize! Showcasing and raffling off your donation will be one of the highlights of our event.

Special Olympics New Jersey would be grateful for any items you would be willing to donate for Healthy Athletes at Summer Games!