Bethlehem Special Olympics-Pennsylvania

Attention BSO Athletes - to stay in shape and engaged, Coach Marko (our head basketball coach) has decided to organize virtual basketball mini-workouts on Zoom, every Sunday at 1:30PM. The first workout is today! If you are interested, the details for the Zoom call are in the email all BSO members received early this morning. We have also summed it up for you below. Here’s what you will need to participate in the workout:... 1. Basketball - if you do not have a basketball, or if your basketball is flat, please contact Alice or Coach Marko (their contact info is in the email) 2. Flat Surface - if you have a driveway, or live near a park, you can use those, as we would be dribbling the basketball. You do not need access to a basketball hoop. 3. Zoom App - make sure you are able to connect to our call via Zoom outside your house. You can download the Zoom app on your phone so you can carry it outside your residence. 4. Preparation - Make sure you dress for exercising in outdoor weather, and bring your water bottle. We will post videos of the drills in Dropbox and Facebook so if the weather is bad, you can access an earlier drill. If you can’t get Zoom outside your home, you can watch the drills on Sunday, then go outside to try them yourself. The link to the Zoom meeting is in the email you received. Workouts start today (Sunday, January 17th) from 1:30 PM to 2:15 PM, and will be held every Sunday through February 28th.

Unfortunately, our Annual Polar Plunge fundraiser has to be scrapped this year because of COVID. But - Special Olympics Pennsylvania has come up with a great alternative that everyone can do safely at home. We are thrilled to announce the Polar Pop! Instead of running into the Delaware River together this February, we are inviting everyone to get into the spirit with us at home. Participants who sign up for the Polar Pop will be filling a balloon with cold water, and... having it popped over their head. Since we can’t be together to Pop with one another, we’re asking everyone to make sure to share videos or pictures of your big splash. Participants will be asking for donations, and encouraging their friends and family to join in the Popping fun. If you sign up to join us, please make sure to join Team Bethlehem when you register -we would love to do The Polar Pop with you!!

We couldn’t love this more. Seth has been part of our BSO Family for many years, but it’s his new adventure that we are cheering today. Seth and his family recently opened a new business in The Palmer Park Mall: Seth & Co, Special Brew - a coffee shop that provides deliciousness to its customers, and employment for individuals with Special Needs (including several of our athletes). Check out this fantastic profile from WFMZ of Seth, Desiree (his Mom), and John (his Da...d). You will also see our athlete Trisha hard at work, as well as our Coach Deb helping out. Congratulations to Seth - and Thank You. We’re so proud of you!!

Wishing a 2021 filled with kindnesses and good health for you and yours. Happy New Year from your friends and family at BSO!Wishing a 2021 filled with kindnesses and good health for you and yours. Happy New Year from your friends and family at BSO!

Make sure to check out the information on the PA Polar Pop that we posted yesterday. Today we are sharing the link where you can either sign up to join our team, or donate to one of our Poppers.

Our deepest condolences to our friends in the Special Olympics Columbia/Montour program, as well as to Erica’s family and friends. The Bethlehem Special Olympics family is heartbroken for all of you.

UPDATE: 10-packs of cards are now ready to be picked up! Email us today for the addresses of where you can pick up your pack. Full details about this year’s project to help our community is below. BSO GIVES BACK PROJECT for 2020! Every year at this time, our Athlete Leadership Team puts together a group Community Service project for our athletes to participate in. We call it ‘BSO Gives Back’, and we look at this effort as a Christmas gift to our Community. We are so g...rateful for the kindnesses and generosity that Bethlehem Special Olympics and our athletes receive all year. BSO Gives Back is a way for us to say Thank You for that support, and to pay it forward to others. We have decided on a project that is both doable during COVID precautions, and helpful to some of those who have been impacted the most by the pandemic. This year we are asking our athletes to make or decorate Christmas cards for local individuals who live in nursing homes, or care facilities. Many of these residents receive little or no mail, and they have also lost the ability to have visitors much of this year because of the pandemic. Sharing a card is an easy way to spread some smiles and lots of Christmas cheer to these neighbors. If you would like to participate in this project, please send an email to Alice: [email protected] We will provide you with a pack of 10 cards to decorate, and once we get the cards back from you, we will make sure they are delivered to the nursing facilities. How it works: 1. You will need to pick up your pack of 10 cards, and then drop it back off to us once you have decorated them. 2. We have a few BSO families in the area who have volunteered to be ‘pick-up spots’ for the cards. 3. Once you email us to sign up, we will send you a list of these pick-up spot addresses. You can go to whichever house is closest to you to pick up your cards. 4. When you go to one of those houses to pick-up your cards, we will have the cards packed up and waiting for you on the front porch of each pick-up spot. This way it is a ‘contactless pick-up’. You won’t need to go into anyone’s home to get your cards - you can just grab off the porch and go. 5. The cards need to be picked up between December 10th and December 15th. 6. Take the cards home and fill them out - you can decorate them, include a cheerful message, sign your name, or do all of the above. 7. You will then drop off your completed cards back to us at one of the pick-up spots by December 20th. We will make sure they are delivered to nursing home residents before Christmas Day. We hope all of our athletes will fill out a pack of cards, and help to spread some Christmas cheer this year. Remember - you have to email Alice to sign up: [email protected]

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

In case any of our followers have friends or family in the Bloomsburg area... A Special Olympics athlete from the Bloomsburg area has gone missing. We are asking that you share this urgent broadcast with anyone you may know know in that area - Thank You

Our wonderful friends from The Knights of Columbus brought a little Christmas magic to some of our athletes yesterday. Athletes who had previously volunteered to help the Knights with their annual fundraiser (that benefits BSO), were invited to a socially distant, drive-thru Christmas event yesterday afternoon. Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand to present each athlete with a gift, and the Knights presented BSO with an incredibly generous donation for our program. We are humbled and grateful. Thank you, Knights of Columbus - your 30+ years of support for our athletes means the world to us. Merry Christmas!

Special Olympics Pennsylvania is hosting a virtual 50th Anniversary Dance Party and Celebration this coming Saturday, December 12th at 7pm.

Athletes - there is still time to join Special Olympics North America’s Stride Challenge!! Stride is a walking program. You agree to walk a set amount of miles every week for the next 6 weeks - and you’ll be joining Special Olympics athletes from all across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We will be walking to help us stay healthy while we can’t participate in our usual sports together. Let us know if you want to join in - we would love to have a few more of our athletes sign up!

BSO GIVES BACK PROJECT for 2020! Every year at this time, our Athlete Leadership Team puts together a group Community Service project for our athletes to participate in. We call it ‘BSO Gives Back’, and we look at this effort as a Christmas gift to our Community. We are so grateful for the kindnesses and generosity that Bethlehem Special Olympics and our athletes receive all year. BSO Gives Back is a way for us to say Thank You for that support, and to pay it forward to ...others. We have decided on a project that is both doable during COVID precautions, and helpful to some of those who have been impacted the most by the pandemic. This year we are asking our athletes to make or decorate Christmas cards for local individuals who live in nursing homes, or care facilities. Many of these residents receive little or no mail, and they have also lost the ability to have visitors much of this year because of the pandemic. Sharing a card is an easy way to spread some smiles and lots of Christmas cheer to these neighbors. If you would like to participate in this project, please send an email to Alice: [email protected] We will provide you with a pack of 10 cards to decorate, and once we get the cards back from you, we will make sure they are delivered to the nursing facilities. How it works: 1. You will need to pick up your pack of 10 cards, and then drop it back off to us once you have decorated them. 2. We have a few BSO families in the area who have volunteered to be ‘pick-up spots’ for the cards. 3. Once you email us to sign up, we will send you a list of these pick-up spot addresses. You can go to whichever house is closest to you to pick up your cards. 4. When you go to one of those houses to pick-up your cards, we will have the cards packed up and waiting for you on the front porch of each pick-up spot. This way it is a ‘contactless pick-up’. You won’t need to go into anyone’s home to get your cards - you can just grab off the porch and go. 5. The cards need to be picked up between December 10th and December 15th. 6. Take the cards home and fill them out - you can decorate them, include a cheerful message, sign your name, or do all of the above. 7. You will then drop off your completed cards back to us at one of the pick-up spots by December 20th. We will make sure they are delivered to nursing home residents before Christmas Day. We hope all of our athletes will fill out a pack of cards, and help to spread some Christmas cheer this year. Remember - you have to email Alice to sign up: [email protected]

ATTENTION ATHLETES AND FAMILIES: As many of you know, Bethlehem Special Olympics is now part of the newly formed Greater Lehigh Valley & Pocono Region within Special Olympics Pennsylvania. The staff at our Regional Office needs to update athlete records to help improve communication, so we are asking ALL athletes to do 1 of the following: 1. Complete the Athlete Contact Card you received in the mail recently, and send it back to the regional office. ... 2. OR - you can complete the online form below instead, and save a stamp: Please either return the information card, or complete the online information form ASAP. If you send in your updated contact info by November 15th, you’ll be entered to win a SOPA 50th Anniversary Hoodie! Thanks everyone!

ATHLETES - LAST CALL to sign up for the Fitness Heptathlon. Follow this link to sign up now: https://forms.gle/QgHPNXPHc4vgW2jt7 The Fitness Heptathlon goes from now until February 25th, and is a great way for you to work on staying healthy during the cold winter months. It is a competition event, where athletes will be divisioned with others of the same ability, and will be scored based on their fitness importance. WHO CAN DO THE MOST JUMPING JACKS IN ONE MINUTE? If you... want to find out - join the Heptathlon. ALL interested athletes and coaches should join the introductory zoom meeting tomorrow (Sunday, December 6th) at 3 PM. Coach Casey Skoglund will explain the process, and will send out the schedule. We have posted a link in the first comment below to register for the Zoom call. After registering below, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you have questions, submit them in the comments below.

Hey there, athletes - it is Halloween/Super Hero week for Special Olympics Pennsylvania. We would love to see pictures of you dressed up in a costume! Feel free to post one of yourself below.

Looking for a way to spread Christmas cheer, and support local Special Olympics athletes? We have Wreaths, Door Hangers, and Easel Stands still available! If you missed out on our festive fundraiser, or would like to add to your previous order, here’s your chance! We ordered extras of everything and now we have wreaths, hangers, and easels looking for a home this holiday season. We’ve include a picture of the wreaths for you - they look terrific! Prices:... Wreaths - $35.00 White Door Hangers - $3.50 Easel Stands - $3.50 Contact the Regional Office if you’d like to snag a wreath before the holidays kick into high gear! Email [email protected] or call/text 570-778-4474.

The website for Fall Fest is now live! Check it out for details about competition weekend!!!

Earlier today we hosted an outdoor awards pick-up for our athletes who competed in the Virtual Eastern Fall Sectionals a few weeks ago. We only saw about half of our award winners, but it was wonderful to see these smiling faces when they stopped by to pick up their medals. Congratulations, everyone!!

Athletes - have you signed up for the Special Olympics Stride Challenge yet? It’s not too late to join in - click on the link below for more info, and sign up today!

Here’s a great way to spread some holiday cheer and support our athletes at the same time!