2007 Athlete Congress Held at
Hawaii State Capitol February 24-25, 2007

Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland (pictured above with the past Congress chair, Teresa Moore)sponsored the  athletes to hold their meeting in the Senate Chamber. Pictured on right is new chairperson, Robin Teixeira (right) and Paul Browne. Mahalo to Senator Chun Oakland and her staff for making this event possible, it was truly an honor to hold our Athlete Congress in Hawaii's State Capitol.

2007 Special Olympics Hawaii Congress Mission

Demonstrate that athletes are leaders within the Special Olympics movement and for Special Olympics Hawaii.
~Create an opportunity for Special Olympics Hawaii leadership at all levels to learn from the wisdom and experience of the athletes.
~Share ideas for improving the policies and procedures of Special Olympics Hawaii programs at the area and state levels.
~Develop proposals and communicate them to the Special Olympics Hawaii Board of Directors and staff, and the Area Management Team.
~Represent and report back to the athletes in each area of the program.
~Continue the process of creating an inclusive environment in which athletes are full and active participants and play a role in guiding their own future and the future of Special Olympics Hawaii. 
Issues Discussed at the 2007 Athlete Congress
The three issues the delegates discussed with their constituents in their area (athletes, coaches, volunteers, family members and key leaders) for debate at the Athlete Congress 2007 were:
Athlete Attendance Policy at Practices
Special Olympics Hawaii currently recommends that athletes should attend at least 75% of the practices during a given season in order to qualify to attend Area and State games.  Some delegations/Areas enforce this or even stricter policies and some delegations/areas do not enforce this policy at all.  Should there be a mandatory attendance policy set by the State or Area level that athletes must adhere to?
Anger Management Training:  Behavioral Training
Anger and losing our temper should not be a part of Special Olympics Hawaii.  Special Olympics Hawaii’s area program has had athletes fill out Athlete Code of Conducts for some years.  Is the Athlete Code of Conduct and the Volunteer Code of Conduct enough to prevent angry outburst by athletes and coaches?  Does there need to be a specialized training for both athletes and coaches to help prevent angry outbursts from occurring.
Creating new Athlete Input Councils at Area Levels
The focus of the Athlete Input Council is that the Special Olympics program must be ran with the input of the people that it serves, the athletes.  Athlete Input Council’s should be the place that topics about the Special Olympics program from the Delegation to the State levels are discussed by the athletes of this program; the good and the bad.  Discussion must also have Action Steps for improvement attached to them.  Councils set their own meeting schedule for the year.  Some councils meet monthly, some meet quarterly (4 times per year).  Should each Area program within Special Olympics Hawaii develop an active Athlete Input Council?
Click here to see the voting results of the Athlete Congress on these issues and the action steps they will take.

NFL PRO BOWL SUPPORTS SPECIAL OLYMPICS

On Tuesday, February 6, 2007 selected NFL Pro Bowl players took  time from their Hawaii vacation to host the annual Punt, Pass and Kick Day for Special Olympics Hawaii athletes. This fun event was an opportunity for the athletes to practice their football skills and the the players to relax before the big game.  Players  representing the KC Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens came together to share their love for football with our athletes. From punts, passes,autographs  and touch-down dances a good time was had by all! Mahalo to NFL,  all the players, and volunteers for providing such a fun opportunity for our athletes!
On February 8-9, 2007 Special Olympics Hawaii hosted a live auction featuring NFL memorabilia during the 2007 Festival in the Park.  This year the two day live auction raised an estimated $24,000!  Mahalo to everyone who made this event a success!

Athletes From All Islands Competed in Basketball, Bowling and Bocce During the Annual Holiday Classic December 1-3, 2006

 5th Annual Casino Night
"A Little Night Music"
&Many Generous Hearts Raise
$188,000 to support Special Olympics Hawaii Athletes

On October 20, 2006 Special Olympics Hawaii held their 5th Annual Casino Night at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  The evening’s activities included  fabulous silent and live auctions, gourmet cuisine, Dueling Pianists from New York City, a diamond giveaway,and Las Vegas-style gaming. Mahalo to everyone who made this event possible!

Cop on Top Raises $240,000 Statewide
August 31-September 2, 2006
100% of Donations Will Support Special Olympics Hawaii Athletes!

Pictured above left is Lost actor Terry O'Quinn with Special Olympics Hawaii athletes and HPD officer Ryan Ujimori at this year's Cop on Top  Waimalu site.  O'Quinn signed autographs and took pictures with Safeway shoppers in support of Special Olympics Hawaii. Above left is Safeway store managers presenting check to Special Olympics Hawaii .  Click here for details on Safeway's donation .

Special Olympics Hawaii extends a heartfelt appreciation to the Police Departments of Honolulu, Maui, Molokai, Kauai and East & West Hawaii; D.P.S. Sheriff's Division; 15th Security Forces Squadron; Hickam Airforce Base; Department of the Army Police Company; Navy Region Security Hawaii; and the U.S. Marine Corps Military Police Department for volunteering their time to make our 5th Annual Cop on Top event a success! Recap:   Island wide, officers  "lived" on top of scaffolding at 18 Safeway stores throughout Hawaii in order to raise funds for and awareness about Special Olympics Hawaii programs and athletes. The officers went up at 6:00a.m., Thursday, August 31 and didn't come down until the afternoon of  Saturday, September 2, 2006.  If you would like to make a donation to Cop on Top it is not too late! Please call Amanda Corby at (808) 943-8808 ext. 33 or mail your donation attention to: Cop on Top, P.O. Box 3295, Honolulu, HI 96801.

Mahalo  to  Everyone who made the 2nd Annual Swing for the Gold Golf Tournament a Success!

Over 200 golfers participated in the Swing for the Gold Golf Tournament August 11, 2006 at the Hawaii Prince.  This tournament was in celebration of the Honolulu Advertiser's 150 Anniversaryand to benefit Special Olympics Hawaii.  The fun filled day of golf was followed by an awards dinner and a live auction.

AukakeClassic Statewide Competition at
Wai'au District Park August 19-20, 2006

Over 250 Special Olympics athletes from all islands gathered at Wai’au District Park for the Special Olympics Hawaii ‘Aukake Classic to compete in Soccer and Bocce tournaments.  This Special Olympics Hawaii Tournament has been taking place for over ten years; this year marked the third year the ‘Aukake Classic has been a two day event.
Twelve soccer teams separated into four divisions  competed in a two day tournament while a small group of athletes participated in Soccer Individual Skills Competitions on Saturday. Over fifty teams competed in traditional Doubles Bocce on Saturday and forty-six teams competed in Unified Doubles Bocce on Sunday.  

Fall Area and Regional Competitions

Fall Area and Regional Competitions  in basketball and bowling are set to begin on October 7^th, starting with the Honolulu/Central Bowling Competition.  Athletes compete at these competitions in their areas to qualify to come to Holiday Classic, the statewide event held December 1-3 on Hickam AFB and Kaneohe MCBH.  Competition notices and a tentative calendar are now posted online, so please see the Area and Regional Competition page for more information.