Special Olympics Manager for Development, Phoebe VanScoy-Giessler, was our speaker today.  In this role, Phoebe is responsible for the management and coordination of state-wide events/campaigns/relationships, including: Major Gifts, Planned and Memorial Gifts, Social & Service Organizations, Online Auction, Awards Gala, and Direct Marketing. In addition she added that she is the general mischief-maker.  She lives in Tuftonboro and is a former Laconia Rotarian. She is always delighted to have a chance to speak about Special Olympics New Hampshire and the incredible athletes and families across the state.
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Phoebe provided a broad overview of Special Olympics and then turn the program over to Karen Steele, a Special Olympics “super star”.  What follows is information provided by Karen, and then a broad overview of Special Olympics shared by Phoebe.
Karen currently lives in Loudin, NH but grew up in Allentown, NH. She is in her early 30s and had learned to flourish despite a brain injury that occured at birth. She struggled as a student, often being bullied. It was hard to fit in as many didn’t understand or want to understand what made her different from other kids her age.  After losing out on a opportunity to be selected for a softball team, she met a person who encouraged her to find her path to sports via Special Olympics. At first she was afraid, but quickly learned that those involved in Special Olympics wanted to help her find “her best self”. It was a community that supported her and helped her grow and reach her potential.
Karen shared that she is now the breakfast hostess at the Holiday Inn in Concord.  She is a avid baker, ice cream maker, and an author of one published book, and is close to publishing her second book. She is also the club administrator for the Lions Club.
Her favorite Special Olympics memory is the opening ceremony of of her first competition, snowshoeing.  She will never forget the opening ceremony and the fireworks.  She also remembered being in an outdoor hot tub catching snow flakes on her tongue.
She is now dealing with degenerative arthritis that keeps her from competing, but she has a new place in special olympics as the candlepin bowling coach. She has also learned how to play bocce.
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Bowling Team
Picture from SONH web page photo library
Special Olympics has a athlete leadership course that Karen has completed.  She has been asked to be part of the leadership training team. This program helped her gain the confidence to do the public speaking she is doing today.  There are currently 50 athlete leaders in NH and the goal is to grow this number to 200.
Her motto is to always try to turn a negative into a positive.  Her book to be published soon is called The Girl Who Never Listens.  It is a story about her life. She will donate a book to us to give to the Kilton Library.
Volunteers are always needed to support Special Olympics. Karen said the reason to volunteer is to do something good; and to build friendships.
Karen’s mother, Debbie drove Karen to be with us today.  When asked what changes she had seen in Karen over time, although claiming to be shy, she shared many examples of the growth she has seen in her daughter, and gushed with pride as she talked about Karen, and the skills she has developed.  She reminded us that we all could work harder to understand those we perceive as being “different”.
Here is some info about Special Olympics provided by Phoebe:
The mission of Special Olympics New Hampshire 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.
Athletes are the heart of Special Olympics. Our athletes are children and adults with intellectual disabilities from across the Granite State. They are finding success, joy and friendship as part of our global community. They’re also having lots of fun!
They start working with kids as early as age 2. At this age the programs are geared to fine motor skills.  Classes are open to children with and without intellectual. Children who participated in just two months of Young Athletes program saw 7-9 months of moor skill improvements.
Volunteers are the backbone of the Special Olympics movement. They are coaches, trainers, officials, event organizers, fundraisers and managers. They can also be unified partners—playing alongside athletes with intellectual disabilities—or fans cheering in the stands.
On top of providing training and competition opportunities in 17 sports, Special Olympics New Hampshire offers health, wellness, athlete leadership and school-based initiatives to 3,024 athletes across the state—all completely free of charge.
Improving Quality of Life

MYTH: Special Olympics is all about fun.

FACT: Special Olympics New Hampshire delivers high-quality training and competition in a culture that stresses athletic excellence, rewards determination, emphasizes health and celebrates personal achievement. Sixty-five percent of parents feel that participation in Special Olympics has raised their expectations of their sons and daughters.

Empowering Athletes
MYTH: People with intellectual disabilities are not contributing members of the workforce.
FACT: A person with intellectual disabilities who has participated in Special Olympics is twice as likely to be employed as a person with intellectual disabilities who has not participated in Special Olympics
Building Inclusive Communities
MYTH: People with intellectual disabilities are accepted as part of society.
FACT: Although inclusion, at least as a philosophy, has become broadly accepted, the full acceptance of individuals with intellectual disabilities has not yet been achieved.  Individuals with intellectual disabilities often fall victim to bullying or social exclusion. In schools, for example, only 10% of students identify themselves as having a friend with an intellectual disability.  But Special Olympics teammates without intellectual disabilities improve their attitudes toward people with ID as a result of participating in the program, with 79% reporting an increased understanding of people with ID.
Quick Facts
  • Athletes: 3,024
  • Volunteers: 5,373
  • Competitions Annually: 561
  • Local Programs: 68
  • School-Based Programs: 78
Learn more at www.SONH.org