Transcript:
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Brad Caruso:
Welcome to Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. On this podcast, we bring the conversation to you, sharing, engaging stories that motivate and build consensus in the nonprofit community. This podcast is about the innovators, the leaders on the front lines of adversity, guiding lights in the nonprofit industry affecting change. And through their stories, we can all join forces to become civic warriors. Hey, warriors. Welcome to today’s episode of Civic Warriors. Brought to you by Withum, I’m your host, Brad Caruso, leader of Withum’s, not-for-profit practice. Our guests today are Sherry Wheelock, President and CEO of Special Olympics Florida, and Maryann Gonzalez, a Coordinator of Sports and Athlete in Special Olympics Florida for over 51 years. The mission of Special Olympics Florida is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic type sports for people with intellectual disabilities who wish to participate, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience, joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community. The ultimate objective of Special Olympics Florida is to help people with intellectual disabilities participate as productive and respected members of society at large by offering them a fair opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills and talents through sports training and competition, and by increasing the public’s awareness of their capabilities and needs. Special Olympics Florida is a 501c3 charitable organization. With all that said, Sherry and Maryann, welcome to the show.
Sherry Wheelock:
Thank you, Brad.
Brad Caruso:
Sherry, talk to us a little bit about your background and how you arrived at Special Olympics and the passion for the work that you’re doing.
Sherry Wheelock:
Well, as a sibling of two other girls, my dad decided we were all gonna play sports, which, uh, began, um, very early, uh, in, uh, actually elementary school for me. So I am very blessed to have background in getting to participate in a multitude of sports and really see the impact that that can have in one’s life, um, between, you know, learning teamwork and, and meeting new people, uh, just, uh, learning leadership skills. So, so that was something I’ve always been passionate about is sports. And then as I, um, grew in my time with, um, both, uh, during school and then through my career, uh, in finance, I became very, uh, involved volunteering with people with intellectual disabilities through, uh, my community and, and, uh, volunteer service. And so when I had the opportunity to become a coach for Special Olympics, I thought, what an incredible way to bring both of my passions together. Uh, so sports as the platform to reveal a champion in all of us, but especially our athletes. And so, it was just really a great way for me to move forward. I then served on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Florida, and then had the opportunity to be honored to have this role.
Brad Caruso:
I love hearing that. Love hearing that. How, how long have you been at Special Olympics for now?
Sherry Wheelock:
So my volunteerism has been, um, over 12 years and then another 10 years in this role.
Brad Caruso:
That’s awesome. Yeah, definitely dedicated to the mission and appreciate that. And Maryann, you mentioned you’ve been involved with Special Olympics for over 51 years.
Maryann Gonzalez:
Yes. I started when I was eight years old. Um, we first got started when I moved from Miami to Sumter County, and my mom helped get the program started in Sumter County and I’d done, my first event was the 50 yard dash and the standing long jump, and I used to practice that in my backyard over and over and over and over until I got really good at it and nobody could beat me. And then I finally moved on to volleyball and team sports where I was very successful. We went to a World Games in volleyball and played second, and we went to a USA games and when I went to Lake Kelly and played volleyball, and we placed third, so we’ve done very well.
Brad Caruso:
Congratulations. And, and you know, you mentioned a couple different sports there. Of all those sports, which one to this day is still your favorite one to play?
Maryann Gonzalez:
Well, my favorite sport I didn’t mention, which is swimming and golf.
Brad Caruso:
Oh, nice, nice. You play golf, that’s, that’s phenomenal. I’m a big advocate of golf.
Maryann Gonzalez:
Yes. I have a unified partner and I have played several years with him, and we’re very compatible with each other and we work together and we know how to talk with each other and which, which club to use and where I can go that doesn’t get us in trouble.
Brad Caruso:
<laugh> gotta stay away from the water in Florida in case there’s alligators, right? <laugh>
Maryann Gonzalez:
That’s right. Yeah. The water and the sand.
Sherry Wheelock:
The water and the sand, yeah,
Brad Caruso:
The water and the sand. Yeah. Yeah, I’m in the sand a lot whenever I play golf, so I appreciate that. Maryann, Sherry, can you provide a little bit of background to the audience on Special Olympics Florida and some of the programs you offer? Um, you know, some, some things that I think not everybody is aware of is that athletic competition of Special Olympics is really a 24/7, 365 days a year activity, and there’s many different programs and ancillary activities that occur that, uh, you know, assist many individuals. Can you provide a little more background to the audience on some of the programs that you offer?
Sherry Wheelock:
The thing that a lot of people don’t know, as you mentioned, is we start at age two. So we have programs for individuals as young as two years old to seven. That’s a, a young athletes, um, sports play program that kind of builds cognitive social and motor skills at a very early age. Um, but we still have 90 year olds that are competing with us in skill-based competition. And so, um, as you mentioned, sports is, uh, really our primary vehicle to, um, help our athletes have a platform to showcase their abilities and skill sets, which in Florida we have 27 sports, which is pretty remarkable that are happening year round. Um, but we also have, uh, as I mentioned, the young athletes programs. We have a lot of, uh, activity happening. It’s through school programs and curriculums. Um, and then, uh, from there we also offer more of a holistic approach to competition and sports through health.
Sherry Wheelock:
And we provide health exams, uh, nutrition classes, uh, hydration, um, exhibitions, et cetera for our athletes in over eight disciplines and activities throughout the year. So I think that married with an athlete leadership program, which is really remarkable. And, and Maryann is, is one of our graduates and one of our top speakers from our athlete leadership program. But that gives another way for athletes as they continue to grow in confidence and want to expand their skills. We have computer programming classes, we have presentation, public speaking classes, governance classes, so a lot of other additional, um, you know, resources that probably most people don’t know. And all of this is at no cost to our athletes or caregivers, which I think is really critical, uh, for our athletes. Um, we have over 75,000 athletes in the state of Florida at this point, which, uh, is really, um, a testament to the quality of the Special Olympics programming.
Sherry Wheelock:
I think obviously people see the value and the impact of what’s happening in the lives of these athletes, but also in turn, because of the skills they grow in the program, they’re becoming bigger contributors into our community. And so it’s kind of a win-win for everyone, um, as we continue to see, uh, the athletes thrive. And, um, and then one more important thing I think obviously is that we are truly a grassroots organization at heart. Um, volunteers are really the backbone of everything we do. So in the state of Florida, for instance, um, for day of events, ongoing coaching, uh, fundraising activities, we have over 45,000 volunteers that really make all of this happen for the athletes. So, um, yeah, we’re really proud of our programs and really proud of our athletes and volunteers. And so, it’s just a great, great organization overall.
Brad Caruso:
75,000 athletes and 45,000 coaches to facilitate that. That sounds like a large operation. That sounds like a lot to, to make that run well, <laugh>
Sherry Wheelock:
Yeah, I mean, again, I think, you know, because of the volunteer aspect, um, you know, we have a lot of great individuals who are engaged throughout, um, the school system. There’s other, um, entities that help service our athletes, whether it’s an adult training center that is helping with the curriculum or the mentors that support our athlete leadership program, unified partners. So Maryann mentioned that, which is a role that a person without an intellectual disability is actually paired with our athletes, either in, uh, an individual sport such as golf, where they can play alternate shots where they can play their own game, but be together as a pair, or we have team-based, uh, unified programming, which I think again, is another really unique opportunity for volunteering, uh, to play on a team with one of the athletes and be part of something that is ongoing in their life.
Brad Caruso:
That’s phenomenal. You mentioned something that intrigued me a little bit, and that’s when you, when you talked about the, you know, healthcare program, healthcare aspect of what you do and how you take care of your athletes and some of the program offers. Can you explore a little bit more about what your healthcare program looks like, kind of on a day-to-day basis? Kinda, you know, the, the, the help provided, uh, for your, for the individuals?
Sherry Wheelock:
Yeah, so I think, um, the key is that, again, once again, we have volunteers that we recruit from the medical community. So there’s medical professionals that are volunteering in varied disciplines. So we actually offer audiology, we do ophthalmology screenings for, um, opening, we call it opening eyes, but we do site tests so that our athletes can get glasses if needed, prescription glasses, which we provide. We have podiatry, we have physical therapy, kind of all inclusive, healthy habits. So there’s a lot of ways dental is probably the biggest need in the community. So, um, our athletes get an actual annual mouth test and then fluoride treatment. So we’re doing all of this in service to the athletes because we know that an athlete who’s able to see or hear is much better not only on the playing field, but also in their personal lives. And so actually Maryann has been not only health messenger for us, meaning, uh, someone who speaks on behalf of the athletes and encourages them to participate in these health exams, but also I think, um, she’s actually benefited personally, uh, from the program. So she’s had her glasses, uh, fulfilled through our program. She’s had sports goggles with a prescription, and, um, she actually got her hearing aids through our program. Yes. And so all of these things have, have impacted her life. Um, so I don’t know, Maryann, if you wanted to share a little bit about your college experience when you were realizing you needed a hearing aid?
Maryann Gonzalez:
Well, when I first started college, I sat in the front of the room because it was very difficult to hear the teacher and the other students when they were making noise. So I sat in the front and then I went through healthy hearing when Special Olympics offered it at state games, and I went and we found out that my hearing was bad. So we got hearing aids and it helped me a great deal. And, uh, we talked to the teacher about, you know, way I can learn his work to make it easier for me and he talked about putting me, uh, on a recording, uh, recorder so that I can listen to the recorder later. And I had somebody that worked with me and it actually worked very well, and I got through to class and I didn’t have much problems after that because the hearing aids helped with all our classes after work, and I did very well in college.
Sherry Wheelock:
So, I mean, you know, these kind of, um, real life impact are happening through this health program. So we’re doing actually, uh, hearing exams in the school system right now. So that’s kind of a new thing we’ve started to do. Uh, we typically did them out in the community, but we’re actually going to classrooms and doing, uh, hearing exams. Uh, so I think that’s been a remarkable, uh, you know, add to the program. And as you, you know, really important is just overall nutrition. So, you know, really focused on, uh, diet and nutrition and important healthy habits that our athletes should be focused on. Sun safety, of course in Florida, which is a big one. Um, but you know, all of this is at no cost. And then I think the important part is too, we don’t just leave it there, we give them a referral. So if an athlete does have an issue that needs to be followed up on, they actually receive a referral to a local practitioner back in their home, uh, local county or city, and so that they can actually follow up and get the care taken care of as well. So it’s a really remarkable program.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, I love hearing that. And, and it’s not something, I guess just publicly, I think we hear enough about, about the programs you offer, about the, I’ll call it the holistic approach that you take and really just the assistance that you’re providing for many individuals for a long, a long period of time too. I think that’s also like an understated fact that adds to the exemplary nature of the programs that you offer.
Sherry Wheelock:
You know, the holistic approach is, is really critical. And, and if you really think about it, and you know, as you talk to other major athletes, um, and across the, you know, any, any sports, um, industry, they’re really focused on year-round fitness training, you know, healthy habits, help eating well. And so it makes perfect sense that our athletes as well should be in that same regiment of taking care of themselves and, and seeing the benefits of that in their lives. So, um, I agree with you. I think that the lifelong approach is really remarkable at age, uh, 22, most of our athletes will leave the school system and not necessarily enter into a secondary, um, program or, uh, you know, um, another maybe career yet. And so I think it’s really important that many of these, um, uh, Special Olympics programs, uh, continue to be a critical part of their life, uh, because, um, at least in the state of Florida, there’s not a lot of other, um, you know, resources at no cost, uh, for sports and, um, these types of training and health programs that, um, our athletes really benefit from and love, you know.
Sherry Wheelock:
So many of them, it keeps them engaged, it keeps them healthy, it keeps their friendships, uh, you know, um, enlivened. And so, uh, we think that this is really important first and primary, you know, in the school system, but also for transition into adult, um, adulthood. And so, you know, most people say, oh, you know, like, you know, they, they use the word kids and well, we do have a lot of younger athletes. We do have many, many, um, older athletes. And so we are always thinking about how can we keep, um, people engaged. And so actually Maryann was one of the, um, inventors or pioneers of the cornhole program for all of Special Olympics, and she also helped with the implementation of pickleball for Special Olympics. So, um, those are our, our recent adds to the 27th sports that we offer. And we’ve seen a great gravitation to those from, um, all, all athletes, but a lot of the older athletes are very engaged, you know, with these, and that’s because they’re easy access, right? They can be done locally, they can be done at a home facility, at a school, at a church. So lots of options for, for activation.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, that’s phenomenal. Congratulations, uh, Maryann to, to you for that. That’s, that’s great. You know, how, how did you, uh, come up with the idea? Do you enjoy playing cornhole? Is that a, is that, uh, you know, enjoyable? I know I love playing it, so, you know, I could put that out there.
Maryann Gonzalez:
<laugh>, I enjoy playing cornhole, but I got the idea from a friend and because it was offered in another state and, but pickleball, we had the donations coming in first, so that’s why we started pickleball. And it was so much like tennis, but it was on a smaller fort, and it was more levels that our athletes, it was more available to all sorts of athletes at all, all ability goals. And so that’s why we started pickleball first. And then with the corn hole, it’s the same thing. Um, we have the 15, the 21, and the 27 feet, which makes it, um, with all ability bubble in mind. And it gives everybody a chance to be able to play a sport that they might be able to play that some of the other sports might be too hard for them to do. And people in wheelchairs actually could play cornhole if they go by the rules and keep their wheels behind the line and stuff like that. And, you know, it’s just opened up more ideas. And the popularity is very, very popular here in Florida. It’s blossomed, and so many people do it now
Sherry Wheelock:
And they’re unified. So again, Brad, you know, you can, you or any of the Withum, uh, employees could sign up and be on a team with an athlete to do cornhole or pickleball or, you know, any of our sports, which is really cool. I think.
Brad Caruso:
That is really cool.
Sherry Wheelock:
If you go to our website, SpecialOlympicsFlorida.org, uh, you can see we have regions, we’re set up in the regions, so you know, we’re five regions across the state, but there’s something as local as your local county that you can engage in, um, and find a team locally through, through our, uh, website. And, um, again, it’s just an incredible way to really spend time and you’re really gonna have a lot of fun.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, it sounds like it. And, and on that topic of volunteerism, I know you mentioned this opportunity, what are there, you know, when you think about volunteering in general for Special Olympics, what other volunteer activities and, and, uh, you know, commenting on, you know, how you get involved, what the process looks like a little bit if you, if you have that, I don’t know if there’s, you know, yep. Sometimes, sometimes volunteering is a, a is an application process. Sometimes there’s different things that happen, but maybe commenting a little bit about that would be great.
Sherry Wheelock:
Yeah, I think, um, so as I mentioned, the volunteer, uh, structure is really important for us because because of volunteers, we are able to really, um, stretch the funding that we receive to go far. So we are able to drive 85 cents or more to directly to programs because of the volunteer involvement, which is really important for us. And so, um, they can, uh, be anything from a day of event. So that means if you go on our website and see like, Hey, I see locally there’s a standup paddle competition coming up next week, you could just sign up to come out and volunteer to help with hydration, or you could help stage the athletes. You could actually give the medals to the athletes or awards. Um, but, uh, obviously you could also do things such as I mentioned, the medical professionals. Um, I think a really big draw here is that the medical professionals get that time to really work with our athletes and, um, they become much more comfortable serving, um, the persons with intellectual disability as a result of being a volunteer in our program.
Sherry Wheelock:
And so it’s a really big benefit, not only to our athletes, but I think to them as well back in their personal lives and in their communities. Um, and then I think the coach is really key. So we have an initiative going on right now called Go Coach and, um, the, the auspices, you know, we cannot start a program. We can’t have our athletes engaged without a great coach. Um, and some people are like, well, I don’t know sports, or I don’t know this sport, but you really won’t need to know the fundamentals necessarily of the sport. We just need you to be a passionate individual to wanna serve, um, our program and our athletes. And through this, we will take you and guide you through a curriculum. We’ll do training certification in the sport of your choice, um, and then be able to, you know, set you up for success.
Sherry Wheelock:
We connect people with other coaches that are already live in their area. And so, um, it’s really a great model to be able to transition into that role. But that is the role that, uh, really, uh, is the game changer for our athletes. They are in our athletes’ lives day in and day out. Um, they create amazing friendships. Um, I think also important is the unified partner element that we talked about, and that’s a really unique volunteer role. Um, but I love it because once individuals come together, you learn a lot from each other. Uh, you, um, really agree grow to appreciate each other’s skill sets and, and perspectives on, on sports and obviously life in general. Um, but you can just see some of the incredible friendships that have grown through that program. And then, you know, many of our, uh, high school level and college level unified partners, you know, are really engaging our athletes in the corporate arena and in other ways.
Sherry Wheelock:
Um, so they’ve been able to work with our athletes since they were younger. Uh, we actually have unified champions, uh, programs in our elementary schools throughout Florida, uh, and, and in many other states. And so growing up together, you know, you don’t see a difference, right? You start to see just, you know, anybody, um, it same as, you know, from your perspective, they’re just another friend, another person with a great abilities, unique abilities. And so from that, we’re seeing incredible impact from these individuals who are now leaders in industry. They’re leaders in whatever they were passionate about, and they’re bringing along, you know, the athletes because they know what value they can also bring into the, into the community. So it’s really exciting for that program to have expanded. And we have that in nearly 600 schools across, uh, the state of Florida, the Unified Champions program. Um, so we’re really, again, excited about unified partners too.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, I, I love hearing about that and, and just, you know, for everybody out there, I know, you know, I always, I talk to people all the time about how people can get involved locally, nationally, you know, in their communities helping people they wouldn’t otherwise help. And I mean, you know, I mean, you offer this to everybody and you offer this to have many people be able to volunteer. And, and just hearing, you know, a little bit of what Maryann said, I’m also curious, I’m gonna ask her a question in, in a little bit on this, but, you know, just hearing the impact that it has, um, you know, is, is, is phenomenal. And, and you know, it’s, that’s a, it’s a lot of volunteers to manage. And so, you know, clearly you’re doing a very good job of managing your volunteerism. ’cause that’s, that’s not an easy thing to do. And, you know, putting in 40,000 volunteers is a lot of volunteers. That’s a significant number. But, but the impact is outweighs that, you know, and certainly makes it all worth it.
Sherry Wheelock:
And I, I think, you know, from both our, our team members, our staff, but also the volunteers. I, I think working, you know, with our athletes and, and, and sharing time with them, you, you’ll see, and I, I think anybody you talk to that has volunteered with us, you get so much more out of it than you’re putting into it. I think that’s what keeps people coming back, right? Because not only they, they, you know, ’cause we all come with the idea, like, I have all these skills and I’ll be this great. Like, I mean, me personally, I came out of, um, you know, corporate finance and I was all excited about all these great skills that I had to bring, you know, to Special Olympics. But honestly, I’ve learned so much more, um, about so many other things, you know, whether it’s just life or, um, different skill sets that I’ve seen now in practice, uh, that I, I think it’s really remarkable, again, the joy that we get from our athletes. And so I think for the volunteerism side, um, that’s what really also keeps people engaged and supported, because you’re right, it’s a lot to not only manage, but inspire volunteers, right? You know, inspiration is really the key and what inspires all of us is our athletes. So that’s really what makes this all.
Brad Caruso:
It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I mean, I know myself, I feel better when I help someone else than when I help myself. And, you know, having that opportunity is really the thing that we all cherish is having the opportunity to help someone else. And I love that you give people the opportunity to help people and, and to really, you know, make an impact on someone’s life. And that’s, it’s a great feeling in life. It’s a great, it’s a great thing in life
Sherry Wheelock:
And it’s great. Yeah. And we have great partners, um, you know, from sponsors that have been here since 1972 for Special Olympics Florida. So we have incredible folks that, um, support us and they see this impact. To your point, and I think you’re right, I think access to opportunity is really what we seek here. That’s, that’s really what we’re really focused on. Um, we have, uh, you know, like we talked about the state level stuff, but there’s actually national invitationals that are happening across the U.S. Um, there’s a USA games, um, component of what Special Olympics does. And as Maryann pointed out, there’s world games. So, you know, she’s competed in Greece and, um, we’ve had a, you know, she’s been all over the world as a, as a result of Special Olympics. And for many of our athletes even coming to, uh, a state games, it’s the first time they may have traveled outside of their county. So I think that’s another thing that people don’t really, you know, appreciate is that, um, this really opens up a whole other level of independence and understanding of, of the greater community for our athletes, which is really remarkable as well.
Brad Caruso:
Yes, it is. And, and Maryann just, I want to hear, you know, from your perspective, and maybe give our audience a little bit of background on, you know, the games themselves and, you know, some of the competitions you’ve been in. Any, any stories come to mind.
Maryann Gonzalez:
You go out there and you’re very competitive and you go out there to win, but you don’t always win, but you always become friends at the end. And that’s a great experience within itself because you don’t always come with the friends of the people that you play, but you come friends with the volunteers and everybody else that you come with in contact with. And, and the competitions that I’ve been in, and like when I went to Notre Dame to, to where it was international games, and you meet all these people from all over the world, that’s so many people that you are playing against that you would never get to meet unless you got to go to something like that. And just all the people you know, that’s interesting and you talk to for 10 days and you came very competitive because you’re playing against them. But yet, at the end of the day, when you sit down at a meal or at a party, you, you’re friends and you sit there and you talk as friends. And at the dorms it was the same thing. And, you know, it was very good.
Brad Caruso:
I love that message. It, it’s not like often talked about in sports in general, that, you know, yes, you leave it all out in the field, you try the best you can, as you said, you’re there to win. Like you’re, you know, you’re, I’m putting in my best effort all the time. However, at the end of the day, if then you can be friends with those competitors and you can spend time with them and you get to travel and you get to do, you know, live these experiences you otherwise would not, uh, have the opportunity to if you didn’t get to participate in these games. I think that’s phenomenal. And I, I just, I love your message. It’s such a positive tone. And I wish everyone in the world took that message from the amateur sports level to the kid sports level. I coach two kid sports, and I can tell you some, sometimes it’s not like that <laugh>, you know, sometimes some of the kids get a little, uh, a little aggressive towards each other. And then even at like the professional level, you know, if everyone just realizes like, okay, like we’re here to do our best, but we’re not gonna make it more than, more than it is, than, than that, we’re not gonna cause a cause a stir here and, and have, have negative energy towards each other just because we’re on the opposite team or we’re participating in a sport against each other. So I love your message, Maryann. That was phenomenal.
Sherry Wheelock:
And our, our athlete oath, as you mentioned is, um, you know, let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. And, uh, very interesting that, um, when I first started one of our longtime, um, you know, volunteers had shared with me, um, you know, ’cause I think as a, you know, a volunteer or as somebody from, um, a non-athlete perspective, my, I get excited about the let me be brave in the attempt. You know, I’m like, how cool is that? That’s such a great attitude. But, um, she just wanted to remind me that, you know, our athletes do, are competitors though, so that’s why it’s let me win. You know, because they wanna compete, they, that’s important to them. But if they cannot, and let me be brave in the attempt in that, to your point, is the sportsmanship, the attitude of really appreciating people for, um, who they are as opposed to the competitive, uh, side of things. Um, so, um, it’s really a great message for everyone.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, it’s code to live by and, and, you know, sports or not, it’s a code to live by without a doubt. So, Sherry, you mentioned something before too, I just wanted to highlight, um, which, which I, which I always think, you know, in the not-for-profit community as a whole, and, and you know, specifically in the, um, you know, IDD community, um, you know, can you, can you talk about, you know, how you partner, um, with other, other, uh, organizations, you know, specifically, you mentioned before the schools, uh, in the state and some other organizations. Talk about how, you know, your organization partners and works with kind of different organizations within your ecosystem. Because I, I find that there’s a lot of value in that as well as I believe you do a great job of it. So can you talk a little bit about that?
Sherry Wheelock:
Yeah, so, um, first, you know, the, the school system side of things, as we mentioned, is really critical and important, uh, focus for us. We, we offer many different programs that can be done within the school program where we have curriculums that we provide. Um, and, and actually at train the, um, coaches or teachers that will be doing those programs at the school level. And then we have a lot of resources that we add to that. So we will, um, provide the equipment that they need, um, for doing our, for instance, our little elites program or our Rising Stars program, which are, um, sports related training and recreational, um, models. Uh, then, uh, if they choose to also wanna do competitive level at the school system, we will actually provide all of the transportation, the food, the uniforms for our schools. Um, and I think, um, an important part of that to note is that Florida High School Athletic Association is a big partner with us.
Sherry Wheelock:
So we have our own division within FHSAA. And so for our athletes to be able to compete at that level, um, and to be recognized by their peers in the same sports, uh, programming, uh, they will get the letter in their homeschool, they get the same trophies, their same, um, competitive skills that really builds the inclusive nature of what we’re doing. Um, and in addition, we have the unified champions model in our school system, which means it’s not just sports played with and without intellectual disabilities, but they’re also doing important activations like anti-bullying campaigns. They’re doing service learning projects together. They’re doing, they’re building athlete leadership skills or just leadership skills, excuse me, at large. And so, um, this is really a remarkable program, as I mentioned before, that’s kind of changing the whole atmosphere at the school level for inclusion. And, uh, is that something, you know, really important for the future, uh, of all of us.
Sherry Wheelock:
And so, um, the schools are very big partner with us. Um, but we also do other, uh, relationships as you mentioned. Um, we work with, um, uh, you know, the Goodwill, Easterseals, um, Unite Cerebral Palsy. They’ll actually, uh, use our, um, our programming, uh, that they utilize onsite at their schools. Um, uh, and then we will definitely also, uh, work with just local programming at churches in different, uh, daycares or facilities to do our young athletes programs. Uh, we will also, uh, make sure that, um, you know, any of these types of programming are available to be done at a community model too. So a lot of things happening. We’re doing some league play stuff that’s pretty cool. So, uh, we’re doing a lot of, um, uh, the Gridiron team. So we’re working with Gridiron to offer flag football to our athletes. Um, uh, Florida Elite, we’re doing soccer programming. So again, uh, our goal is that if our athletes wanna play soccer all year, we want them to play soccer all year. We wanna find ways for them to do this year round for themselves. Um, alternatively, if you have an athlete like Maryann who does five different sports, then you know, we want her to be able to find five different sports, um, to play in. So, uh, so we’re really just, you know, very happy with, um, connecting with partners, but um, also offer the programming to the community as well as the school systems.
Brad Caruso:
Flag football is great. That is the, that is one of the sports that I coach <laugh> very popular, and especially in today’s day and age with getting away from some of the head-to-head contact from, you know, full contact sports like football, the flag football has the same elements to it, but just without the full on contact, even though sometimes the kids do have some full on contact <laugh>, but it’s, uh, love that sport and it is one you can play year round ’cause you play indoors outdoors, and yeah, that’s, that’s a great sport for everybody.
Sherry Wheelock:
It’s huge. And you know, we do a lot with law enforcement too, which is kind of interesting.
Brad Caruso:
Oh, cool.
Sherry Wheelock:
Um, they do a lot for awareness for us and, and, and fundraising, but a a lot with awareness for athletes and again, opening up opportunities with them to, um, you know, be able to, uh, to participate in local events or, or community, um, uh, outings. And so, uh, we’re really proud of that way that we partner with law enforcement as well.
Brad Caruso:
Love that. So I guess as we, as we wind down here, um, you know, when I always think about like a call to action and you, you talked a lot about volunteerism, um, about how people can get involved, uh, with Special Olympics Florida, you know, when you, when you look at kind of like what some of the fundraising needs are from the organization as well as, I know you have a couple, uh, an event coming up. Maybe you can talk a little bit about that, you know, what are some of the needs of Special Olympics Florida that the audience and others out there that maybe listen to this might be able to help?
Sherry Wheelock:
Yeah, so I mean obviously funding is, is critical. So, um, we, we always have need for funding, um, uh, especially as we’ve grown so much, you know, in the last several years. Uh, but, uh, we, one of the ways we we raise funds is what they call it, peer-to-peer model, meaning, um, Brad, you might start a, a team and then you’re gonna ask your friends and family to support you to run a 5K or to do something different. And, but we put it within a context of, uh, a Race for Inclusion. So the idea is, um, not only just to fundraise, but also it’s a year-round campaign that we’re talking about different matters of inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities. And so, um, we have races starting from as far south as Key West, and then we have something up at Pensacola, uh, different sports, anything from 5Ks to a golfer inclusion.
Sherry Wheelock:
Uh, we also have, um, stand Standup Paddle Swim for inclusion, as Maryann just pointed out. So we have a way for people to come out activate, uh, through fundraising, but also we’ll be doing important panels. We have one coming up in July, uh, with healthcare systems. So we’re working on talking about, um, access to healthcare, quality healthcare for persons with intellectual disabilities, you know, what that looks like, what the needs are still out there. So there’s an ongoing campaign and conversation around, uh, ways to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are included, whether it’s employment ideas, whether it’s housing, uh, transportation, and as I mentioned, healthcare. So, so that’s kind of our call to action is our race for inclusion. And, uh, these events in Florida will be starting this September.
Brad Caruso:
And with respect to that, how would someone kind of, you know, get involved in that in that process? What does that look like? Is that through your website? Is that through contact?
Sherry Wheelock:
And we have a raceforinclusion.org page
Brad Caruso:
raceforinclusion.org. Okay, cool.
Sherry Wheelock:
So we have a direct page that way where, again, you can find it through our website at specialolympicsflorida.org.
Brad Caruso:
Nice. Yeah.
Sherry Wheelock:
Okay. Yeah, that’s fun. It’s a great way to really celebrate, um, in the community and also do, you know, great things for our athletes. Uh, so it’s really important.
Brad Caruso:
And then last but not least, you know, what’s on the horizon for Special Olympics Florida? Well, you know, Maryann, what do you have going on this summer? <laugh>,
Maryann Gonzalez:
Maryann’s got it all going on right now. And then I got swimming starting next, um, Sunday, and then I have golf going on.
Brad Caruso:
Awesome.
Maryann Gonzalez:
I stay very busy. And then I have a health presentation that I’m gonna be going around the state doing for both health within Special Olympics Florida, to different groups of people to show them how our health program helps people with intellectual disability.
Sherry Wheelock:
Yep. Maryann’s gonna be busy.
Brad Caruso:
You’re busy. Yeah, you’re busy. You’re busier than me. That’s phenomenal. Yeah. You have a lot going on. It’s good though. It’s good to be busy. Yes.
Maryann Gonzalez:
I love, I love to be busy. ’cause then it keeps you outta trouble.
Sherry Wheelock:
<laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
It does keep you outta trouble. <laugh>
Sherry Wheelock:
It does keep you outta trouble. Yeah, no, as, as Maryann said, I think very focused on, um, advocacy, you know, around, um, uh, the needs, uh, for our athletes, the need for inclusion. Uh, and then, um, uh, we will be kind of formulating this year, Team Florida, which will be going to the USA Games in Minnesota in 2026. So we’ll be getting ready to announce that later this year, um, as we make selections. And then there’ll be training and, you know, getting ready for the training camp. So, um, Special Olympics never ends. It’s nonstop <laugh>,
Brad Caruso:
As you said before, 24/7, 365 days a year. Yep.
Sherry Wheelock:
Every day. Every day.
Maryann Gonzalez:
It’s a revolving door.
Sherry Wheelock:
It’s a revolving door. Yes. Yeah. And actually we actually have an athlete competing in the World Winter Games at Turin, Italy in downhill skiing. So, um, they practice on the slopes down in, uh, Fort Lauderdale. So, uh, we’re excited to see that as well in 2025. So a lot of, a lot of great things happening.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. I love to hear it. This was a very insightful conversation. I really appreciate your time, Sherry and Maryann. Just, you know, spending time with us, sharing with the audience, uh, work that you’re doing as well as Maryann your personal experiences, which is super relevant. Just, you know, hearing, uh, how much impact Special Olympics Florida has had, as well as just, um, you know, how much fun you’re having and, and a lot of the activities you’re participating in and a lot of the programs that exist that, that have helped you personally as well as helped many out there. So I really appreciate your time sharing those experiences with us today.
Maryann Gonzalez:
Thank you very much.
Sherry Wheelock:
Thank you, Brad. Again, you know, we can’t thank you enough for getting the awareness out about, um, Special Olympics and just as we mentioned, the need to, uh, continue to drive this movement, you know, the volunteers and the, and the funding and just, you know, activation by the athletes to get involved. So it’s, it all matters and we really appreciate being part of your podcast.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. And, and all our audience out there listening, you know, as you have, uh, opportunities, you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity, you’re looking to help another individual in the world, you’re looking to get involved, check out Special Olympics Florida, check out an organization that helps so many people. And so, you know, I really appreciate your time today, Sherry and Maryann and and Warriors. Thank you so much for listening. You know, subscribe and meet us right back here for another episode of Withum Civic Warriors. Bye everybody.
