Special Olympics Tennessee
Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Competitions and Sports Training
Athletes train in 17 sports locally and compete to qualify for state-wide events. Program includes Traditional Sports made up of Special Olympics qualified athletes and Unified Sports made up of Special Olympics athletes and peers without disabilities. In Tennessee there are 36 area programs that coordinate competitions and training for a specific county or region. Year-round sports programming includes alpine skiing, snowboard, ice skating, basketball, track & field, swimming, golf, flag football, bocce, powerlifting, tennis, volleyball, soccer, bowling, equestrian, softball and rollerskating.
Volunteer Training
The organization coordinates 36 volunteer training schools annually for coaches in all sports and other volunteers in areas of management, public relations, and fundraising to certify all to work with Special Olympic athletes.
Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPS)
Special Olympics Athletes have the opportunity to serve on boards, local area committees or other leadership roles with the support of a mentor. The Global Messenger Training Program invites outside facilitators to work with Special Olympics athletes in the ALPS program in the areas of public speaking, speeches and presentations. Athletes can also participate in training programs to become officials for competitions as well as coaches or assistant coaches.
Young Athletes Program
Young athletes programs were started in 2009 to meet the demand for activities for 3 to 7 year old children with intellectual disabilities. These community-based programs consist of weekly "play" activities involving child and parent...ideally with a maximum of 12 families involved. The program introduces "young athletes" and their parents alike to Special Olympics activities as well as bringing them together socially as they learn the health, physical fitness and self-confidence building values of Special Olympics.
Healthy Athletes Activities
In 1990, Special Olympics introduced its first Healthy Athletes program with vision screening whereby volunteer specialist screen athletes attending state events and then provide them with glasses if needed free of charge. The program has been expanded over the years to include hearing and dental screenings, and most recently in 2010, a fitness and nutrition education effort to combat the obesity issues affecting all Tennesseans, but especially citizens with disabilities who have less access to resources. This project has been done in conjunction with the Governor's statewide program of "Get Fit TN".
Youth Activation/Involvement
In 2010, Special Olympics began a program to engage youth at the high school and middle school levels to become engaged with Special Olympics athletes in their schools as Unified Sports partners and friends. These "activation" activities include in-school campaigns to build respect and understanding for all people with disabilities. Most recently, participating schools have conducted in-school campaigns of Special Olympics' "Spread the Word to End the Word", a campaign to end the use of the word retarded in jokes and everyday language...teaching that words can hurt and the role of words in bullying. In 2018 Special Olympics TN and the TSSAA will partner to start Unified Sports programs in high schools that will be sanctioned high school competitions.
Where we work
Accreditations
Special Olympics International, Inc 2017
Affiliations & memberships
Affiliate/Chapter of National Organization 1968
Community Shares 2005
Community Health Charities 2005
USA Track & Field 1976
Major League Baseball 2005
Tennessee Disability Coalition 2005
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Special Olympics Tennessee
Board of directorsas of 06/23/2023
Haley Wielgus
WKRN-TV ABC Channel 2
Term: 2020 - 2023
Chief John Drake
Metro Nashville Police Department
Term: 2022 - 2023
Klay Lesko
Aviator Supply Chain Solutions, Inc.
Terry Saharski
Nationwide Insurance--retired
Jenny Smith
Heritage Medical Associates
Ben Flatt
GoHealth Urgent Care
Mark Eddy
HCA-retired
Adam Germek
Ex Officio-SOTN President/CEO
John Drake
Chief of Metro Nashville Police Department
Dr. Chris Frost
LifePoint Health
Elizabeth McCreary
Williamson, Inc.
Haley Wielgus
WKRN-TV ABC Channel 2
Jerry Hampton
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Josh Corey
Tennessee Titans
Dr. LaShaunda Massey
Clinical Psychologist
Kara Greer
Schneider Electric
Jerry Butler
Special Olympics TN Athlete
Ken Youngstead
KRAFT CPAs
Manisha Shah
HCA Healthcare
Mark Blaze
Groove Construction
Matt Laker
Jackson
Mike Cairnes
JoyBridge Kids
Larry Hogg
Delta Dental of Tennessee
Hunter Brush
Butler Snow, LLP
Mary Layne Van Cleave
Tennessee Hospital Association (THA)-retired
Marshall Meier
Bank of America
Yetunde Faparusi
Nissan North America
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable