Supporting Special Olympics North Carolina with your time, energy and funds truly makes a difference in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Thanks to the generosity of individuals, foundations and businesses across the state, Special Olympics athletes are never charged a fee to participate.

Businesses and civic groups have partnered with Special Olympics North Carolina to increase their level of social responsibility and community involvement. Becoming a Statewide Partner offers year-round, statewide recognition for your company, while a Fundraiser & Events Sponsorship can offer valuable opportunities for corporate brand enhancement and employee morale building.

Benefits to partnering with Special Olympics North Carolina:

• Universal Impact. Among athletes, donors and volunteers, Special Olympics touches the lives of one in every six families in America.
• Extensive Recognition. Special Olympics enjoys a 95% recognition rate in America.
• Overwhelming Participation. Special Olympics is the world's largest amateur sports organization, involving more than 2.5 million athletes and 250 thousand coaches in more than 165 countries. There are more than 38,000 athletes in North Carolina alone.
• Unrivaled Favorability. Special Olympics has been named "the most credible charity in America" by the Chronicle of Philanthropy and rated "Number One", in a Procter & Gamble study, compared to other national and international charities.
• Overwhelming Support. Special Olympics has a loyal army of more than five million donors and 500,000 volunteers in the U.S. and more than 20,000 donors in North Carolina!
• Out pulls the Olympics. Consumer purchasing intent for products affiliated with Special Olympics is more than double that for the Super Bowl and 47% greater than for the Olympic Games.
• High-Profile Events & Participants. Special Olympics North Carolina hosts six annual competitions at the state-level and has drawn support from well known personalities in the sports community such as NHL Carolina Hurricanes Goalie Cam Ward, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Men's Basketball Coach Roy Williams and East Carolina Football Coach Skip Holtz, Dale Jarrett of NASCAR and numerous NBA Charlotte Bobcats players and coaches.

For more information on becoming a Special Olympics North Carolina sponsor, contact your local Special Olympics program or Olivia Laney, senior vice president for finance and resource development, olaney@sonc.net or 919-719-7662 ext. 107.