This page provides information for leadership volunteers across North Carolina to keep them informed of new resources and opportunities from SONC while also sharing regular reminders on practices and policies. Visit it regularly to stay informed!
Staying Active Together
Updated: 3/27/20
We are extremely impressed with how everyone is getting active and working on their health! We wanted to share out some great ways coaches, local programs and athletes are taking to social media to encourage athletes to stay active and healthy. We hope this inspires others to do the same.
Check out three examples of how a coach, local program and athlete are getting people active!
As more people post videos and pictures, we will continue to highlight these on our social media platforms. We will also be adding your workouts, fitness activities and health videos to our YouTube page to share with everyone. If you are planning to share videos, please make sure to record it and send it our way. We are in this together!
School of Strength – Working Out with WWE Superstars
Updated: 3/27/20
The Special Olympics School of Strength campaign officially launched on Tuesday. This is an interactive online platform that encourages athletes to participate in a fun and engaging training program that they can do in the comfort of their own homes. Developed in partnership with WWE superstar Becky Lynch, this series of videos, a fitness tracker, a coach’s playbook and a caregiver toolkit all contribute to helping athletes focus on nutrition, fitness and getting the most out of their workouts.
Check out the TODAY Show talking about it on their segment!
SONC Statewide Local Coordinator Meeting
Updated: 3/27/20
We hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy during this trying time. As always, SONC staff is here to help and offer any resources to your program or answer any questions/concerns you may have so please do not hesitate to reach out. Please continue to monitor our Updates Page and email for the latest from us as we continue to monitor the coronavirus spread and adhere to recommendations from Special Olympics International and elected officials.
We are using this time away from programming to learn what you’re doing locally to keep your athletes active and healthy so we can share best practices and better support you. Please take a few moments to complete our Health, Fitness, and Sport at Home Survey. We are also planning for a statewide Local Coordinator meeting via GoToMeeting on Tuesday, April 7, at 12:00 p.m., and would love to have you join us. Please register for the meeting to receive login information.
SONA Golf Championship
Updated: 3/23/20
Special Olympics North America is moving forward with planning for the 2020 SONA Golf Championship, scheduled to take place October 4-7 at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, NJ. If your program is interested in sending athletes and coaches to this event, please complete this form by April 23. Special Olympics North Carolina will submit one quota request on behalf of our program to the Games Organizing Committee. As is normally the case with these events, the local program will be responsible for all associated costs with this event, including but not limited to the registration fee, housing, travel, meal costs, etc. This event typically costs between $400-$600 per person, depending on duration of stay and mode of transportation. Local Program Coordinators must first get the permission from their community resource director before submitting a quota request. Please note that this quota request does not guarantee nor does it bind you to any quota given. Any adjustments, postponements, or cancelations of this event will be communicated to those who request quota as it is received by our office.
SONA Tennis Championship
Updated: 3/23/20
Special Olympics North America is moving forward with planning for the 2020 SONA Tennis Championship, scheduled to take place October 15-17 on Hilton Head Island, SC. If your program is interested in sending athletes and coaches to this event, please complete this form by April 23. Special Olympics North Carolina will submit one quota request on behalf of our program to the Games Organizing Committee. As is normally the case with these events, the local program will be responsible for all associated costs with this event, including but not limited to the registration fee, housing, travel, meal costs, etc. This event typically costs between $400-$600 per person, depending on duration of stay. Local Program Coordinators must first get the permission from their community resource director before submitting a quota request. Please note that this quota request does not guarantee nor does it bind you to any quota given. Any adjustments, postponements or cancelations of this event will be communicated to those who request quota as it is received by our office.
Protective Behaviors and Concussion Training available on SO Learn Portal
Updated 3/6/20
As many of you know, the format for the online Protective Behaviors training, as well as how one gets to the training in order to take it, changed last year to the SO Learn Portal. We are excited to let you know that Concussion Training is also available on in the SO Learn Portal! There are a number of coaches and sport assistants whose trainings in these two certifications have expired or will expire in 2020. SONC is sending a reminder email to those volunteers via the volunteers@sonc.net address with instructions on how to renew these certifications.
Notice regarding coach certification requirements effective August 1, 2020
Updated: 2/21/20
This is a heads up that Coaching Special Olympics Athletes training will be required for all SONC Level 1 coaches starting August 1, 2020. Many of you may remember a similar adjustment a few years ago, and then a switch back. This is a change dictated by Special Olympics North America. We are confident that the levels will stay constant for at least the next few years. Click here to see a preview of the levels effective August 1, 2020. There are two ways a coach can take this training: in person at a training school or via this online training. Please note there is an upfront cost associated with the online training.
Friendly reminder regarding online fundraising
Updated 2/12/20
As we continue to plan fundraising events for 2020, please remember that local programs are not approved to create or use unauthorized online fundraising websites (such as Eventbrite, Gofundme, etc.). The only approved platforms SONC local programs can use are Classy and Firstgiving, which must be created by your Community Resource Director. Please reach out to lbruce@sonc.net or iwilliams@sonc.net when planning your event to make sure we can help with planning and ensure we are using the appropriate online registration and payment platform.
Walmart grant process for local programs
Updated 2/12/20
Many programs have asked about Walmart grants and how we can go about applying for them. At this time, requests for community grants cannot be fulfilled by a local program; instead we encourage local programs to engage Walmart as volunteers in order to qualify for and potentially receive their VAP grants. You can read more about the opportunity here and contact your Community Resource Director should you have any questions about the process.
Sales tax reminder
Updated: 2/3/20
As a non-profit organization, SONC applies for a refund on all state sales taxes applied to purchases made within the state. Please be sure to provide receipts showing state sales taxes and document the sales tax on all reimbursements, check authorizations, and cash advance reports. If you have any questions about sales tax, please reach out to your Community Resource Director.
