As a founding partner and global sponsor of Special Olympics, Coca-Cola has been at the forefront of the movement to celebrate the limitless potential of individuals with intellectual disabilities and the power of sport to bring people together and, ultimately, transform lives. This longstanding partnership is grounded in the shared values of optimism, acceptance and inclusion, which Special Olympics and Coca-Cola have brought to communities across the globe over the last five decades.

In 2019, our 51st year of partnership, we again leveraged the reach and relevancy of the Coca-Cola brand to activate the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. Our global and local teams helped build awareness through our marketing assets; refreshed athletes and fans on site through our portfolio of beverages; and mobilized a volunteer network of passionate employees.

Our partnership with Special Olympics has progressed over the years, built on a foundational belief in social inclusion and acceptance. Recently, we have accelerated our efforts to break down barriers in support of the organization’s mission to create employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities by hiring Special Olympics athletes to join our project teams leading up to and during the last several World Games.

For the last 30 years, the biggest and brightest voices in the recording industry have generously lent their time and talents to Special Olympics to create the holiday album series –A Very Special Christmas (AVSC) – the single most successful benefit recording in musical history.

This series has also brought joy to the world through the transformative power of sport. Approximately $137 million in royalties and investment proceeds has been generated by the sale of the AVSC albums to support Special Olympics athletes.

How do you follow up on the spectacular year that was 2018 – it’s simple – increase fundraising and participation – and that was exactly was happened. In 2019, fundraising by Law Enforcement Torch Run programs exceeded USD$60 million for the first time and we increased the number of Torch Runners engaged in LETR activities to almost 114,000. In March, 125 law enforcement members, Special Olympics athletes and staff from 22 nations gathered in Abu Dhabi for the 2019 LETR Final Leg for the Special Olympics World Games – an experience that will stay with the participants for years to come. The team was honoured to be joined by Chief LaMunyon and his wife Sharron for the closing stages of the event – the first time that the Chief had been to a Final Leg outside of the US. Yes – it was a great year!

For more than three decades, Bank of America has partnered with Special Olympics, working to build a more diverse and inclusive society. Their long history of support - including philanthropy and employee volunteerism - shows their strong commitment to giving opportunities to people with disabilities and advocating for inclusion and respect. In 2019, Bank of America was the premier sponsor of Special Olympics USA delegation competing in the 2019 World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi. With this support, a delegation of 354 Athletes, including Bank of America employee Andrew Clout, participated in the Summer Games, showcasing their abilities on and off the field while inspiring the world to #ChoosetoInclude.

With Bank of America’s support, Special Olympics launched a new approach to developing leaders at a global workshop. With 80 participants representing all 7 Regions and 14 Programs, the workshop focused on new training content with a strong emphasis on roles and jobs for athlete leaders and a new ‘Unified Leadership’ approach which develops inclusive mindsets and skills for leaders in and outside Special Olympics. This innovative approach will be integrated across Special Olympics sports, youth, health, and leadership development work to showcase how true inclusion is achieved when leaders value others, adapt to their needs, and build inclusive environments where everyone can succeed!

Bank of America’s continued support of the Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers, as well as many of the other related Special Olympics athlete leadership programs offered worldwide, allows athletes to explore opportunities for greater participation in the movement beyond sports training and competition.

ESPN has a nearly 35 year relationship with Special Olympics, working together to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. In 2019, ESPN renewed its Global Presenting Sponsorship of Unified Sports and its broadcast agreement to be the Global Broadcast Sponsor of Special Olympics premier events through 2027.

Between 2013-2019, ESPN helped Unified Sports achieve a 172% increase in athlete and teammate participation (nearly 1,815,000), and a 464% increase in the number of Unified Sports coaches (nearly 119,000).

ESPN hosts Unified Sports activities across the U.S and internationally including Winter and Summer X Games, Unified College Rivalry Series and collaborates with leagues such as Major League Soccer, whereby Unified Soccer teams travel to MLS markets to compete in exhibition matches which are featured on ESPN platforms.

The Golisano Foundation, one of the nation’s leading foundations dedicated exclusively to helping organizations that assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has changed the landscape of Special Olympics Health.

Since 2012, when Special Olympics Healthy Communities® was launched with the support the Golisano Foundation, Mr. Golisano has pledged more than $37 million to Special Olympics to help improve health for people with intellectual disabilities globally. This support has realized significant improvements in health for athletes and families in 63 countries and 28 states within the US. This model global community health initiative aims to reduce the severe health disparities that exist for people with intellectual disabilities by working to improve access to health services and resources, providing health programming and prevention opportunities, facilitating training for health professionals and strengthening health systems in order to improve the health status of people with intellectual disabilities.

The Golisano Foundation’s legacy of breaking down barriers and expanding access to health care for people with intellectual disabilities continues, as Special Olympics extends and deepens its reach around the world, leading innovative and sustainable approaches to inclusive health services across diverse contexts.

The Special Olympics- Lions Clubs International Foundation “Mission: Inclusion” partnership platform engages countless Lions Clubs and Leo volunteers as part of ongoing Special Olympics programming. Through a generous grant from the Lions Clubs International Foundation, “Mission: Inclusion” supports programming in the areas of vision care, inclusive sports, leadership development, youth engagement, national partnership development and much more in now over 100 nations worldwide.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is one of the movement's largest global partners, serving as a global catalyst for Special Olympics Unified Schools' global growth through the “Play Unified- Learn Unified” platform in countries throughout the world.

Anytime Fitness launched a two-year national partnership with Special Olympics International in 2019, with the goal of encouraging all people to lead active, healthy, happy lives. This year, we focused on creating connections between Anytime Fitness gyms and local Special Olympics Programs, with formal grants in 23 US Programs. From these local partnerships, we saw Anytime Fitness employees volunteer at various State Games, participate in polar plunges and plane pulls, and run fundraisers. Anytime Fitness has also enhanced fitness programming around the country, by partnering with Programs to offer unified fitness classes and unified training opportunities at Anytime Fitness gyms.

In 2019 Brightspot continued to collaborate with Special Olympics to advance the organization’s growing digital presence. This past year marked the re-design of SpreadTheWord.global to coincide with the initiative’s rebranding in February 2019. Additionally, Brightspot designed and developed AbuDhabi2019.org, which integrated with Special Olympics games management tool, SO Connect, to provide real-time schedule and results for the first time in Special Olympics history. Brightspot also teamed with Special Olympics Health to launch the Center for Inclusive Health, an effort aimed at insuring that people with intellectual disabilities gain access to quality health care and health promotion programs.

The support extended beyond the web to the playing field. A team of ten Brightspot employees traveled halfway around the world to volunteer at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. The team organized and managed the on-site logistics for 21 Unified Sports Experiences that engaged over 1200 participants. Brightspot also proudly continued its support of Unified Sports with its ongoing sponsorship of the Brightspot Unified Challenge golf tournament and Hannah Teter Unified Snowboard Race.

During 2019, our communications partner Burson Cohn & Wolfe provided support across several fronts. At Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, BCW coordinated a media tour along Radio Row with WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair along with Special Olympics athlete Erykah Culbertson for national and key market interviews. BCW developed media materials, media notes and messaging for all spokespeople while generating additional opportunities along Radio Row. The program generated 137 million earned media impressions with strong message saturation throughout. Later in 2019, BCW worked with SO to generate substantially more healthcare coverage, and secured coverage on Sirius XM Health, a byline for a dental publication to discuss Special Smiles, and participation in a podcast, as well as establishing a relationship with key healthcare media on behalf of Special Olympics. Finally, BCW supported Special Olympics throughout the year on communications issues and opportunities, including counsel on overall branding, media relations support, materials development and crisis issues.

DocuSign is a proud supporter of Special Olympics and its work to unleash the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports. Since 2015, DocuSign has donated critical in-kind products, services, volunteer hours and funding to help Special Olympics transform the way they serve their millions of athletes around the world. In 2015, DocuSign eSignature was used at the 2015 World Summer Games in LA, marking the first time that signatures could be provided electronically and thus allowing athletes, guardians, coaches, and doctors to complete forms like required health screenings digitally. More recently, in 2019, over 100 of DocuSign’s Seattle-area employees volunteered at the Washington State Games to welcome athletes, families, and coaches as they arrived for the event.

Essilor International and the Essilor Vision Foundation have been Global Partners of the Special Olympics movement since 2002. As the Exclusive Global Supplier of Ophthalmic Lenses to the Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program, Essilor International and the Essilor Vision Foundation have been instrumental in providing hundreds of thousands of Special Olympics athletes with high-quality eye health and vision care services and most importantly, prescription eyeglasses for athletes with vision impairments. In addition, the Essilor Vision Foundation provides equipment, and key technical volunteer support to Opening Eyes programs around the world, empowering the movement to offer athletes in need with prescription eyewear tailored their individual needs. Essilor International has helped provide life-changing support to over 110,000 athletes in over 90 nations, including strong support to over 190 Opening Eyes events around the world in 2019 including the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. Essilor International and the Essilor Vision Foundation have continued to answer the call to action of Special Olympics athletes to support achieving health justice for all- as part of a shared commitment to creating inclusive health access worldwide.

The European Union's Sport unit and Erasmus + programme has provided SOEE support in increasing female participation in sport and social protection in general for inclusive sports.

ExxonMobil and Special Olympics entered into partnership in 2015 thru a grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation. The grant supports the implementation of a Malaria/HIV program for people with ID in Nigeria in collaboration with Special Olympics Nigeria and Grassroots Soccer. This funding was the first of its kind and provides a vehicle for Special Olympics to collectively address this prevalent issue to provide education and services for people with ID around Malaria and HIV/AIDS using soccer (football) as the medium as people with ID had previously not been included as a target population in malaria and HIV interventions and remain one of the most at-risk populations for both.

A partnership that was forged in 2017 and formalised in 2018, it entailed a grant of US$1.25 million over a 3-year period that would benefit 6 Programs in the Asia Pacific region. The grant would go toward furthering our work in the areas of Unified Schools and Athlete Leadership.

Gallagher is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm. As the official sponsor of Special Olympics International sport and coach programming, Gallagher will play a pivotal role in supporting the movement’s mission to deliver the highest quality of coach training and sport experience to more than five million athletes in over 240 local programs around the world. Additional Gallagher sponsorship support includes the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games and support of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in select markets.

Hasbro has partnered with Special Olympics since 2016, as part of BE FEARLESS BE KIND, the company’s signature philanthropic initiative designed to inspire and empower kids to have compassion, empathy, and courage to stand up for others and be inclusive throughout their lives. Building off the success of our 2018 USA Games in Seattle, we developed a resource guide of best practices and learnings from the inaugural Youth Leadership Experience for Program distribution. Together, we have also supported the international growth and expansion of the Unified Schools program through select global grant markets including the UK, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and India. In 2019 alone, Hasbro has engaged over 4,200 youth and helped implement inclusive programming in 209 schools around the globe. Hasbro has also greatly supported the expansion of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® national banner presentations in the US, with about 4,500 students in four schools participating in 2019.

Since 2016, the IKEA Foundation (Stichting IKEA Foundation) has played an important role in expanding the reach of Special Olympics’ youth programs globally through its annual “Let’s Play for Change” Good Cause campaign. As the philanthropic arm of INGKA Foundation, the owner of the Ingka Group of companies, they focus on improving the lives of vulnerable children by enabling their families to create sustainable livelihoods, and to fight and cope with climate change.

The IKEA Foundation works to create a better everyday life for the many people and has made significant investments to support the growth of Special Olympics Youth Athletes and inclusive sports programming in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Thailand. During our three-year partnership, the IKEA Foundation has helped Special Olympics to include over 350,000 children in Young Athletes activities, creating over 5,000 socially inclusive communities in the process.

The JD Finish Line Youth Foundation is a proud sponsor of Special Olympics through volunteer engagement, point-of-sale fundraising and Fit Forward, a program that provides athletes with properly fitted sneakers. As a Silver Medal Partner, the JD Finish Line Youth Foundation partners with Special Olympics state programs to volunteer at numerous Special Olympics events across the US. Through Fit Forward, the Youth Foundation utilizes employee expertise and the company’s access to premium footwear to provide athletes with an inclusive footwear experience. Fit Forward acts as an incentive for athletes to complete Healthy Athletes at various competitions nationwide. Together, the Youth Foundation and Special Olympics are providing properly fitted footwear, elevating foot health and allowing athletes to compete at their best, on and off the field. The Youth Foundation concluded 2019 with its eighth annual holiday campaign.

In 2019, Johnson & Johnson sponsored Special Olympics Capitol Hill Day in February and Celebrating Champions in July. Capitol Hill Day is a one day advocacy event that provides an opportunity for Special Olympics athletes, serving as leaders and self-advocates, to raise awareness and educate their Members of Congress about the critical work Special Olympics is doing in the sport, health and education fields. With Johnson & Johnson’s support, Special Olympics was able to bring more athletes to DC to meet with Members of Congress in both the House and Senate. As a sponsor of Celebrating Champions, our annual awareness campaign, Johnson & Johnson helped Special Olympics engage more people through Special Olympics Live, a live broadcast Stream-a-Thon, bringing together athletes, talent, and partners to demonstrate and reinforce the message that we are better together and calling on people to take the Inclusion Pledge. In addition, Johnson & Johnson was a month-long match partner, matching donations made throughout the month of July resulting in more than $200,000 raised from individual donations.

Kantar began their partnership with Special Olympics in 2019 helping to end the ongoing exclusion, isolation, discrimination and health injustice for people with intellectual disabilities.

Kantar supports Special Olympics Global Youth Leadership work, which will bring together Youth Leaders with and without intellectual disabilities at nearly 200 global, regional, national and local summits over the next four years. Each Special Olympics Youth Leadership Summit will provide a platform for Youth Leaders to discuss and implement inclusion-based projects in their own communities creating a generational shift towards inclusion in schools and communities around the world.

Kantar has committed $1.25 Million to Special Olympics through 2022, including corporate support and employee giving and volunteering, to make a positive difference in the communities where they are based in over 80 countries around the world.

Since 2000, Liberty Sport has been a generously providing sports goggles to hundreds of thousands of Special Olympics athletes around the world. This New Jersey based company produces protective eyewear which serves as a vital agent as our athletes work to break down barriers on and off the field. Liberty Sport has provided key support to various Special Olympics events through the Opening Eyes program within Healthy Athletes and promoted vision wellness and safety alongside their support. The partnership with Liberty Sport continues with endless support to make a significant impact and increase health safety to one of the most marginalized populations in the world today.

Special Olympics and MetLife Foundation, the philanthropic arm of global insurer MetLife, launched the third year of a three-year partnership focused on Young Athletes, a sport and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities aged 2 to 7. Support from MetLife Foundation enabled Special Olympics to expand Young Athletes activities in 28 countries across Special Olympics’ Europe Eurasia and Middle East North Africa regions. The result: over 15,000 children participated in Young Athletes’ inclusive play activities, developing vital motor, social and cognitive skills. Additionally, over 15,000 family members received education and support, to increase expectations and feel more hopeful for their child’s future. Finally, as a clear demonstration of MetLife’s commitment to the communities where they operate and Special Olympics’ mission, numerous MetLife employees volunteered at Young Athletes events in 12 countries across MetLife’s Europe, Middle East and North Africa region.

Since 2014, Microsoft and Special Olympics have had a global partnership with the goal of empowering athletes and Programs through technology. Through this partnership, Microsoft technology has helped modernize the Games Management system and supported the 2015 and 2017 Special Olympics World Games. Microsoft was the Presenting Sponsor of the 2018 USA Games providing funding, devices, and more than 1,700 volunteers.

Most recently, Microsoft supported Special Olympics Youth Leadership development, helping deploy Microsoft Teams as a digital platform to connect youth leaders around the world. Also, they provided grants to six Youth Innovation Teams using technology to build more inclusive communities. Meet one of the youth pairs from SO Barat.

Over the course of the partnership, Microsoft has continued to raise awareness and funding for Special Olympics, with more than $450,000 donated in 2019 through the Microsoft Rewards platform.

The NFL and Special Olympics are committed to building inclusive communities and providing opportunities for athletes of all abilities to ‘PLAY 60’ and participate in sports through the expansion of Unified Flag Football, where individuals with and without intellectual disabilities play on the same team.
Since kicking off its national partnership with Special Olympics in 2017, the NFL has amplified its partnership with Special Olympics at key events such as the NFL Draft, Kickoff, Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl. With contributions from the NFL Foundation in 2019, Special Olympics provided grants to local Special Olympics Programs in 15 states to help enhance Unified Sports programming and increase participation of athletes, Unified partners, and coaches across the country.

The national partnership builds on a longstanding relationship with NFL teams that have supported Special Olympics in a variety of ways. The NFL will continue in the mission of inclusion through sports.

Safilo Group has been an active Global Partner for Special Olympics since 2003. As the Exclusive Global Supplier of Ophthalmic Frames and Sunglasses for the Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program, Safilo has provided high-quality frames and sunglasses to hundreds of thousands of Special Olympics around the world, offering access to prescription eyewear as well as UV-protecting sunglasses. In 2019, the Safilo Group provided key support to a range of high-profile events for the movement, most notably the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. As part of Safilo’s long-standing commitment, Special Olympics and the Safilo Group ushered in a renewed 3-year partnership agreement, bringing the power of the collaboration to athletes and communities around the world from 2019-2021. The partnership between Special Olympics and Safilo continues to make a tremendous impact, and increase health care access, to one of the most marginalized populations in the world today.

Kim Samuel, Special Olympics Board Member, and the Samuel Family Foundation have provided long-term strategic support to Special Olympics programs across several key disciplines, including Unified Sports, Young Athletes and families programming. As pioneers in the fields of inclusion and social connectedness, Kim Samuel and the Samuel Family Foundation remain important partners in Special Olympics’ work to ensure people with intellectual disabilities feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in their communities. Most recently, the Foundation helped Special Olympics launch the first-ever Sibling Engagement initiative, evolving our families work and creating targeted opportunities specifically for siblings of Special Olympics athletes. The Foundation also supports the Youth Innovation Project initiative, providing financial resources and technical support to empower young people to create inclusion in their communities.

Special Olympics is grateful to Ms. Samuel and the Foundation for their commitment to Special Olympics and our shared mission to reduce stigma and isolation for people with intellectual disabilities around the world.

This year, we celebrated our 11th year of partnership with TD Bank, raising a total of more than $12 million and continuing to increase awareness for the Play Unified movement. Each year over 1,200 TD Bank stores from Maine to Florida participate in this four-week campaign focused on raising dollars and awareness to support Special Olympics. Chapters in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of Columbia benefit from this unique partnership and commitment from TD Bank.

TD remains deeply committed at all levels of the organization to raising dollars, supporting transformational volunteerism and sharing with its customers TD's commitment to inclusion and the mission of Special Olympics.

Ray Lane, Special Olympics Board Member, and the Lane family have been proud and long-term supporters and champions of Special Olympics, leaving an indelible impact on the lives of athletes around the world. Believing in the power of youth, the Lane family helped to expand Unified Schools into a global program which has grown from their initial investment in five countries to now twenty countries and counting.

Key to building this generation of inclusive youth leaders is developing a structure of global, regional, national and local opportunities for education and growth. With a generous five-year commitment, the Lane family helped to establish the Lane Global Youth Leadership project that will pioneer a cascading series of Special Olympics Youth Leadership Summits. This worldwide network of youth leaders with and without intellectual disabilities will be change makers within their schools and, with ongoing engagement, lifelong agents for inclusion.

The Raza Foundation’s mission is to encourage ideas that positively impact people's lives. The Foundation does this by investing in strategies that increase a community’s long-term sustainability. To this end, Raza Foundation works alongside organizations that are reducing social gaps – specifically in areas of Education, Health and Housing.

With generous support from the Raza Foundation, Special Olympics Pakistan is scaling and expanding its health work across the country, with a special focus on Sindh Province, Karachi and Punjab. Together with local partners, the Raza Foundation provides critical support to health programming and training, including training for healthcare professionals, educational Family health forums, and Healthy Athlete screenings. Alongside Special Olympics Pakistan, the Raza Foundation is working to build strategic partnerships across the country to support a healthier future for the 17,000 Special Olympics athletes in Pakistan.

Toyota became a global partner of Special Olympics in 2017 to build upon their long history of support at the state and national levels in North America and Japan for nearly 30 years.

In 2019, Toyota played a pivotal role in showcasing Special Olympics athletes' untapped potential while opening the hearts and minds of the public through its investment in Unified Sports activities primarily in Japan and the United States, the Special Olympics 50 Game Changers film series, and the inclusion of Special Olympics in the Toyota National Dealer Meeting. Additionally, Toyota Motor Europe and Special Olympics announced a three-year regional partnership to support Special Olympics Europe Eurasia grassroots inclusive programming and Unified Sports events, starting in 2020.

Toyota’s mission to provide freedom of movement for everyone is consistent with Special Olympics’ goals of creating a society based on inclusion and community.

As the Special Olympics movement’s premier United Nations partner, UNICEF supports Special Olympics Programs through inclusive programming for children of all abilities. Through national partnerships with Special Olympics, UNICEF has helped drive inclusive development in nations worldwide, including in Kenya, Malaysia, Jamaica, Montenegro, Honduras and many more.

In late 2017, United Airlines became a new Global Platinum Partner of Special Olympics, Inc. This year, we entered year two of our three-year partnership with United, having just celebrated them as a Gold Sponsor of USA Games in Seattle and the Presenting Sponsor of the Welcome day at Seattle Tacoma airport in 2018. A key focus of our partnership continues to be engaging employees through local programs and enhancing their global training programs to be more inclusive. United has encouraged all of their employees to engage locally, and has focused on key hubs for increased support: Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (HOU), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Newark Liberty (EWR), Washington Dulles (IAD), and London (LHR). These hubs correspond with nine Special Olympics Programs who have partnered with United over the past two years on various events, including plane pulls, polar plunges, regional and state games, and local sporting competitions.

As an expansion on hub engagement, the United Cargo Team invited Special Olympics triathletes from around the US to compete alongside them in a unified triathlon. This event brought in an additional $135,000 for our movement. United shares in our vision to end discrimination against, and provide leadership opportunities for, people with intellectual disabilities. In ‘walking the talk’, United hired four Special Olympics Illinois athletes as full time United employees at O’Hare, which was a direct result of the job shadow activities that were conducted at the airport.

The Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education has supported Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools in creating communities of inclusion and shaping attitudes on school campuses across the United States, reaching more than 7,600 schools in 2019. Through the generous grant support of the US Office of Special Education Programs, schools across the United States have been activated as communities of respect and inclusion. With a focus on inclusive youth leadership, whole school engagement activities and Unified Sports, students with and without ID at every grade level become the agents of change, build friendships and develop an inclusive mindset that will change communities around the world for generations to come.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support work that improves the overall health and quality of life for people living with disabilities, including those with intellectual disabilities. For example, CDC supports the inclusion of people with disabilities in public health programs that prevent disease and promote healthy behaviors and safety, while working to eliminate barriers to health care and improve access to routine preventive services.

A 5-Year Cooperative Agreement between Special Olympics and CDC began in 2016 and currently supports a range of health initiatives. These include the Healthy Athletes program that facilitates health screenings, health promotion and education; an expansion of access to follow-up care and wellness programing; partnerships with medical schools and health professionals to integrate appropriate training and education for the next generation of health professionals; and development of the largest data set on people with intellectual disabilities in the country—to better analyze the problem of health inequality and how best to address it. The partnership also elevates inclusive health to the national stage, targeting wellness, fitness, professional associations, medical schools, public health organizations, funders, and others to become champions of inclusive health.