Fact Sheet

Mission -- Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA), a chapter of Special Olympics Inc., provides year-round athletic training and athletic competition in over 20 Olympic-type sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities and provides them with continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness skills, express courage, experience joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

Athletes -- Over 20,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities and closely related developmental disabilities participate in over 300 local, sectional, and state events. Athletes range in age from eight to 80 and are of all ability levels.

Volunteers -- Nearly 46,000 volunteers provided the manpower for SOPA last year. Volunteers of all ages serve as coaches, escorts, organizers, fund-raisers, entertainers, or sports officials. Volunteers are always needed!

Competitions -- SOPA competitions are offered year-round in 53 local programs across Pennsylvania. SOPA conducts three statewide competitions: Winter Games, Summer Games, and Fall Festival Games.

Sports -- SOPA offers training and competition in the following events:

Benefits -- A 1995 study by Yale University confirmed that Special Olympics contributes to the physical, social, and psychological development of people with intellectual disabilities. Through successful experiences in sports, they gain confidence and build a positive self-image that carries over into the classroom, the home, the job, and the community.

Funding -- SOPA is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that raises the funds through the generosity of individuals, companies, and foundations.