As a special education teacher, Bridget Kelly of Michigan had known about Special Olympics for years, but it wasn’t until she signed up to become a coach that she fully understood its profound impact on athletes and communities. She encouraged her students to become Special Olympics athletes and saw a positive change right away, “My students loved being part of a team and I enjoyed working with them in a different environment.”

Teammates are friends for life

Bridget’s nephew, Jamie, is also a Special Olympics athlete, participating in more than eight sports over the course of 25 years. “He loves them all!” she says. “Jamie has made friends for life through Special Olympics.” Bridget went on to share that now that Jamie has aged out of his school program, Special Olympics is his main social, as well as physical, outlet. “Special Olympics helps him to exercise and live a better life.”

There isn’t a more deserving group

Making Special Olympics a beneficiary in her will just made sense to Bridget. “I chose to include Special Olympics in my estate plans because I believe they offer programs that no other organization does. It provides opportunities for both fitness and social interaction that are greatly needed.” She went on to explain, “I know how much my students and nephew have loved being part of Special

Olympics and I wanted to make sure that those same opportunities will be available in the future.”

When asked what she would say to others who are considering making a bequest gift to Special Olympics, Bridget said, “Please do it. Your gift is greatly needed and appreciated. There isn’t a more deserving group than these wonderful athletes.”

Inside this newsletter, you can see a list of all the people who have notified us that they have included Special Olympics in their estate plans. If you would like to join Bridget and the others who have made this extraordinary future gift commitment, please contact our Office of Bequests and Estate Gifts. You can return the enclosed reply form, call us toll-free at (866) 690-3951 or email us at plannedgiving@specialolympics.org.

Special educaTion Teacher creaTeS Special legacy gifT

dreamS for The fuTure

Estate Planning for Friends of Special Olympics

“I chose to include Special Olympics in my estate plans because I believe they offer programs that no other organization does.”

Bridget Kelly with her nephew and Special olympics athlete Jamie.

When Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Special Olympics she wanted to create a legacy where her sister and all people with intellectual disabilities would be treated with respect and dignity.

Bridget Kelly from our cover story wants to leave a legacy of acceptance and help us promote a healthy lifestyle for our athletes in honor of her nephew and students.

Have you ever thought what your legacy will be?

Most of us would like to make a difference in the lives of our loved ones. We take steps to make sure to provide for them after we are no longer here. But what if you also want to make a difference in your community?

Leaving a legacy to the causes that are important to you can be easier than you think. One of the simplest ways to accomplish this goal is to make gifts through your will or other long-term plans to the organizations that are the most meaningful—charities like Special Olympics.

You can make a personal, powerful, lasting impact on future generations of athletes that costs

nothing during your lifetime. Anyone can give a gift through his or her will, and when you include Special Olympics in your estate plan, you create a legacy of acceptance, inclusion and tolerance for all people with intellectual disabilities far into the future.

WhaT Will Be your legacy?

You should review specific language with your attorney, but here are two examples of suggested language for naming Special Olympics in your will.

To make a bequest to the Special Olympics movement in the United States and around the world:

“I give, devise and bequeath _____% of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate (or the sum of $_____) to Special Olympics International, Washington, DC, for its unrestricted use and purpose.”

Or to benefit a local Special Olympics chapter affiliate:

“I give, devise and bequeath _____% of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate (or the sum of $_____) to Special Olympics (insert local chapter affiliate name here along with the city, state), for its unrestricted use and purpose.”

When was the last time you updated your will? Even the best and most well thought-out plans can become out of date over time.

Many donors have told us that they decided to create or update their wills after a major life event. When you experience changes in your life, that is a good time to update your plans and make sure everything is still current and appropriate.

Have you moved? Do you have any new children or grandchildren since you last reviewed your plans?

As one donor shared, “As my life changed, my will had to change too.” When making these important changes, that’s also when many people decide to include a percentage of their estate to the charities most important to them, charities such as Special Olympics.

Through your generosity to Special Olympics, you have shown how compassionate you are. Planning for the future will give you peace of mind and ensure that your wishes are expressed and carried out for your loved ones and also for the athletes that depend on us.

do your planS STill fiT?

do you have a will? do you have a will that needs to be updated?

Special Olympics has complementary information that can help you plan or update your will. Our free materials can walk you through the process of estate planning including creating or updating your will, identifying a team to help you, and other key decisions.

If you would like to receive these materials, or if you have any questions on how you can include Special Olympics in your estate plans, return the enclosed reply card, contact us toll-free at (866) 690-3951 or email us at plannedgiving@specialolympics.org.

You can make a gift to Special Olympics and receive fixed payments for life with a charitable gift annuity. To create a charitable gift annuity, you make a gift of cash or stocks (minimum $10,000) to Special Olympics and, in return, we agree to pay you (or a person you designate) a fixed sum of money for life.

Most charitable gift annuity donors are retired, want to increase their cash flow, seek the security of fixed payments, would like to save taxes, and give a gift to their favorite charity. A charitable gift annuity might be right for you in any of the following circumstances:

• The interest rates on your CDs or other investments have gone down, and you would like to increase your cash flow.

• You want to provide payments to your spouse without the delay of probate if anything should happen to you.

• You would like to provide financial support to an elderly parent, sibling, or other person in a tax-wise manner.

• You own appreciated stock or mutual funds and have considered selling some of the shares and reinvesting the proceeds to create more income, but you don’t want to pay tax on the capital gain.

• You would like to count on fixed payments that are unaffected by interest rates and the stock market, and breathe easy knowing you cannot outlive the payments.

If any of these circumstances sound familiar and you are age 60 or older, then a charitable gift annuity might be right for you!

For more information, contact Special Olympics for a confidential personalized illustration. If you would like to establish a gift annuity this year, in order to receive a tax deduction on your 2014 taxes, all gifts must be postmarked by December 31.

iS a chariTaBle gifT annuiTy righT for you?

Mr. Dennis W. AllenMr. and Mrs. Erik M. AndersonMr. Arnold W. AndersonMrs. Deborah AtchesonMr. John BalesMr. Barry and Ms. JaxtimerBlessing BeasleyMs. Tina BentsenMr. Richard BourgaultMr. and Mrs. Emmanuel BourgeoisKenneth B. and Marie BowesDonna Boyle FarleyMr. and Mrs. BrackettMr. H. Sandy BrownMr. Roger BrownMr. John BugdenLester P. BurgKristina BurnsAnthony and Rosemarie BurtonPatrick CampbellKate and Dan CarebElaine M. CarriereThe Cassano FamilyCraig and Nancy ChettleMs. Dorothy ChristopherMr. G. Thomas ClarkMs. Kathryn D. ClarkMs. Nancy R. CliffordJames M. ComptonNina and Ned ConwayMr. Greg CorpierTimothy and Jan CoxIn memory of James E. T. CrockfordVicki E. CrosbyMr. Jeff CrumpSusan and Michael CzajkowskiVicky and James DannenmuellerMr. Timothy DavenportBarbara J. DeLisaThe Dennin FamilyMr. Alfred F. DietrichMrs. Katherine DillonMr. Charles DixonBarbara DoernerBeau and Holly DohertyEvelyn DoranRalph J. DriscollMs. Susan O. DunbarThe Dysart FamilyMr. Eugene EaganMs. Bethann EcclesErnest J. ElliottLarry and Soni ElrodNicole M. EngdahlJon Erikson

Ms. Sandra EsnerMax EvertonMs. Wanda EwellLarry and Joy EwingEd and Camille FargoMs. Phyllis FeaginKeith L. FishburneMs. Linda FitzpatrickMr. Jim FollinaMs. Gloris FordBob and Janet FroetscherNancy Joy Jordan GabrielsonSusan J. GabrielsonDoug and Maile GannonMs. Juanita GatesRobert and Heather GeroweMr. and Mrs. Ralph GesslerGillett Family Trust BMr. Harold GilmoreRobert F. (Hippy) GingerichJay GlicksmanConnie GrandmasonMarilyn GrandmasonRichard Gresham and Adrienne DoldMr. F. O. GriffinEleanor K. GrudzinskiMs. Linda M. HaasMs. Joyce HallMr. Norman HanenbaumMs. Jane HarrellJohn D. HarrittSteve and Linda HayesMargaret Lin HazenJoyce HeadfordMr. Steven Hecht and Mr. Kenneth PhalenKarl W. HelftJanet L. HippMs. Jean HoblerPeter and Kathy HoblerDon and Mary HolbertMs. Ellen HollandMs. Jolene HolmesMs. Anne HomansMr. James HowardMs. Kristine HughesMs. Lisa HugheyEdward and Joyce JankowskiMs. Joan JarrettLarry S. Jenkins and Dorothy M. JenkinsRobert A. and Ellen M. JohnsonMs. Shirley JohnsonMs. Dorothy M. JohnsonCharles and Evelyn Jorgenson

Tom and Lisa JoyceMr. Robert M. KainGary F. KarnerMs. Kathleen KeeganM. Jean KellerMs. Bridget M. KellyMr. Michael KempMrs. Marie C. KingBruce and Sandra KirchnerMary S. KochissMr. Barry KoslowHans and Sandra KristensenMrs. Joan KruseRev. Jerry L. Kuehn in memory of Martha E. KuehnMs. Margaret LarsenChris and Erin LaurentsLin L. LaursenMr. James LeblancJay and Denise LevitchMrs. Marie H. LilleyRuby LinkousPeggy and Ken NeffRudy LopezTom and Theresa MahoneyLois MalkasianMs. Joyce L. ManchesterMichael and Nora MasonRobert and Sherrie MasonMr. John MayMr. Jay E. MayerMs. Sandra McCarthyTheresa A. McClainMs. Kristin McLeodJames T. and Marion M. McManusMrs. Mary MederMrs. Cynthia W. MelamedDr. and Mrs. John F. MeyersMr. Loyle MillerAlice MoatGeraldine MohrSue E. MortonMs. Shirley MyersMark and Ellen MyersonDr. Gary Weisenborn and Dr. Roger NicholsBJ and Stan NorrisJeff and Taffy NothnaglePaul R. OlsonFrank and Bobbie O’MalleyJoyce and Ken OyenMr. William R. ParkerRobert Peterson and Marie KingJim and Kathi PiechMs. Elizabeth PlutoGene Presson

Traci PryorMr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Quigley, Jr.Dr. Thomas and Barbara ReganVal and Joel ReinfordMr. Chas H. RichardsonMs. Lena V. RomitoThomas L. RossJan SagettMs. Susan Saint James and Mr. Dick EbersolBlake SandyMs. Peggy L. SchafranMs. Prudence SchnoebelenToby Beth SchoolmanRick and Mimi SchuchetMs. Keri ScruggsEsther E. ShaferMr. David P. SicklesRonald SiemssenMr. Eugene SingerJudy SlavikMs. Doris SnellDr. and Mrs. David SnydermanChristine SovereignJanet, Tony and Stephanie St. MarieDr. Joseph P. StankewichCapt. Michael B. Stanton, USNMr. and Mrs. Carl StargardtCharles (Chip) SteitzMargaret M. StephensonKitty SteverMs. Shirley StinebaughMr. Michael G. SunseriMr. John M. TandyA’ lisa TelloDr. Jody Terranova and Mr. Carl VernerMs. Barbara J. ThomasonMr. George TinkerMr. Matt UnderwoodMs. Lisa ValituttiJim and Tracey Van HoofDavid Velasco in memory of Donald HarlowHerb VogtMs. Bea WebbHarvey M. WeitkampJoan E. WheatleyMr. Larry N. WhiteMr. Jack WhitleyMr. William WoodhullAmy WurstRoy D. Zeidman

The Champion’s Society® is a group of current supporters who have already included Special Olympics in their estate plans through a will, trust, charitable gift annuity or as a beneficiary of a retirement or life insurance plan. These thoughtful donors are living examples of legacy giving—committed to safeguarding the success of our mission and ensuring a bright future for generations of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

By listing The Champion’s Society donors who have given their permission for their names to be published, we express our gratitude for their profound commitment to Special Olympics both now and in the future.

in appreciaTion

If you have already included Special Olympics in your plans, please contact the Office of Bequests and Estate Gifts at (866) 690-3951 or return the enclosed reply card so that, with your permission, we can provide you with similar recognition.

If you are considering a gift, our staff would be happy to have a confidential conversation with you about your charitable gift options.

for more informaTionOffice of Bequests and Estate GiftsSpecial olympics international1133 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036Toll-free: (866) 690-3951Email: plannedgiving@specialolympics.orgWebsite: www.SpecialOlympics.org/legacy

Office of Bequests and Estate GiftsConnie Grandmason and Nicole Engdahl

This publication is intended to provide only general gift, estate and financial planning information and is not a comprehensive review of the topics. Please consult your legal and financial advisers when planning your gift.

Unified Sports® programs join people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

Team sports bring people together. Special Olympics Unified Sports teams promote working collaboratively, building relationships and much more. Half a million people worldwide take part in Unified Sports, breaking down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a fun and active way.

Unified Sports teams are made up of people of similar age and ability, which makes practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Having sport in common is just one more way that preconceptions and false ideas are swept away.

States Embracing Unified Sports

Young people with disabilities don’t often get a chance to play on their school sports teams, but more and more U.S. states are adopting the Unified Sports approach that Special Olympics pioneered. Just this past summer, the governor of New Jersey signed a bill into law that encourages schools to make opportunities for sports participation available to all students.

The Unified Sports program is just one way Special Olympics is working to change the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Including Special Olympics in your estate plans will help ensure that programs like Unified Sports and all the other life-transforming programs of Special Olympics will continue for many generations to come.

OUr MiSSiOn At WOrk – UnifiEd SpOrtS®

Adam Shelton and Adam Lopez, members of the unified soccer team for Special Olympics illinois, compete together at the 2014 uSa games.