Special Olympics Minnesota Inc

“Between meetings of the board, the executive committee shall have general supervision of the administration and property of special olympics minnesota, except that, unless specifically empowered by the board to do so, it may not take any action, inconsistent with a prior act of the board, amend bylaws, remove or appoint the president, or take any other action which has been reserved for the board or which may be delayed for action by the full board.”

“Management reviews and finalizes the form 990 before it is presented to the finance committee of the board of directors for review and comment. The finance committee reviews the draft form 990 at a regularly scheduled meeting. Upon their approval, it is forwarded to the full board of directors with a recommendation for approval at the next scheduled meeting. After review of the draft, the board of directors approve the form.”

“All directors, officers, and employees review a disclosure questionnaire which identifies and discloses whether they have potential conflicts of interest. Each year, directors and the special olympics minnesota president's responses are reviewed by the board of directors and all officers and employee's responses are reviewed by the special olympics minnesota president. The executive committee of the board reviews any conflict of interest issues and then based on their review evaluates whether a conflict exists and votes on the appropriate action. The policy bars a director with a conflict of interest from discussing and voting on the issue.”

“For the management team, the president/ceo sets changes of salary during the budgeting process for the subsequent year, using projected financial performance of the organization, performance by the individuals, and information from salary surveys and/or advice from directors at his discretion. The board chair and executive committee of the board of directors set changes of salary for the president/ceo. The president/ceo's last review was february, 2024.”

“Articles of incorporation, bylaws, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are available upon request.”

“Sports and training: in 2024, more than 6,400 special olympics minnesota athletes had the opportunity to compete in 19 sports at 19 invitational, 28 regional, and 21 state meets and tournaments, totaling more than 14,800 competition experiences throughout the year. Athletes train eight weeks for competitions and compete in skills-based competitions and full sports. Additionally, special olympics offers unified competitions which pair special olympics athletes with partners without intellectual disabilities. More than 950 unified partners competed alongside teammates - athletes with intellectual disabilities in 2024. Athletes are highly competitive and train using extensively codified rules and regulations. Due to a wide range of abilities, athletes are divisioned into categories of similar skill level and are provided with additional opportunities to participate. Athletes who may not be ready or able to compete in full sports competitions, participate in skills-based competitions which break sports down into basic components. Recreational sports continues to grow as an eight week training model. This allows teams to participate in social and fitness activities such as soccer, walking club, and cornhole that may interest the team beyond the traditional sports training and competition that special olympics minnesota offers while still having the guidance and support of special olympics minnesota staff. In 2024 there were over 14,000 recreational sport experiences.”

“Youth and schools: young athletes an innovative, inclusive sports play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities, designed to introduce them to the world of sports prior to special olympics eligibility at age eight. Special olympics now welcomes future athletes ages 2-7 through this developmentally appropriate and inclusive play program by pursuing these goals: engage children through activities designed to foster physical, cognitive and social development; welcome family members of children with and without intellectual disabilities to the special olympics network of support; raise awareness about the abilities of children with intellectual disabilities through inclusive peer participation, demonstrations and other events. In 2024 young athletes reached 3,597 participants in minnesota, resulting in nearly 44,000 experiences for these participants. Special olympics minnesota is currently implementing the unified champion schools program funded through the office of special education programs at the us department of education. At the end of 2024, somn was working with 363 schools considered "unified champion schools" - a number that is continuously growing. Special olympics unified champion schools program is an education and sports based strategy powered by an engaged youth community that increases athletic and leadership opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities, while creating communities of acceptance for all. It is a strategy to activate youth, engage educators and promote school communities of acceptance and inclusion where all young people are agents of change. There are three components of a unified champion school. Unified sports allows special education students and general education students to participate in inclusive sporting opportunities. Inclusive student leadership provides an opportunity for youth voices to be heard through engaging together in an inclusive school-recognized club and by participating in youth summits. Whole school engagement provides bullying prevention campaigns and inclusive promotion initiatives that reach entire school populations through engaging, inspiring and optimistic events. All three areas are crucial to change the culture of a school towards inclusion. In 2024, special olympics minnesota's unified champion schools programming resulted in 819,254 experiences!”

“Health and leadership: the health programs initiative was created to include the three aspects of health and wellness within special olympics. First, the healthy athletes initiative, which offers health and nutrition screenings and education to persons with intellectual disabilities free of charge. The special olympics minnesota healthy athletes program completed 2,543 screenings (fit feet, funfitness, health promotion, healthy hearing, opening eyes, med fests, strong minds and special smiles). The second aspect of health programs is the performance station initiative, which offers new educational and fitness experiences and opportunities to athletes, coaches, friends and family members; emphasizing the importance and relationship between wellness and sport performance. The final components of health programs is the sofit & fit 5 health promotion initiatives. Sofit is a repeatable, eight week, unified team approach to wellness that aims to improve and protect the health and wellness for people with and without intellectual disabilities. Sofit creates the opportunity and space for education about, and practice of, wellness in all forms. Fit 5 is a tool and resource coaches can include during their practices to encourage healthy behaviors and for athletes to use at home to practice positve health behaviors, track their progress & feel empowered to take chare of their own health. In 2024 these fitness programs had 4,383 experiences. Athletes are encouraged to particiapte in the athlete leadership program where athlete voices are not only heard, but they are amplified in the special olympics mn organization. Through the athlete leadership program, athletes take on a new leadership role with special olympics minnesota and their communities. Examples of those leadership positions include public speakers, assistant coaches, a member of a board/committee, and volunteering.”

“Special olympics was founded in 1968 by eunice kennedy shriver with the belief individuals with intellectual disabilities could participate fully in their communities and in life. It was her vision that through year-round sports training and athletic competition, individuals with intellectual disabilities would be better equipped to be contributing members of society. By focusing on a person's abilities and not his/her disabilities, special olympics athletes earn respect, acceptance and understanding from their communities, while growing physically, socially and developmentally. Special olympics athletes build self-esteem and gain social skills by increasing fitness and skill levels, which in turn provide lifelong benefits. Mrs. Shriver envisioned a grassroots organization with branches reaching millions of individuals in need. Today, special olympics is the largest, fastest-growing sports program in the world, representing more than 4.2 million athletes in 220 countries. Special olympics is also the only organization in minnesota, the united states and the world utilizing the unique benefits of sports to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. In 1973, special olympics minnesota was incorporated. Currently, more than 8,000 minnesotans with intellectual disabilities participate and compete in 16 olympic-type sports. All official special olympics sports follow internationally accepted rules, which are endorsed and approved by national governing bodies, international sports federations and olympic organizations. Special olympics minnesota is an accredited program of special olympics incorporated. Special olympics minnesota offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round sports training and competition. Through special olympics' athletic, health and leadership programs, people with intellectual disabilities transform themselves, their communities and the world.”

“The organization's process for oversignt of the audit of its financial statements or its process for selection of an independent accountant has not changed.”