"Special Olympics gave me a group of friends that includes and understands me."
YOUR DONATION WILL BE MATCHED!
A generous donor has committed up to $60,000 in matching funds for Draft an Athlete.
My sport:
Because of my age I am still building skills in a variety of sports thanks to the FUNdamentals program and SOC Partner programs with the North Toronto Soccer Club and Swimming With A Mission, but in my free time I play a lot of basketball and hope to be on a team one day!
My favourite thing about Special Olympics:
Playing sports, seeing my friends and having fun.
My greatest accomplishment:
I haven’t competed … yet! I am keen to get in on the action when the time comes but until then, my greatest accomplishment with Special Olympics was last year in FUNdamentals when I worked on my basketball skills enough that I could play with my brother and his friends who are two years older than me!
How Special Olympics changed my life:
It really has changed my life – Special O has given me access to sports and building skills which gives me confidence in other settings whether or not sports are involved. I have a set of friends that includes and understands me, that will form part of my lifelong community. Beyond all that I just like playing sports and having fun, and that is guaranteed on a weekly basis with Special O.
How I've been staying healthy and active at home:
My FUNdamentals program switched to virtual meet-ups really quickly when things shut down due to COVID. It was great to see my friends and have some fun. My coaches also reminded me to stay active and eat healthy foods even if I was at home all the time so I focused on playing outside a lot and running around with my big brother.
My favourite memory:
I have been lucky enough to participate in a bunch of special events thanks to Special Olympics – Welcome video for Tim Hortons with Brian Williams filmed at TSN, Day of Inclusion event at Tim Hortons, helping w day of setup for LIMITLESS, Mother’s Day and Coaches Week videos, and every week at my FUNdamentals program is special to me but… if I had to pick my favourite it was the Friends and Partners virtual reception in June 2020 where I was interviewed by Rod Black, a fellow SOC and Kyle Lowry fan!
Why you should Draft an Athlete to help us get back to the playing field:
Because Special Olympics makes a difference to real people, actual families and genuine communities across Canada. Special O promotes community, health, active lifestyle, true inclusion … and having fun!
What I'm looking forward to most when returning to our regular Special Olympics programming:
Playing sports, seeing my friends and having fun.
Make a donation to support Matty and his fellow athletes across Canada:
YOUR DONATION WILL BE MATCHED!
A generous donor has committed up to $60,000 in matching funds for Draft an Athlete.