Meet Employee Athlete Ambassadors, Lisa Murphy | Empire Family of Brands Fundraising Campaign 2026

One of Lisa Murphy’s favourite Special Olympics memories might seem like a surprising one — it came after a soccer tournament where her team lost every game. 

When the competition ended, the coaches gathered the athletes together and reminded them of something that has stayed with Lisa ever since. 

More than 20 years after first joining Special Olympics Canada, that feeling of encouragement and belonging is still what keeps Lisa coming back — not just for the sport itself, but for the people around it. 

Now 40, Lisa competes in both soccer and floor hockey while also working as a clerk supervisor at  Lawtons Drugs in Truro, Nova Scotia, where she has worked for the past 19 years. 

Depending on the day, Lisa might be working cash, helping customers, handling office work, supervising the evening team, helping organize incoming orders, or supporting coworkers around the store. 

“My job is customer service, creating store image is very important to us,” Lisa says.  

But what matters most to her is the people she works alongside every day. 

That same sense of teamwork and encouragement she first found through Special Olympics has followed her into the workplace as well. 

Her coworkers support her soccer schedule, rally for her wins and even show up to games cheering her on with pom-poms and signs. 

“My staff encourages and supports me with my soccer,” Lisa says. “They celebrate my achievements and it means the world.”  

For Lisa, inclusion in the workplace is simple. 

“No one is treated differently, no matter what their abilities are,” she says. “I am part of the whole team. I am learning all the time and my teammates have confidence in me.”  

Over the last two decades, Special Olympics has given Lisa opportunities to travel, compete, build friendships, and grow in confidence — both on and off the field of play. 

“Special Olympics has changed my life,” she says. “It gave me confidence to be myself. That is what it is all about — being yourself and making new friends. And making memories that last for a lifetime.”  

That perspective is exactly why this year’s Empire Family of Brands in-store fundraising campaign message — “Every best is personal” — feels so meaningful to Lisa. It reminds her of that soccer tournament years ago, when her coaches showed the team that personal bests are not always reflected on a scoreboard. 

Lisa believes partners of Special Olympics Canada, like her employer Lawtons Drugs and the broader Empire Family of Brands team, play an important role in helping more athletes access the kinds of programs and opportunities that have shaped her own life through sport. 

From June 11 to 21, customers visiting participating Empire Family of Brands stores across Canada can donate $2 at checkout to help support Special Olympics athletes like Lisa — helping create more opportunities for children, youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to experience sport, confidence, friendship and community.