About Us
Every day Special Olympics Ingersoll makes a difference in the lives of many people living in our community with intellectual disabilities. That difference is reflected in their relationships with their friends and their families, as well as many other aspects of their lives.
Special Olympics is a charitable, non-profit organization that provides sports training and competition opportunities at regional, provincial, national, and international levels for individuals with an intellectual disability. Its primary objective is to contribute to the physical, social, and psychological development of people with intellectual disabilities through positive, successful experiences in sport. These positive experiences help build self-confidence, self-esteem, pride, and a great sense of accomplishment.
The Special Olympics movement here in Ontario was founded through research by Dr. Frank Hayden in the 1960's.
Hayden's work came to the attention of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Kennedy Foundation in Washington DC which led to the creation of the Special Olympics organization.
The first sports competition held under the Special Olympics banner was held at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1968.
Hayden enlisted the help of friend Harry "Red" Foster to send a field hockey team from Toronto to those First Games.
The following summer of 1969 the first Canadian Special Olympics event was held in Toronto, primarily because of the foundation work layed by Foster.
Special Olympics Ingersoll was organized and has been registered with Special Olympics Ontario since the early 2000's.
"Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt!"