Special Olympics Arizona: ‘Our Tucson athletes are very familiar with the incredible event, they’re excited to be a part of it’

We are all about fitness and fun here at El Tour de Tucson. It’s a reason we love having Special Olympics Arizona as part of the 41^st El Tour.

“Special Olympics Arizona is thrilled to be a charity partner with El Tour de Tucson,” said Lisa Ball, Regional Development Director for Special Olympics Arizona. “Our Tucson athletes are very familiar with this incredible event, and they’re excited to be a part of it and cheer the cyclists on. Everyone will be a winner on November 23rd.”

Like El Tour, Special Olympics is a “world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability. We are helping to make the world a better, healthier, and more joyful place—one athlete, one volunteer, and one family member at a time,” according to its website.

Ball added: “Though sports are the catalyst for our organization, inclusion, acceptance and awareness are imbedded in everything we do. Like everyone, our athletes just want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be asked to be at the table and included like everyone else. Our partnership with El Tour De Tucson is another way to give our athletes a voice and a chance to be involved in something bigger than themselves.”

We at El Tour couldn’t have said it any better.

Special Olympics Arizona has a goal of raising $5,000, where “95 cents of every dollar raised with stay in Tucson for our local athletes and programs,” Ball said.

To register for Special Olympics Arizona visit: Special Olympics Arizona (bikesignup.com)

According to its website, Special Olympics started in 1962 and reached Arizona in 1975. The first Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) competition consisted of a one-day Track & Field event with 100 athletes and 20 volunteers and has grown to 21 sports, 675 regional competitions, and 4 statewide competitions for 21,461 athletes and 24,743 day-of volunteers annually.

Don’t you love those numbers?

Welcome and we look forward to seeing everyone at El Tour on Nov. 23. For more information on Special Olympics Arizona please visit: https://specialolympicsarizona.org/