For Immediate Release August 6, 2009		Contact: Kelly Kloepping VP, Marketing & Communications 5900 Monona Dr., Suite 301 Madison, WI 53716 (608) 222-1324, ext. 217 (800) 552-1324 ext. 217

A Letter from Special Olympics Wisconsin

We thank all of you who have inquired about our Wisconsin athletes who recently experienced an accident on their bus trip back from the National Invitational Tournament in Nebraska on Tuesday, Aug. 4 near the Waupun, WI area.

The wonderful news is that everyone is ok, with minor injuries—scrapes, bruises, soreness, a few cracked or broken ribs and a broken vertebrae. After a tire that blew, the bus lost control and rolled onto its side sliding a ways down the highway. The athletes, coaches and volunteers on the bus were sent to four different health care facilities, with one being airlifted for precautionary measures.

The really great news is that the softball team took a gold medal over the weekend and the golfers came home with two Golds, a Silver and two Bronze medals…..doctors and nurses were having a hard time getting the athletes to remove the hardware for their x-rays, but the team remained in great spirits, working together as they all pulled through it.

Even the bus driver, who obtained some injuries commented on how proud he was of the athletes’ working together. The health and well being of our athletes, coaches and volunteers is our primary concern, so we wish them all the best for a speedy recovery (especially the handful of them off the bus who are heading to competition this weekend).

A thank-you also goes out to the Lincoln, NE Convention and Visitor’s Bureau who so kindly sent a plant for best wishes on quick recoveries. Now, off to our State softball, tennis, golf and bocce tournament…..

Thanks again for your concern.

Kelly Kloepping
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
5900 Monona Dr., Suite 301 • Madison, WI 53716
(608) 222-1324, ext. 217 • (800) 552-1324 ext. 217

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About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to nearly 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries in all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programs. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.