The King Charles III Coronation Medal, introduced by the Government of Canada in 2023, is a commemorative honour awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the country, their communities, and their fellow Canadians.
In 2025, a remarkable group of people from within the Special Olympics movement in Canada were named among the recipients—athletes, coaches, volunteers, and supporters whose extraordinary dedication has helped build a more inclusive and empowered nation.
Whether on the field, in the community, or behind the scenes, these recipients reflect the values of inclusion, excellence, perseverance, and service that define the Special Olympics movement and strengthen the fabric of Canadian society.
Special Olympics BC celebrates and thanks the inspiring individuals who were awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of their dedication to Special Olympics in our province.
“Special Olympics BC is delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate these important champions of our movement and thank them for their tireless work, game-changing leadership, and far-reaching impact. I know I am joined by everyone in Special Olympics BC when I tell them that we appreciate you, and we thank you with all our hearts,” says Special Olympics BC President & CEO Dan Howe.
Donna Bilous, SOBC Leadership Council Chair & SOBC – Abbotsford coach
Over more than 20 years as a dedicated, insightful volunteer leader and coach with the Special Olympics movement, Donna Bilous has made a lasting difference through her deep impact on sport quality and opportunities, program operations, advocacy for health of people with intellectual disabilities, and leadership for community inclusion and social change.
Bilous is the valued Chair of Special Olympics BC’s Leadership Council and an impactful member of the SOBC Board of Directors, providing vital insights to shape the movement in our province. She is also a noted leader nationwide for the sport of speed skating, as a widely recognized coach and official who has led multiple Special Olympics speed skating teams to great success at Provincial, National, and World Games. Bilous was the deserving winner of Special Olympics BC’s Howard Carter Award for coaching excellence in both 2017 and 2011, and coaches multiple different sports in SOBC – Abbotsford.
Bilous also frequently and generously gives her time and expertise to strengthen sport development throughout the Special Olympics movement, regularly serving on provincial and national working groups to help ensure high-quality sport and extensive opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
As a longtime, now-retired nurse and proud parent of her daughter Paige Norton, an accomplished Special Olympics athlete, Bilous has also been a vital voice in B.C. to champion health equity for people with intellectual disabilities.
Sheila Hogan, SOBC – Coquitlam Local Coordinator
Over more than 20 years of passionate, dedicated volunteer leadership of Special Olympics BC – Coquitlam, Sheila Hogan has transformed the movement and its presence in the Tri-Cities. As the longtime SOBC – Coquitlam Local Coordinator, and as a caring parent and all-around volunteer, Hogan has been a vital leader for Special Olympics BC in the Fraser Valley region.
Under Hogan’s leadership, Special Olympics BC – Coquitlam has offered year-round sport, youth, and health programs benefitting hundreds of local athletes with intellectual disabilities. She has also helped her community host Special Olympics BC’s longest-running speed skating and softball competitions in the province, as well as significant annual swimming and athletics competitions for regional athletes.
With Hogan’s efforts and leadership, Special Olympics BC – Coquitlam has also raised significant funds for local programs and provincial and national Special Olympics opportunities. Her community presence and vision also helped Coquitlam become the first Lower Mainland community to offer Special Olympics BC school sports programs, building important awareness and inclusion in the school system.
Pamela Keith, SOBC Board of Directors, Dueck Auto Group
Pamela Keith has been a vital leader for Special Olympics BC as a valued member of the Board of Directors for 20 years, and as a generous provincial sponsor and donor who leads by example with her inspiring commitment to Special Olympics athletes and the movement.
Keith has been a critical champion of Special Olympics BC athletes and programs throughout her time on the Board of Directors, where she has provided essential insights throughout her time in important leadership roles with the Executive Committee and Finance and Audit Committee.
The Delta resident and her family own and operate Dueck Auto Group, which is a vital Special Olympics BC sponsor through multiple fundraising events and a leading champion of inclusion and respect for people with intellectual disabilities. They have been essential leaders and supporters of the Auction for Athletes, the vital fundraising auction championed by B.C.’s New Car Dealers, which has raised more than $6.2 million for Special Olympics BC and the New Car Dealers of B.C. through its 40 years of operation. The Keith family has also raised thousands of dollars for Special Olympics personally through their brave participation in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics BC.
Keith and her family have also been vital volunteers with Special Olympics BC – Delta, in particular in the rhythmic gymnastics program, where Keith and her daughter Courtney are actively coaching and volunteering. Courtney Keith earned the SOBC Howard Carter Award in 2018 in recognition of her coaching excellence.
Sheila Snell, SOBC – Surrey Local Coordinator
Over more than 20 years as a Special Olympics BC volunteer, Sheila Snell has transformed the movement through her passionate efforts on the local level as a longtime Local Committee member in Surrey, and as a leading rhythmic gymnastics coach with an impact at local, regional, provincial, and national levels.
As a hardworking leader on the Special Olympics BC – Surrey Local Committee, Snell has tirelessly served in many roles in order to make programs and opportunities possible for athletes. She is widely known for creating positive environments, empowering others, and leading by example. Snell’s dedicated efforts in Special Olympics BC – Surrey have included leadership of a much-loved long-running soccer tournament, just one of many areas where Snell has gone above and beyond.
Snell is also widely known in Special Olympics for her instrumental leadership in rhythmic gymnastics. She has worked diligently with athletes and coaches throughout Special Olympics to empower athletes of all abilities to build their skills, and she has been a valued mentor to other coaches.
Snell has served in a wide range of roles in the sport, and her skilled and caring approach has empowered athletes and coaches at every level. Snell’s leadership has strengthened the sport of rhythmic gymnastics in Special Olympics, and she was the deserving winner of the Special Olympics BC Howard Carter Award in 2013.
Dr. Anne Tilley, founding SOBC Board of Directors member
Dr. Anne Tilley has been a valued leader of the Special Olympics movement in B.C. since the very beginning. Tilley was a member of the organization’s founding Board of Directors in 1980.
She was a vital champion of the cause for many years, both in Special Olympics and in the field of kinesiology, leading growth and development support for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Tilley is a UBC Associate Professor Emerita of Human Kinetics with specialization in people with intellectual disabilities, and a longtime advocate for sport for people with intellectual disabilities. She endowed a scholarship at UBC in the School of Kinesiology for students interested in the field of supporting athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Susan Wang, Special Olympics Sargent Shriver Global Messenger (2024-27) & SOBC – Surrey athlete
On and off the fields of play, Special Olympics BC – Surrey athlete Susan Wang has earned accolades and made a positive difference through her inspiring leadership and advocacy of inclusion and respect for people with intellectual disabilities.
Within her 14 years as a Special Olympics athlete, Wang has become known as a passionate alpine skier who medalled at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, and participates with dedication and joy in a range of sports. She has also made significant contributions as an insightful and articulate athlete leader.
After completing Special Olympics Athlete Leadership training, Wang served a term on the SOBC Board of Directors, and joined the SOBC Athlete Input Council as the valued representative for Region 3 (Fraser Valley). In 2023, Wang stepped into leadership roles with the Special Olympics Canada Board of Directors and Athlete Leadership Committee. In 2024, she took on an impactful international role in serving as a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver Global Messengers for 2024 to 2027.
Wang is known as a positive, hardworking, and caring athlete who generously gives her time and insights to a wide range of Special Olympics causes and activities. She is deeply committed to making a difference as a leader of the Special Olympics movement throughout our province, country, and planet.
Matthew Williams, SOBC Board of Directors & SOBC – Langley athlete
Over the last 20 years, Matthew Williams has made a lasting impact on our province and planet as an athlete and leader in the Special Olympics movement
Williams has very successfully participated in a wide range of sports and competitive levels in his two decades as a Special Olympics athlete. He got his start in floor hockey, but soon moved beyond that to make it to the Special Olympics Canada Games for athletics, and then earned his way to the Special Olympics World Games in both basketball and speed skating. Williams earned the iconic achievement of a World Games medal by winning silver in speed skating at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. Throughout his athletic career, Williams has inspired with his dedication to his training and continual pursuit of self improvement and pushing himself to be the very best he can be.
Williams has also had a tremendous impact off the fields of play. After completing Athlete Leadership training with Special Olympics BC, he earned the opportunity to serve from 2010 to 2018 as the Chair of the Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress and as a member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors. Williams played an important role in shaping the movement globally, and in sharing athlete perspectives within Special Olympics and in a wide range of influential external opportunities, everything from speaking at the White House to personal meetings with the likes of Warren Buffett.
In 2015, Williams gave a TEDxVancouver talk to an audience of thousands at Rogers Arena that earned multiple standing ovations and has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.
In our province today, Williams remains committed to ensuring exceptional sport experiences for all Special Olympics athletes, and helping develop fellow athlete leaders. He is currently a valued member of the Special Olympics BC Board of Directors, and serves as Chair of the provincial Special Olympics BC Athlete Input Council. Williams is widely known for inspiring valuable changes with his insights and his respectful leadership.
Carey Price, retired NHL player and northern B.C. native
Special Olympics BC would like to also recognize and celebrate Carey Price, the iconic Canadian and NHL goalie and 2015 winner of the NHL’s Vezina, Hart, Jennings, and Lindsay trophies. Price was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty in recognition of his athletic achievements and significant community service contributions, including the important work by Price and his family as valued supporters of Special Olympics BC – Kelowna. Read more
“It’s been fun to be part of organizations that give back. It’s been very fruitful for us,” Price says of his family’s involvement with Special Olympics. “It’s the positivity – everybody within the organization is just happy to be there. There’s such positive energy, and the athletes are just happy to see you show up. As soon as you walk through the door, you see the smiles on their faces. It’s been a real blessing.”