Special Olympics PEI is honoured to announce the selection of three individuals and organizations as the 2022 Golisano Health Leadership Award recipients. These awards were presented November 24, 2022, at the Confederation Centre for the Arts. The Golisano Health Leadership Award was established in 2016, in partnership with Special Olympics and the Golisano Foundation, and is given to selected individuals or organizations that are dedicated to improving the health of people with intellectual disabilities and advancing the health work of Special Olympics.
Every other year, Special Olympics PEI has the opportunity to recognize up to three individuals or organizations for their contributions toward inclusive health. “The three organizations and individuals being recognized this year join our 2018 and 2020 recipients in a prestige class of ongoing supporters who continue to advance the Special Olympics health mission in support of Island athletes." said Matthew McNally, Program Director for Special Olympics PEI. “Without each of them, and their professional networks, Island athletes would not have the quality access to resources and care that is being provided. We look forward to this year's celebration and congratulate all those being honored” added McNally.
Haley MacDonald
Haley MacDonald, is Special Olympics PEI’s trained Clinical Director for FUNFitness, and a full-time physiotherapist at Sports Centre Physiotherapy. Hayley was quick to take on this role and be trained in 2019. She began this journey as a health champion to give back to the community, especially the Special Olympics athletes, but has learned that she has gained so much from being involved as well. During her Clinical Director training in Arizona, she got to take in some of the Arizona State Special Olympic Games. When she returned, she said “seeing the athletes compete and how proud they were to participate was incredible”. Haley has taken the lead on over 60 local athlete screenings; providing athletes with professional advice on prevention or reduced risk for injury related to their flexibility, strength, and balance. Haley is loved by athletes, and always takes time to listen to what they want to talk about. Special Olympics PEI is very fortunate to have her as a leader and is grateful for Sports Centre Physiotherapy agreeing to host screenings directly in the clinical setting.
Barb Bradley, mother of Special Olympics PEI athletes, Patti and Liam, both of whom have participated in FUNfitness screenings, had this to say about Haley’s Award: “the Funfitness screening was a great way for the athletes to get the message of how important dental health, hearing etc is. without the parent / caregiver trying to impress this message; it always seems to be better absorbed coming from someone else.”
Murphy's Pharmacies Community Centre
Murphy’s Pharmacies Community Centre, has been one of Special Olympics PEI’s sport and event facility partners for over 35 years. They have been winners of Special Olympics PEI’s Facility of the Year award in 1994 (as Basilica Bowling Lanes) and then again in 2010 under its current name. The Centre’s team has a rich history of supporting Special Olympics programming, competitions, fundraising, and health events by providing quality, accessible, and affordable facilities. Since 2015, during Special Olympics PEI’s largest sporting event - the annual 5-Pin Bowling Provincials, Murphy’s Pharmacies Community Centre has been host to 888 Healthy Athletes screenings throughout six multi-discipline events! Many of Special Olympics PEI’s health events are supported by the Golisano Foundation and Sport Canada, but the organization has always considered Murphy’s Pharmacies Community Center as an in-kind supporter for the generous facility booking rates and staff support that is provided for the Healthy Athlete screenings. It is considered home to many who regularly attend the facility.
In reaction to the Award, Ray Murphy, founder of Murphy’s Pharmacies, the major supporter of Murphy’s Pharmacies Community Centre, said “this award is special to myself and our family. These individuals with intellectual disabilities are special people who show us love, courage, friendship, and the importance of not judging people. They have many talents and gifts to offer which we see through their presence at Murphy’s Community Centre.”
Dave Morrow, Coach of the Charlottetown 5-Pin Bowling program, was delighted to hear of the recognition for Murphy’s Pharmacies Community Centre, saying “as a coach for Special Olympics’ 5-pin bowling here in Charlottetown, I am so grateful that the Murphy’s Pharmacies Community Centre offers us such a safe and friendly environment at the bowling lane every Tuesday evening. With the support from their staff, our athletes and volunteers greatly enjoy their time on the lanes.”
Tremploy Inc.
Tremploy Inc., one of Special Olympics PEI’s programming partners, have a long history of working together with Special Olympics PEI. It is a relationship that has been strengthened by an overlap of Tremploy clients and Special Olympics PEI’s athletes. Tremploy has provided access to resources and programming for their clients for many years. Staff at Tremploy are always looking for new and effective ways to motivate the people they support in being more physically active. Clients are now motivated to participate in exercise videos, indoor bocce, floor curl, mini golf, and cosmic yoga! Clients have been taking advantage of virtual opportunities, including Athlete Social hours hosted monthly by Special Olympics PEI, Healthy Athletes Strong Minds screenings, and resources such as the Wellness Champions and Health Matters programs. The Tremploy staff and client team are very welcoming and inclusive, with both organizations having many shared values.
Jeff MacKenzie, a staff member with Tremploy who is especially involved with the partnership with Special Olympics PEI, had this to say about the Award: “Our partnership with Special Olympics has been incredibly valuable. During the pandemic the Wellness Champion program they designed became an important part of our programming at Tremploy. Wellness Champions challenged our clients to try new things, develop new skills and stay active!”
Gail MacPhee’s son, Shane, has been both a client of Tremploy and an athlete with Special Olympics PEI for a number of years. “We have found Tremploy to be very supportive to Shane in any of the Special Olympic activities he wants to take part in during his days at Tremploy. Both Jeff MacKenzie and Heidi Bernardi have been very accommodating in giving Shane access to a laptop or desktop computer and setting him up so he can take part in Zoom Meetings. As well, they have worked with him and supported him when he was taking part in the Wellness Champion and Strong Minds Programs.” Gail adds, “we have found Tremploy to be very supportive overall and are very pleased that Tremploy is receiving this well-deserved award.”
People with intellectual disabilities are part of one of the largest and most medically underserved disability groups in the world. Millions with intellectual disabilities lack access to quality health care and experience dramatically higher rates of preventable disease, chronic pain and suffering, and premature death in every country around the world.
Since 2012, philanthropist and Paychex Chairman Tom Golisano, and the Golisano Foundation, have committed $37 million to Special Olympics health programs to increase access to inclusive health, fitness and wellness programs for people with intellectual disabilities in the communities in which they live.
Special Olympics’ vision of its health program, made possible by the Golisano Foundation, is to create a world where people with intellectual disabilities have the same opportunities and access to quality health care as people without intellectual disabilities. For the past 20 years, Special Olympics has been working to identify and address the unmet health needs of people with intellectual disabilities and has revealed a myriad of complex barriers to health faced by this population. Barriers to this vision include lack of access to quality health care, education and resources.
About Special Olympics Prince Edward Island
Established in 1987, the PEI chapter of this international movement is dedicated to enriching the lives of Islanders with an intellectual disability through the transformative power and joy of sport. This grassroots movement reaches beyond the sphere of sport to empower individuals, change attitudes and build communities. From two-year-olds to mature adults, over 660 athletes with an intellectual disability are registered in Special Olympics PEI’s year-round programs across the province. They are supported by more than 220 volunteers. Special Olympics PEI wishes to acknowledge and thank Founding Partner, PEI Mutual Insurance Company.
For more information, visit www.specialolympics.ca/pei or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@Special OPEI).
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968, Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 6 million athletes and Unified Sports partners in over 190 countries. With the support of more than 1 million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and over 100,000 games and competitions throughout the year.
About Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation
Tom Golisano — entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader — is the founder and chairman of the board of Paychex, Inc., a leading national provider of payroll, human resource, and benefit outsourcing solutions with more than 14,000 employees and 100 office locations nationwide serving more than a half-million small and medium-sized businesses. Tom’s vision, perseverance, and action have left an indelible mark on a broad spectrum of issues that touch our lives – in business, healthcare, education, voter policies, politics, and tax reform. His personal philanthropic contributions to hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations exceed $300 million. A fierce advocate for dignity and inclusion, Tom Golisano applied his pioneering spirit to establish the Golisano Foundation to help make the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1985, the Golisano Foundation is now one of the largest private foundations in the United States devoted exclusively to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With $45 million in gross assets, it awards more than $2 million in grants annually “Imagining the Possibilities,” advocating for families, fighting for their dignity, and giving people with IDD the opportunity to thrive in their communities.
