On Friday, September 22nd, 2023, athletes, volunteers, coaches, and sponsors gathered both in-person and virtually to celebrate another year of achievements at the 2023 Special Olympics Saskatchewan SaskTel Awards Celebration!
Here at Special Olympics Saskatchewan, we take great pride in acknowledging and celebrating our athletes, volunteers, supporters, and sponsors. Without the dedication of these, and many other individuals and organizations, we would not be able to provide our athletes with the opportunity to participate in sport, training, and competitions, all while making new friends and creating lifelong memories.
Emceeing the night was none other than our CEO Faye Matt and athlete Steven Saman (Special Olympics Regina athlete). To start things off, we had special guests, Minister Gary Grewal, MLA for Regina Northeast, representing SaskTel, followed by Mark Guillet, President of SaskEnergy, to bring greetings. Throughout the year, our athletes are busy training, competing, and striving to be their best. This wouldn't be possible without the support of SaskTel, SaskEnergy, and our other incredible provincial and national partners.
The evening was filled with laughter, connections, and of course, celebrations. Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners of this year's Celebration:
| Category: | Award Winner: |
| Coach of the Year Award (1) | Sheldon Dean |
| Coach of the Year Award (2) | Jackie Powell |
| Jr. Coach of the Year Award | Lindsey Chabot |
| Volunteer of the Year Award | Tyler Kowalski |
| Unsung Hero Award | Carl Kruger |
| SOS Team of the Year Award | SOR Regina Basketball Team (Wildcats) |
| Athlete of the Year Award (1) | Taylor Carter |
| Athlete of the Year Award (2) | Tyler Servant |
| Shining Star Award | Lindsay Markwart |
| Community Excellence Award | Special Olympics Humboldt |
| Saskatchewan Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Saskatchewan | Frank Kovacs with RPS |
| Unified Spotlight Award | Carlton Comprehensive High School in Prince Albert |
| Lifetime Athlete Dedication Award | Daniel Goebel |
| Bob Pedde Award | Rick Sanden |
| Honorary Life Member Award | Darren Whitehead |
| Presidents Citation Order of Merit Award | SaskTel |
Thanks to our corporate sponsors, we have the opportunity to reflect and recognize the people that make up this wonderful movement. Through their support, they help to make our province a more inclusive and better place to be. Thanks to the following:
- SaskTel
- SaskEnergy
- Sask Lotteries and Sask Sport
- Knights of Columbus
- Wheaton Kia
- StratLab
- Tim Hortons
- Empire Company Limited (Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, and Thrifty Foods)
- Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Saskatchewan
Thank you to all the athletes, volunteers, coaches, supporters, and sponsors. The evening was a great demonstration of just how impactful the Special Olympics movement can be. To see a full evening of pictures and the award winners, head over to our Flickr Page!