SOI Survey

 

Special Olympics International Survey

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the short notice, but we just received this from SOI. Can you please follow the link below by the end of the day tomorrow and complete their survey? 

Thank you in advance!

Client Survey - SO World Winter Games Turin 2025

Thank You!

 

Until We Meet Again!

I wanted to take a moment to wrap a bow around the wonderful experience all of us shared in Italy. This was my sixth Final Leg, and every one of them has been fantastic, but there was just something different about this group. 

I think it was a combination of half the team being able to be in Athen and Rome, but we also had more downtime than normal, which helped contribute to that bonding experience. Oh, and let me tell you, that can go both ways. Meaning, the longer you're around others, the more opportunity there is for people to start wearing on your nerves. I never saw that. And since we've all gone our separate ways, the group chatter on WhatsApp hasn't slowed down - which is awesome.

While no event is ever perfect, this was still a very extraordinary experience. Greg and I work very hard to make sure you're exposed to as little of the background noise as possible. It's kinda like planning and executing a wedding; nobody else knows about all the drama that goes on behind the scenes.

In all, Greg and I just want to say thank you to every single person on this team. You made this a monstrously memorable event that none of us will ever forget.

Unfortunately, I will not be at Conference this year, but Greg will lead the way for our presentation at Friday's Founder's Lunch. I will certainly miss you all.

Until we meet again, stay safe, and God Bless every single one of you!

Uniform Kits

 

Uniform Kit Payments

Hey Everyone, 

Final Leg Team & Programs – Please take a few minutes over the next week to pay for your runner’s uniform kit.  It is $525 and can be paid online via the link below.  You have until April 11, 2025, to do this. If you prefer to pay another way, please reach out to Kami at kdelameter@specialolympics.org. Thanks!

 

SpecialOlympics

Final Fundraising Update

 Final Update:

 

Well today is the day we did it. Our Final Leg team hit the $350,000 goal. This is an amazing accomplishment that we should be very proud of. As we all know it is not easy to raise this kind of money in today's environment with so many competing interests and other LETR events that we are involved with. Just think about what took place here. We raised this significant amount of money without a single donor going to an event or getting anything tangible in return. That is how powerful our stories are and the win-win combination of Special Olympics and Law Enforcement teaming up together. Think about this concept for your next fundraising endeavor and consider having a full time LETR social media presence that you can direct people to before, during and after events that you are involved with. Thank you for your efforts and I hope all of you remember your time in Italy with our eight precious, funny, ambitious, caring and brave athletes. Bill.

 

 

FINAL LEG TEAM PARTICIPATION SURVEY 

As the end of the 2025 LETR Final Leg event approaches, it is time for all of you to collect your thoughts and provide some feedback to the Final Leg Planning Committee about how the event went for you.

The survey form which can be accessed by clicking on the link below will take around 15 minutes to complete.  

The responses will be collated and used to inform and advise the Final Leg Planning Committee as they move forward to the next event in 2027.  

We will also publish the results in a few weeks time on the Blog so you can see what the general feeling  was about the event.

There are opportunities for you to comment on a variety of aspects of the event - don't be shy - please let us know what you really thought.

Thanks

Scott

Updates to Final Leg Schedule

UPDATES TO THE FINAL LEG SCHEDULE

There have been a number of changes to the Final Leg Schedule.  These changes include the following:

• Removing the visit to the Skyscraper on Saturday, March 1
• Moving the visit to see Juventus play from Sunday, March 2 to Monday, March 3
• Moving the Pragelato Torch Run from Monday, March 3 to Saturday, March 1
• A number of minor time changes on different days.

The Daily Run Schedule document has been updated to reflect these changes and is available from the Team Portal or by clicking on the link below:

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE DAILY RUN SHEET

Hope this assists

Scott

Fundraising Update #8

 

Update #8

Congratulations Final Leg Team. We have reached our ORIGINAL fundraising goal. Everyone has done such a good job raising funds and we haven't even started The Final Leg yet.  If our potential donors know that we reached our goal they are less likely to donate.  We anticipate additional funds will come in so we are increasing our Team's goal.  So, our new goal is $350,000. This would be a very impressive amount that we raised for Special Olympics so lets see if we can do it. Current standings are below.

As I mentioned before, a really great way to raise some last minute funds is to post pictures, videos and stories from your first few days of your Final Leg experience. As an example, I posted on my Facebook page while I was on the bus on the way to the Athens Airport. I included the below paragraph at the bottom of the post and I have had 6 people donate since then. One of the donors I haven't talked to in over 10 years.

Thanks to my family and friends for donating to my effort to raise money for Special Olympics. I am just shy of my goal so if anyone else wants to donate here is the link.

https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/FinalLeg/BillProll1

Team Standings

Team 1  $46,377

Team 4  $41,992

Team 3  $41,119

Team 6  $35,709

Team 5  $33,796

Team 8  $28,140

Team 2  $15,540

Team 7  $11,116 

Highest $ Raised by Individual

Jason Flanery $19,188

Robbi Peterson  $15,872

Casson Burgen $14,442

Brandon Long $12,719

Heather Mah $12,581

Chuck Adams $12,140

 

 

Fundraising Update #7

 

Update #7

Greetings Team. Our team is excelling in our "final push" to meet our goal. If everyone keeps at it we will make the amazing $300,000 goal soon. We are adding a last minute incentive for some of the top fundraisers. If you raise at least $20,000 you can pick between an additional Torch or Miner's Lamp. 

Great job everyone and take a look at the incredibly cool Torch we will be carrying. Just a reminder to post pictures from your first few days in Greece and/or Italy for people at home and remind them of your fundraising site. I will see everyone soon.

Fundraising Update #6

 

Update #6

Greetings Team. I was on the entire call yesterday but due to an iPhone glitch my microphone would not work. I was going to reiterate what Mark said about the fantastic job everyone has done in the fundraising department. It is really satisfying watching the total increase everyday and knowing the impact these funds will have on Special Olympic programs. We started off slow but lately it has been full steam ahead.

I request that we all do one final push so we can reach our team goal and everyone who wants to bring a torch home can do that. The fundraising site will be open for awhile so we all should be still seeking donations. A great way to get some last minute dollars is to post pictures of your first few days in Greece or Italy for people back home to see and asking for their help in reaching your personal goal. 

The Logistics Team will be providing a towel to everyone at the Polar Plunge. We have rented these towels from the hotel for a very good price so we have to make sure we get every single towel back. We do not want to mix these towels up with your room towels. There will be more guidance on this before the event. 

Below are the current club members. As always, please let me know if you have any questions and I will see everyone soon. Thanks.

Final Leg Photo Gallery access

ACCESSING THE FINAL LEG PHOTO GALLERY

The Documentation Team will, over the course of the Final Leg, take hundreds and hundreds of photos as well as video material.  Those images and videos will be uploaded by the team to a Special Olympics photo gallery site (Photoshelter).  

The uploads will be done progressively throughout the event and be available for viewing by you and your friends and family.

The photocard shown above has a QR Code that when scanned will take the user directly to the photo gallery.

Click on the photocard shown at the top of this post to download the image and place it on your phone or tablet (saved in Photos or as part of your Camera Roll).  One of the advantages of having this is that you can then share the link easily with family, friends and people that you meet during the event.

Hope this is useful

Scott

 

Release of the 2025 Final Leg Team Guide

 

RELEASE OF THE 2025 LETR FINAL LEG TEAM GUIDE

I am pleased to advise that the LETR Final Leg Team Guide has been compiled and is available for download.  This document is recommended reading for all team members.

The Team Guide is divided into the following sections:

• Introduction
• Welcome to the event
• Arriving in Turin
• Team Info  
• Team Lists (Numeric and Alphabetical)
• Team Contact List
• Team Statistics
• Accommodation
• Room Allocations
• Pairings
• Schedules
• Schedule Overview
• Daily Run Schedule
• Daily Map Routes (where we are going and how we get there)
• Cadences - the songs you sing
• Turin Arrivals (Alphabetical and Date and Time)
• Turin Departures (Alphabetical and Date and Time)

All of the documents are available in the Final Leg Portal where they can also be downloaded.  Please note that the document is 69 pages in length and almost 6mb in size.  You should consider downloading the document prior to your departure for Italy and placing it on your phone or tablet.

There are two options available to download the Team Guide:

1.  Click on the Team Guide Cover Image at the top of this blog post.
2. Go to the Final Leg Team Portal - you'll find the same image at the top of the page.

There is little doubt that I would have forgotten to include something - if this is the case, please let me know - but you've only got a few days before I depart.

Enjoy the read

Scott

Fight the Flu

 

Stay Healthy, My Friends

We are traveling at the peak of flu season, coupled with long hours on planes, airports and interactions with dozens, if not hundreds of people. It's not too late to prepare your body for exposure to all the germs you'll come in contact with, and we certainly want everyone to stay healthy on the Final Leg.

It would be a good idea to start a regimen of Zinc, B-12, Vitamin C & D, and/ or Emergen-C. Also, a good idea to start hydrating at least 48 hours before you fly to help minimize inflammation.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the Zoom Tuesday, so come loaded with all your questions!

See you soon!

Fundraising Update #5

Update #5

We have made some remarkable progress over the last 10 days. Robbi Peterson has been killing it in West Chicago by securing several large donations. We are now over 2/3 of the way to our total goal of $300,000. All of us know what this amount of money would mean to Special Olympics so lets keep moving forward and make a final push at meeting our goal. 

We have several members who are almost in the Torch Club so keep asking and you will make it. The Torch Club currently includes:

Jason Flanery

Casson Burgen

Chuck Adams

Robbi Peterson

Brandon Long

Adam Bernstein

Cristal Sanchez

Heather Mah

John Nesky

Lisa Vorrasi

Nate Stetzer

Neshawn Jubilee

Sandy Nash

Shaun Cuddeback

Tiny Dewe 

 

The Team Standings are as follows as of an hour ago:

 

   

Juventus Football

Juventus Football Game

On Sunday, 2 March, we have been invited to attend the Juventus Football Club match versus Hellas Verona at Allianz Stadium in Torino. In addition to attending the game all eight of our athletes, a handful of torch runners and members of the Juventus Paralympic team will be honored at halftime.

Athlete Andres Spezzano from Italy and I will have the opportunity to give 30-second speeches to the crowd.

Since the entire Final Leg team cannot participate on the field, the Management Team randomly selected the participants in the following manner:

• A number randomizer program was used to determine which teams the runners would be selected from, ensuring no team had more than one representative
• Each team member was then assigned a number based on their alphabetic ranking on the team; again, the number randomizer program was used to select a runner from each team

The names have been selected and will be announced at the Welcome Dinner on 28 February.

We are really getting close! Can't wait to see you all soon!

 

Food Allergy Survey

 

DO YOU HAVE A FOOD ALLERGY?

In an effort to ensure that the food provided to Team Members during their stay in Turin, we have been asked to survey the team to determine if any members have food allergies.

With just three weeks to go before the entire team is in Turin, we need to get this information to the Local Organizing Committee as soon as possible.

If you don't have any food allergies, there is nothing further for you to do.

If however you do have allergies, please CLICK HERE to complete the survey.

Please complete the survey now - submissions will close on Sunday, 9 February at 5.00pm (Washington Time)

Thanks

Scott

Final Leg Media Tool Kit

Social Media Tool Kits

Hello Everyone,

In order to assist you and your programs in publicizing your participation on the Final Leg, we have created a number of tools for you to use. You may find those tools by following the link below:

Communication Kit

 

Fundraising Update #4

 

 Update #4

I am proud to introduce the newest members of the Torch Club (see below). Heather got a $6800 donation from the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police Organization. Adam Bernstein received $1000 also from the FOP. Way to go Heather and Adam. They both will be getting some free drinks in Italy. Jason Flanery has been killing it by getting some substantial donations from Tow Truck Companies. Several team members in this club have even qualified for a Torch AND Miner's Lamp.

Just a few reminders: 

1. The Running Team that raises the most money will have the premier spot for the Opening Ceremonies.

2. You must be registered online to fundraise even if you are raising all of your funds offline. 

3. Believe it or not some team members have already reached their personal goal. A suggestion would be to increase your goal because people that look at your page might not be inclined to donate if they see you have reached your goal. 

We are only halfway there to The Final Leg Team's overall goal. We have less than a month to keep pushing for donations. 

Organizations and businesses that commonly give to the LETR for example are: 

Tow truck companies

Mortuaries and funeral homes

Dry Cleaning Stores

Police Uniform Stores

Banks and Credit Unions

Service Clubs; Lions, Elks, Masons, Rotary

Law Enforcement Officer's Unions or Associations

 

 

 

 

Final All-Team Meeting

 

The FINAL Full-Team Meeting

Hello Everyone,

We will hold one last full-team meeting on Tuesday, 18 February at 2 PM Mountain Time. That will be Wednesday for our folks in the Southern Hemisphere.

The purpose of this meeting is all about YOU. We will tie up some loose ends, but I want to spend the majority of the time answering any questions you may still have. This should be a relatively short meeting.

About a week before the meeting, I will ask the Team Leaders to reach out to their groups and solicit questions, which we will address.

As I type this, we are 23 days from the Flame Lighting in Athens! CRAZY!

Click the ZOOM MEETING LINK below to join the meeting.

Mark McCorkle is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: FINAL LEG FULL TEAM MEETING

Time: Feb 18, 2025 02:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

ZOOM MEETING LINK

Meeting ID: 945 873 6772

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Meeting ID: 945 873 6772

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/advc2z5Rj6

Uniform KIt

 

When Can I Wear My Gear?

Greetings Torch Runners!

This was covered earlier, but we bury you with so much information, not everything sticks. We do have a protocol for wearing your official Final Leg gear. We respectfully aske that you do not wear any of the branded pieces until the day you travel to either Athens, Rome, or Turin. The only exception to that rule is if you are doing a media interview, or your program is doing some type of promotional announcement of your participation. Otherwise, we kindly ask that you do not wear any part of the branded uniform.

Once we arrive in Europe (Athens-Rome-Turin) you are encouraged to wear any pieces of the uniform kit. Also, if you wear a piece or two on the plane from home to Europe, those are pieces you don't have to pack in your luggage.

On another note, I've run six miles this weekend, how about you?

Don't hesitate to ask questions!

Public Transit in Torino

 

How to Get Around Torino

Based on our current schedule, it appears there will likely be some downtime, which may allow you to explore the beautiful city of Turin. In an effort to help you get around, here are some options you may consider.

Uber: This is a good news/bad news situation. Yes, there is Uber in Turin. No, it is not terribly reliable. When Kami, Greg and I were there in November, we found Uber to be very hit and miss, sometimes experiencing very long waits. Other times, an Uber arrived in short order. 

Taxi: Taxis are very prevalent in the city. Download the app AppTaxi to your phone. Follow the prompts to establish an account. No payment info is needed on the front end. DOWNLOAD THE APP BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR ITALY. It appears to work very similar to the Uber app. 

Public Transportation: The Metro (subway), light rail, and buses are a great way to get around the city. In November, we experienced the Metro and found it to be an excellent mode of transportation. You can follow the link below for access to information on public transportation options, routes and fares in Turin.

Public Transportation

If you are a Torch Runner arriving in Turin on 27 February, the LOC or Logistics Team will pick you up at the airport, or at the train station. If you are arriving at the airport, we will have Logistics Team members to greet you, who will direct you to your transportation to the hotel, which is about a 30-minute ride, depending on what time of day you arrive. 

If you are traveling from Rome, arriving at the Porta Nuova Rail Station on the 27th, our Logistics Team will meet you there. We will give you more specific instructions when we're all together in Rome. 

If you are a Torch Runner arriving before 27 February, you are responsible for your transportation and finding your way to the NH Lingotto Congress Hotel on the 27th,

If you are a Torch Runner arriving from Rome on the 26th via train and are NOT staying at the NH LIngotto Hotel that night, you are responsible for your transportation and finding your way to the NH on the 27th.

Hope that makes sense to everyone. If not, don't hesitate with questions.

Fundraising Update #3

 

Update #3

Great job on the teams picking their costumes for the Po Po Plunge. So far we have a wide variety of costumes: 1980's Valley Girls and Punk Rockers, Polar Pastry Patrol, Minions, Italian Food and Art and the colors of the Italian Flag. These will make for some classic and memorable photos.

Did you know there is only $267 separating the top two fundraisers on the running teams. Fantastic job Chuck and Casson. Currently the race is close for the top Team because Team's 5, 4, 6, and 1 are all very close. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions. My cell # is below. Thank you.

Fundraising Update #2

Update #2

Hello Final Leg Team. We will all be meeting each other in just a little over a month and I can't wait. We do have plenty of time left to make a great big FINAL push with our fundraising efforts. If you haven't sent out a press release or had your agency send one out now is a great time to have that done. It makes the fundraising easier. While all fundraising is voluntary it is such a great way to raise some money for your local program and earn yourself a Torch, Miner's Lamp or both. Either item on your wall of your office, your agency's wall or your home will be a constant reminder of the great experience you had in Italy. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS.

While we are still ironing out the details of the Polar Plunge it is certain that we all will be jumping into the cold water with our individual teams. In the past each team has decided on a costume to wear for the jump so I would encourage your teams to talk and decide on a costume. Due to all of the stuff we have to pack the costumes do not need to be extensive. Your team leaders will be in contact with your team to decide on those details.  

GOAL FOR THIS WEEK: Every team member that is fundraising should request a donation from your employee association (police officer's association, deputy sheriff's association, correctional officer association etc). Most of these types of agencies have a non-profit status so they are almost always willing to donate money to Special Olympics especially since one of their members has been hand-chosen from their state, country, province etc. to carry the Flame of Hope in Italy. So each of us should be hitting up the head of the association either in person or a short letter and asking for that donation. As a further incentive, I will buy one round of drinks in Italy for the team that has at least two members secure a donation from as association in the next 10 days. If your team qualifies for this please email me as soon as at least two donations post so I can share your team's success. These have to be two new donations starting today.

 

Running Weather

 

Running Weather (First 4 Days)

Greetings Torch Runners,

Greg Dawson has received his extra pair of Columbia running pants from Amazon. He reports that the material is relatively thin, so, make sure you pack the appropriate undergarments.

Below is the projected weather for our first four days of running:

Saturday, 1 March: Bardonecchia:

                 2* Celsius

Sunday, 2 March: Turin

              9* Celsius

Monday, 3 March: Sestriere & Pragelato

              

                  -1* Celsius                                                        1* Celsius      

Tuesday, 4 March: Novara & Vercelli

                      

              11* Celsius                                                         11* Celsius

Wide range of temperatures, along with some snow and rain - for now. We all know how quickly these forecasts can change. However, it does look like the 1sr and 3rd of March will be our coldest running days by far.

Keep getting the miles in. We are really getting close!