This partnership is part of a\u00a0three-year grant supporting expanded access across 13 Northeastern Pennsylvania counties<\/p>\n
(September 16, 2026)<\/strong> \u2013 Special Olympics Pennsylvania<\/a> (SOPA) received a $1 million check from the AllOne Foundation as part of a three-year partnership to expand inclusive sports and health programming across central and northeastern Pennsylvania. The check presentation was followed by a Unified bocce experience that brought together SOPA athletes, board members and AllOne representatives for a friendly competition celebrating the partnership.<\/p>\n The check presentation marked the three-year, $1 million grant partnership announced in June. The investment was designed to expand access to sports and health programming and reduce barriers to participation for people with intellectual disabilities in 13 rural counties across central and northeastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Approximately 390,000 Pennsylvanians live with an intellectual disability, and many face limited access to opportunities that support physical activity, health and community connection. These barriers contributed to significant health disparities, including higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes, as well as a life expectancy 20 years shorter than that of people without intellectual disabilities. Through free sports, health and leadership programs, Special Olympics Pennsylvania is working to address these disparities by expanding opportunities, strengthening social connections and building more inclusive communities for people with intellectual disabilities<\/p>\n “We are tremendously proud to be receiving this grant \u2013 the largest our organization has ever received \u2013 as it will help us double our impact in areas\u202fwhere people with intellectual disabilities face a lot of barriers for participation,\u202f\u201csaid\u202fNate Garland, Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Interim CEO. \u201cThere is\u202fa lot\u202fof\u202fsynergy\u202fbetween where we want to grow as an organization\u202fand the counties that the\u202fAllOne\u202fFoundation serves. We currently only have a 2% penetration rate \u2013 which means for every one athlete we currently serving in those 13 counties\u202fthere are still\u202f49\u202fon the sidelines waiting to get access to our free sports,\u202fhealth\u202fand leadership programming.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time of the announcement, Special Olympics Pennsylvania served more than 15,000 athletes statewide through programs that included:<\/p>\n Young Athletes:<\/strong> Fun, play-based activities introduced children ages 2\u20137 with intellectual disabilities to sports while helping them develop fundamental motor skills, social skills and confidence.<\/p>\n Unified Champion Schools (UCS):<\/strong> The program empowered more than 500 schools statewide to build communities where students with and without disabilities competed together and felt welcome, included and accepted.<\/p>\n Community Programming:<\/strong> Free training and competition in more than 20 sports, along with health screenings, leadership development and additional opportunities.<\/p>\n Over the three-year partnership, support from the AllOne Foundation was expected to help SOPA:<\/p>\n The partnership also positioned SOPA to bring high-profile competition events to northeastern Pennsylvania for the first time, creating\u00a0additional opportunities for local athletes to compete while increasing community visibility and attracting new sponsors and volunteers. SOPA hosted more than six statewide competitions each year in communities across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone at\u202fAllOne\u202fFoundation is highly\u202fgratified\u202fto share in this significant partnership with Special Olympics of Pennsylvania,\u201d said John Moses, Esq. Founding Chairman of AllOne.\u00a0 Together, our work significantly\u202fimpacts\u202fthe communities we strive to serve by fostering inclusion, reducing social isolation for our families, friends, and neighbors with intellectual disabilities (ID), and promoting healthy lives through sports, leadership programs, and special social connection.\u201d<\/p>\n With support from the AllOne Foundation, Special Olympics Pennsylvania expected to reach more athletes by bringing inclusive sports, health and leadership opportunities to communities that had too often been left behind. Thousands of people with intellectual disabilities in the 13-county region still lacked access to these opportunities, and the investment represented an important step toward changing that. Individuals and families interested in participating as athletes, Unified partners, coaches or volunteers could visit SpecialOlympicsPA.org<\/a> to find local programs and upcoming events.<\/p>\n About Special Olympics Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1970, Special Olympics Pennsylvania is part of a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership.\u202fWith more than 15,000 athletes and Unified Sports partners statewide and more than 16,000 coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics Pennsylvania delivers more than 20 Olympic-type sports and over 1000 competitions every year.\u202fEngage with us on:\u202fFacebook<\/a>,\u202fYouTube<\/a>,\u202fInstagram<\/a>,\u202fLinkedIn<\/a>,\u202fTikTok<\/a>\u202fand\u202fTwitter<\/a>. Learn more at\u202fSpecialOlympicsPA.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This partnership is part of a\u00a0three-year grant supporting expanded access across 13 Northeastern Pennsylvania counties (September 16, 2026) \u2013 Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) received a $1 million check from the AllOne Foundation as part of a three-year partnership to expand inclusive sports and health programming across central and northeastern Pennsylvania. The check presentation was followed … Continue reading ALLONE FOUNDATION AND SPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA ANNOUNCE $1 MILLION PARTNERSHIP TO EXPAND INCLUSIVE SPORTS & HEALTH PROGRAMMING<\/span> \n