The Queen Elizabeth ll's Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta)
in Partnership with Special Olympics Alberta

The Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta) was created to mark the 70^th anniversary of Her Majesty’s Accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. To celebrate this historic event, the Medal program recognizes outstanding service from Albertans who, like The Queen, have dedicated themselves to family, community and country. The Platinum Jubilee Medal program was continued as planned despite the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8^th, 2022.

We are proud to announce Special Olympics Calgary's Executive Director, Kathy Urquhart, and long standing volunteer, Paul Manuel, were awarded the 2022 Queen Elizabeth ll's Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta) in partnership with Special Olympics Alberta.

 

Kathy has been an integral part of the Special Olympics movement for 40+ years, and is not only recognized for her involvement with the organization, but also for her ground breaking advocacy work on providing people with developmental disabilities access to organ transplantation.

Paul has been a longtime volunteer and coach in our powerlifting program, as well as with the Alberta Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. Next year will mark Paul’s 35th year volunteering with Special Olympics. Through his volunteering activities, Paul has helped to raise over $1,000,000 to support Special Olympians in Alberta.

Congratulations to the other 3 successful nominees and award recipients from Special Olympics Alberta: Jodi Flanagan, Nicholas Rolfe and Jerry Tennant. Recipients attended a special ceremony on December 17, 2022 in Calgary, hosted by Special Olympics Alberta's CEO, Sue Gilchrist, and were presented with their medal from Mayor, Jyoti Gondek. 

Want to cheer on our Calgary Flames Saturday, March 4th, 2023?

Special Olympics Calgary athletes can learn how to win your way below!

Our friend Mikael Backlund has arranged an amazing opportunity for our athletes! You can watch him and his teammates play Minnesota Wild on Saturday March 4th from a private suite! All you have to do is read all the contest details below, and enter your submission by February 1st, 2023 at 11:59pm.

There will be 9 contest winners who will get to enjoy the Backlund Sweet Suite Experience, and meet Mikael Backlund, Flames forward #11, after the game!

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST

Send us a video (minimum 30 secs long, maximum 3 mins) of the Special Olympics athlete sharing why they should be chosen to be part of this special experience.

Some ideas: Tell us how much or why you love the Flames, how long you have been a Flames fan, who is your favourite Flames player(s) or who you would bring with you on this experience. You could also tell us any lucky rituals you do when you watch them play, show us your Flames shirt, jersey or flag, or show us a special cheer you would use at the game. 
We want you to show your personality and be creative!

Can't send in a video? Complete the form attached here (the more information you provide the better) by the February 1st deadline to be entered.

CONTEST RULES

• Individual must be a 2022-2023 registered athlete with Special Olympics Calgary to be eligible to win.
• Video entry must be minimum 30 seconds long, and maximum 3 minutes. Form entry must be fully completed.
• Contest entry must be submitted to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and received before the deadline: Wednesday, February 1st at 11:59pm. We will not be accepting any late entries. Please try not to send your video in too close to the deadline to account for any technical errors or in case the video doesn’t work. You can either send it through email, dropbox, or send us a link to view on youtube.
• You will receive a confirmation email that we have received your video entry for the contest. If you do not receive a response within 2 business days, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or 587-320-5784.
• Contest winners will be selected the second week of February, and the winners will be contacted by February 14th.
• Athletes selected as winners will receive two (2) tickets to the Saturday, March 4th, 2023 Flames game. They must be used by the athlete and their parent/caregiver themselves, and cannot be sold or given away.
• If an athlete who won tickets can no longer attend the event, they are held responsible to contact the SOC office to notify them so another athlete who entered the contest can have the opportunity to go.
• Any misuse of the tickets, misbehaviour at the event, failure to pick up your tickets or attend the event, can impact your eligibility of special events in the future.
• This is not a Special Olympics event. We are only providing tickets to our members for this opportunity. There will be no volunteers, coaches or staff present with responsibilty for the athlete. Athletes must attend with a parent or caregiver. As you are accepting the tickets on behalf of Special Olympics Calgary, please act responsibly and adhere to the SOC Code of Conduct.

In Calgary we experience varying weather conditions anytime throughout the year, so there will be days that the weather will affect programs because of the venue conditions or transportation. Special Olympics Calgary puts the safety and well being of athletes and volunteers at the forefront, and because of a variety of circumstances, we may have to cancel programs. Please check here for program updates and cancellations throughout the year.

Program Update 

STATUS

Programs are running unless told otherwise.
                        

What is Special Olympics Calgary's weather policy?

Programs will be cancelled when temperatures exceed the following

Indoor programs: temperature is below -30 degrees (including wind chill)
Outdoor programs: temperature is below -20 degrees or above +30 degrees (including heat index)

Programs may be cancelled due to other factors: road conditions, major snow or icestorm, venue availability, or not enough volunteers to meet the ratio, etc.


When will a decision be made and announced?

The decision to cancel any programs will be made by the Executive Director. Making the decision if a program should run on days with inclement weather is a difficult process as weather can vary in different areas of the city, and change drastically in short periods of time. We know how much our athletes love to play their sports, and volunteers enjoy seeing the athletes, but we have to focus on our members safety, and take many factors into consideration:

- Hourly forecast and temperature for the day/evening from the Weather Network
- Projected rain/snowfall/air quality
- Venue conditions
- Road conditions and travel time
- Previous cancellations for that program


CANCELLATION TIMELINE
Cancellations will be determined and posted as the following:

Weekday programs: By noon the day of the program
Saturday programs: By 4:00pm on the Friday
Sunday programs: By 4:00pm on the Saturday

Please do not call the office to inquire if your program is running or not. This page will be updated as soon as a final decision has been made.

Members should always be prepared for the possibility that they show up to a program and it could be cancelled when they arrive due to not having enough volunteers to run the program safely.

 
What happens if the program is cancelled?

This page will be updated by the stated time above. You will receive an email notification from the office, followed up by a phone call from your head coach or program volunteer advising you of the cancellation. Once you receive the message, please confirm with the party contacting you that you are aware of the cancellation. If we don't hear from all members, someone is required to go to the venue to let members know of the cancellation upon their arrival. If we know all members know it is cancelled, no individual has to risk their safety in the concerned conditions. Thanks for your cooperation.

Please make sure to monitor your emails or phone for any messages. Parents/Caregivers should also be easily reachable by phone by the Program Head Coach in case the program is cancelled right at the start of the program practice.

Please remember to always notify your head coach when you know you will not be at the program. This way, if the program is cancelled and you are out of town or the country, the coach does not have to wait to hear from you.

 
What happens if the program is still running but the conditions are less than ideal?

SOC attempts to make the best decision possible for members. If the program is scheduled to run, individuals may use their own discretion to decide to face the weather or road conditions. If members attend their program, but the weather takes a turn, we ask that coaches use their best judgement when it comes to starting or finishing their game or practice. Please make sure you contact your head coach to let them know if you are not planning to attend your program (weather related or not).

This is a reminder that for the safety of all athletes, parents/guardians/caregivers dropping off participants at a facility must ensure that the facility is open, and a coach or coordinator is present before leaving the athlete at that location.

Final Reminder

If you feel unwell or have the following symptoms: fever, cough or respiratory symptoms such as sore throat or runny nose, or shortness of breath, STAY HOME. An important way to reduce the spread of flu and illness is to keep sick people away from those who are not sick. Therefore, any athlete or volunteer who has flu symptoms should stay home and not come to program.

Some helpful tips to be proactive and reduce the spread of any illnesses is to wash your hands with soap and water often, avoid shaking hands, cover your cough or sneeze, try not to touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, social distance where applicable, and stay home when you are sick. Special Olympics Calgary and Head Coaches have the right to refuse an individual's participation if they are showing signs of being ill.

  
The Holiday Celebration gives us a special chance to gather together again and recognize some of our outstanding volunteers and their milestone years of service to our organization.
The evening will be celebrated in holiday style with festive decor, a buffet dinner, and include presentations and finish the
night with a dance! Dress up in your holiday best, and join us for this great event!

Doors open: 5:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm
Finishes: 8:30pm

GET YOUR TICKET TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
RSVP by: Tuesday, November 22nd

Athlete: $5
Volunteer: $5
Guest: $15

Caregivers, parents and one to one support in attendance are considered guests.
Each member can bring one guest with them.
Payments can be made with cash or cheque at the Event.

CLICK HERE TO CONFIRM YOUR SPOT