Team Communication #12

Greeting Final Leg Team Members!

It’s starting to get real!  We just finished packing up all of the Final Leg Team uniforms in Wisconsin where the temperature hovered around the 0 degrees F (-19 C) most of the time we were there.  The only thing we were missing was some open water to get a quick Polar Plunge in!!!

A big shout out to Will Enterprises, an International LETR Executive Council “Preferred Vendor” who not only did a remarkable job with the embellishment (embroidery) of the Final Leg uniforms but also helping to get everything packed and shipped.   Also, a big THANK YOU to Don Stuart, Tory Rivers and Lisa Smith who all did a phenomenal job of putting the uniform kits together and double checking each and every one to insure that you will receive exactly the sizes that you ordered.  The uniforms for the Final Leg Team members from the U.S. and Canada will ship directly to them this coming week.  All of the uniform kits for team members outside of the U.S. and Canada will be distributed upon your arrival in Bregenz on March 8^th.   We had to do this due to the extreme cost of shipping outside of the U.S. and Canada.

  

The Schladming Splash is really heating up..…pun intended!  Our unified fund raising efforts are now almost at $90,000 USD led by Sheri Lucas from British Columbia with over $7600 raised, followed by Special Olympics Maryland athlete Michael Heup with over $7300 raised so far!  

To date, there are 12 team members who will be getting genuine, limited edition, Final Leg torches for reaching the $2500 incentive level, and a number of other team members quickly approaching that fundraising threshold to earn a torch!  These torches are not available any other way!  

Many of our team members have found how easy it is to solicit donations utilizing your personal on-line fundraising page that we set up for every team member.  If you have any questions on your fundraising page your Team Leader can help you.  If you take “off-line” donations (cash or check) you can send those donation to Victoria Rivers at SOI (address below) and when she receives them, she will credit your on-line fundraising page to show those donations.  Please make sure any checks are made out to “Special Olympics.” 

Ms. Victoria Rivers

Special Olympics, Inc.

1133 19^th Street, NW

Washington, DC  20036

Remember, in the U.S., all donations to Special Olympics are tax deductible to the full extent of the law!

I hope everyone had the chance to look over the Event Guide that we published on-line on New Year’s Eve.  There is a lot of great information in there that will help prepare you for the Final Leg event!

I told you in my last communication that we would be producing a “Team Guide” that will have even more information in it that will provide further guidance and answer some other lingering questions you may have about the Final Leg in more detail.  THANKS to Scott Whyte, this document is now available for your reading pleasure on the Final Leg website in the password protected “Team Zone” area. 

Both the main page of the Final Leg website and the private area for team members only, the "Team Zone," have been updated and enhanced.  Please visit these areas. To get to the "Team Zone" go to the Final Leg website at www.letr-finalleg.org and when the page comes up, hover your mouse over "Home" and a drop down menu will appear.  Click on "Team Zone" in the drop down menu. Remember the Team Zone is for Team members only and is password protected.  The password is 0627.  PLEASE do not share this password!

The Event Guide is a public document and the Team Guide IS NOT A PUBLIC DOCUMENT and must not be shared with anyone outside of the Final Leg team!   This document has all of the information in the Event Guide plus many more details of our event such as specific locations of our hotel stays, team member personal contact information and much more that is not public information.  I would suggest that after reviewing this document, any remaining questions that you may have had about the event will be answered.

The momentum and excitement continues to build and March 8^th, your arrival in Bregenz, Austria for the start of the Final Leg, will be here before you know it!  Team Leaders will be scheduling conference calls with their team members in the near future to continue building your teams identity, esprit de corp and discussing the Final Leg event as we prepare to embark on our important mission of creating excitement for the World Winter Games and awareness for Special Olympics all over Austria.

I am excited by all of the posts I see on Facebook by our Team members about the Final Leg and also the profiles of our Team members that we have been posting on the International LETR Executive Council Facebook page.  Keep up the great work of building the excitement!

All the best;

John     

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

Team Communication #11

Dear Final Leg Team Members;

Happy New Years Eve!  I hope this e-mail finds everyone well and you are all ready to ring in the New Year! 

It's exactly 67 days before the Final Leg team is on the ground in Austria and ready to create excitement for the Games and spread awareness for Special Olympics and I know that you are all anxious to know a little more about the Final Leg event and everything we have planned.  The 2017 Austria Final Leg Event Guide is now ready for your download on the Final Leg website at www.letr-finalleg.org

Please feel free to share this 2017 Austria Final Leg Event Guide with anyone and everyone!  The Guide is in a .pdf format and it is indexed so you can go directly to a specific section of interest to you.  When you are in the table of contents, hover over a section title and then click on it, it will take you directly to that section.  To return to the table of contents hover over the Final Leg logo or Special Olympics logo at the top of the page and click on that and you will be taken directly back to the table of contents.

The Final Leg Event Guide contains information about; the Final Leg event, the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria, the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Special Olympics, Team members & profiles, Final Leg Routes, Ceremony locations, law enforcement & athlete speaking assignments for ceremonies and much more!   In Final Legs past, many team members have printed out the section with the Torch Runner profiles, brought it with them and had their teammates sign it as a keepsake. You might want to consider doing this.

There will also be a Team Guide provided in the very near future just for Team members that contains a bit more information about some specifics that should not be public such as contact information for each team member so you can continue to communicate with one another post event.  This Team Guide will also have specific hotel locations and other team movements that we do not want publicly shared as safety and security is always first and foremost in everything that we do.  There are no security or safety concerns on our Final Leg event but as law enforcement officers we always do our due diligence in that regard with everything we do, wherever we are.  

Both the main page of the Final Leg website and the private area for team members only, the "Team Zone" has been updated and enhanced.  Please visit these areas.  Remember the Team Zone is for Team members only and is password protected.  The password is 0627.  PLEASE do not share this password!

A big THANK YOU goes out to Adi Reiter and Markus Gloessl and the rest of the Austria Logistic crew for all their hard work planning each and every run, ceremony, etc.  This has been a major piece of work that has been in progress for well over a year.  The routes and runs are amazing! 

I also like to send a big shout out and THANK YOU to Scott Whyte, our website and logistics guru, a Torch Run volunteer who also wears the hat of International Law Enforcement Torch Run Executive Council Chair.  Scott has worked tirelessly putting not only this Guide together but also our Operations Manual, the website and so much more.  This is no easy task and Scott certainly had the "patience of Job" as changes kept coming in (the nature of a Final Leg event!) while completing this monumental tasks. 

In this New Year and as we endeavor to create awareness and make a lasting impression on the great people of Austria and all those all around the world about our unified efforts to benefit Special Olympics, I would like you to think about this. "Never underestimate the power of a small group of people to change the world."  In fact, that is the only way the world has ever changed!  Each of those small groups had one person who inspired them.  My "one" person was a Special Olympics athlete by the name of Billy Church that I met 37 years ago as a young rookie police officer.  Think about that "one" person who inspired you.  In the New Year, I challenge each of you to be that "one" person who inspires another to help propel our Law Enforcement Torch Run movement forward into the future.

We are the Torch Run, Mighty, Mighty, Torch Run........

All the best;

John

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

Team Communication #10

15 December 2016

Dear 2017 Austria Final Leg Team Members;

Don Stuart and I just got back from a quick "final" planning trip to Austria to meet with our 2017 Austria Final Leg Torch Run colleagues there. Adi Reiter and Markus Glossl have been hard at work reviewing all of the Torch Run routes and runs and with this information, we are now in the final stages of completing the 2017 Austria Final Leg Torch Run Event Guide which will have a LOT of information about the exact runs, cities, towns and communities we will visit and a myriad of other things that you will want to know about the event.  Scott Whyte will be working his magic to put the finishing touches on this guide and we have to have it out to all of you soon after the beginning of the year.

As the holiday season approaches, I believe we have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for.  This year our worldwide Law Enforcement efforts reached new heights, collectively raising more money than ever before in an economy that while recovering, continues to be challenging, and we are all thankful for this!

I am personally thankful for your friendship and for the camaraderie that we all share as Final Leg Team members, Torch Runners, law enforcement officers, Special Olympics staff and volunteers, and most importantly, with Special Olympics athletes all over the world.  Please indulge me because I know that many of you have heard this from me before, but I truly mean it and feel it necessary to express this to you, my friends, once again!  During this time of year there is often talk of miracles.  I believe in miracles because I have been witness to miracles; the miracles of Special Olympics!  My very favorite quote that I like to use at this time of the year is one that I believe has special meaning to our efforts....."We never know what miracles are right in front of us!  Remember, often times things are not as they seem to be.  Things can change instantly with the "change" of perception." --Michelle W. Seasons --  Each and every one of you are responsible for changing perceptions, the perceptions of our citizens with intellectual disabilities, and thus, YOU are responsible for making miracles happen!  

In the spirit of the holiday season, I wish each and every one of you and your families, the Very Merriest of Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanza, and a VERY Happy, Healthy, Safe, and Prosperous New Year!

John

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

Team Communication #9

21 November 2016

Dear 2017 Austria Final Leg Team Members;

With the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday just a few days away, I just want to take a minute to thank each and everyone one of you, first and foremost for being the kind, caring, compassionate and selfless persons that you are, and for being a part of our Law Enforcement Torch Run family to benefit Special Olympics, especially as valued members of our 2017 Austria Final Leg Team!  In the U.S., this is the time of year that we sit back and reflect on everything that we are thankful for. I am truly thankful for having friends and colleagues like each of you who are so committed to helping our citizens with intellectual disabilities....not only in your official roles as law enforcement officers or Special Olympics staff, but what you give of your free time so passionately volunteering to raise funds and creating awareness for Special Olympics in some very unique ways.  Polar Plunges, Truck Convoys, Law & Order’s, Over the Edge, supporting Special Olympics events, as unified partners, coaches, you name it….what you do is so important for the athletes and our global movement!  What you do in your own countries, states, provinces and in your own communities, is truly remarkable and has had a profound effect on citizens far beyond your borders, helping to change perceptions and open new doors to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

THANKS FOR GIVING of your time, talent, dedication, commitment and and energy for Special Olympics!!!!

While this Thanksgiving Day on November 24th is a U.S. holiday, I think it is a fitting message for everyone all over the world, to sit back and reflect on all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us, and each and every one of you are a blessing to me in my book!  During the upcoming holiday season, I hope everyone will have the opportunity to spend time with your families and friends, slow down a little bit and enjoy the season!   

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

John

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

P.S.  Don't forget the upcoming "#Giving Tuesday," it is a great opportunity for outreach for your Schladming Splash Polar Plunge fundraising initiative! Get those e-mails crafted now!  Entering it's fifth year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.  Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S....November 29th this year) and the widely recognized shopping events, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable seaon, when many focus on their holiday shopping and end of year charitable giving. Since the inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a worldwide movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy.  

Team Communication #8

8 October 2016

Greetings Final Leg Team Members!

With all of the recent tragedies going on around the world, I just want to drop you a quick note to say THANK YOU!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone dealing with on-going struggles, war, conflicts, horrific natural disasters such as Hurricane Matthew, and for the recent loss of life of our brothers and sisters in law enforcement around this country and around the world.

Bad things continue to happen every day and YOU and our brothers and sister in law enforcement are on the front lines, selflessly protecting our communities so that we can live, work and play in a safe and secure environment.  THANK YOU to all of the law enforcement members of our Final Leg team for everything that you do.  Not only do you protect us in your official capacities and duties, but you go many steps further in your involvement with the Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics.  The impact that you have on the lives of millions of individuals with intellectual disabilities is beyond measure.  We are all continually inspired by the amazing athletes of Special Olympics, their infectious love for live, their dedication and determination to “win,” and always being “brave in the attempt!”   Through our collective efforts with the Law Enforcement Torch Run creating awareness and raising funds to benefit Special Olympics, we are helping to educate and unify this great world of ours into an all-inclusive society where everyone is accepted and respected, and our differences celebrated! 

Thank you for what you do!  Simply put, what you do, means so much, to so many!

With respect and gratitude;

John

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

Team Communication #7

FINAL LEG TEAM UPDATE

August 19, 2016

To all members of the 2017 Austria Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg Team

Greetings Final Leg Team Members!

The excitement continues to build as we are only about 4792 hours away from the beginning of our Final Leg mission!

We have some exciting news! The routes are now almost complete and you will be running into some amazingly beautiful, breathtaking and very welcoming historic cities, towns and communities all throughout Austria.

I have a few updates for you. The first update is about the ceremonies and speaking assignments. We will be holding around 50 ceremonies where we will have officers and athletes speaking about their experiences with Special Olympics and the Torch Run and the impact it has had on them. Unfortunately,

because there are fewer ceremonies than runners, not everyone will have the opportunity to give a speech.

We worked very hard to select the speakers based on equality for all of the ten (10) teams, geographical diversity, etc. PLEASE don’t feel slighted if you were not selected to speak, you will be playing a vital role on the team each and every day. The interactions that you will each have with the citizens in the

communities we visit is vital to the success of our mission of creating excitement for the World Winter Games and awareness for Special Olympics and the Torch Run.

In regards to your speeches, they are really quite simple, just speak from the heart. As an example, you can talk about what Special Olympics means to you, how you got involved in the Torch Run (and/or Special Olympics) and how it has impacted your life. The speeches should be no longer than 2-3 minutes. Each of

the speeches will be translated into German during the ceremony. 

In order to make it easier on the translators, I will need each of the team members selected to give a speech to provide me with your speech in writing. This way we can give them to the translators in advance so that they are prepared with a free flowing translation. I will advise the selected speakers on how to submit their speeches in a future update.

I have attached the speaking assignments to this letter. If you have any questions or concerns about your assignment, please let me know.

The next update is in regards to the route assignments. We worked very hard to insure that our team members had the opportunity to travel and run with a cross section of our ten (10) teams and meet all of your other teammates in a Torch Run setting. Since our entire team will be staying in the same hotels each

night, we had the opportunity to mix the teams up each day so you will be running with different teams on different routes, each day. This will give everyone the opportunity to really get to know all of your teammates! The route schedule is contained in the speaking assignment document and shows which team is on each route, each day. Take some time to look at the cities, towns and communities that you will be visiting. This can also help you with your speeches if you want to mention a few things about the town you are speaking in during your speech, that’s always a nice touch! 

(Logistic Team & Documentation Team members, your assignments are on this sheet as well and there is a key at the end of this document which tells you your position designation for your respective assignments)

The next update is your rooming assignments. Much thought and consideration went into selecting roommates and it wasn’t just the roll of the dice, it was based on a number of factors including information that you provided us about your Torch Run/Special Olympics background and experiences.

The rooming assignments are attached to this letter. You should reach out to your “roomie” and get acquainted with one another!

The last update for now is about the Polar Plunge. We are re-branding the Plunge as the Schladming Splash ! The Polar Plunge is being re-located to Schladming in a MUCH BETTER body of water of clear blue water (more on that in another update). We moved the Polar Plunge to Schladming so that some of

the World Games Sponsors, SOI Board members, some honored guests and possibly a celebrity or two could participate with us close to one of the venues for the Winter Games. This is an amazing opportunity that should also garner some very significant media exposure…hence, a bigger benefit for the World

Games, Special Olympics and the Torch Run!

THANKS to everyone who is already engaged in fundraising for the Schladming Splash! To date, over $22,000 has been raised, led by Special Olympics Costa Rica athlete Ariel Ary who has raised almost $5000….way to go Ariel! Three of our athletes are in the top 10 fundraisers so far!!! Team #2 is now in the lead followed by the Planning and Logistic Team! Remember, anyone who raises over $2500 will receive a genuine, custom made, limited edition…not available anywhere else, 2017 Austria Final Leg Torch! This torch is going to be amazing and I know everyone will want one, but the only way to get one is to raise a minimum of $2500 in your Plunge efforts! It’s not that hard to raise money…REALLY!

Encourage your family, friends, colleagues, co-workers and anyone else to donate to such a worthy cause!

Ask them to network for you to get donations. Have a local newspaper or radio station do a story on your Final Leg participation and your fundraising efforts for Special Olympics. Remember, a lot of small donations add up quickly!

If you have any questions or concerns about the Final Leg, your Team Leader and/or I stay ready to answer them the best we can. Let’s keep the momentum going and help make this one of the most successful and memorable Final Leg events ever! Communicate with your team members and share your excitement and stay tuned for more information on the Final Leg!

Please start preparing now, as the better running shape you are in, the more you will enjoy this event.

All the best,

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

Remember why we do, what we do….it’s all about the athletes!

Uniform Kit Update

July 17, 2016

Greetings Final Leg Team Members;

The excitement continues to build! We met with our Austrian colleagues last week to go over all the plans for the Final Leg and I can tell you, the event is going to be amazing!!! We’ll all be in Austria to start our amazing Final Leg mission in only 5570 hours….it will be here before you know it! 

Flights are being booked and many of you have already received and approved your itinerary. If you haven’t received anything yet, please be patient. We are doing them in small groups as we have to await the approvals from the runner and program before we can actually book the flight. PLEASE check your e-mail at the very least, daily. The Travel Agent can only hold the flights for 24 hours without them being “booked” before they are released by the airline and we have to start the process all over. It is important that you and your program respond with your approval right away. The flight itineraries that you receive are the cheapest flights available within the mandated arrival and departure times, so there should not be any concerns in that regard.

We are excited to announce the 2017 Austria Final Leg uniform kit that every Team member will receive. We have worked hard in conjunction with a great partner, Columbia Sportsware, to provide you with quality uniforms and I am very pleased and excited about the Columbia gear that will be provided to all members of the Final Leg Team upon arrival. Columbia Sportsware has a long history of supporting Special Olympics as well as providing high quality Final Leg Team uniforms for past winter Final Leg events. I think you will be pleased also! The jackets and shirts will be embroidered with the Final Leg logo. Team members from the United States will most likely have their uniforms shipped directly to their home (or designated shipping address) prior to the Final Leg to save on shipping costs and customs and duty fees.

Each team member will receive the following:

Parka (1)

Softshell Windproof Running Jacket (1)

Snow Pants (1)

Running Pants (1)

Half zip Pullover (2)

Long sleeve crew type shirt (1)

Long sleeve shirt wicking shirt (2)

Hooded sweatshirt (1)

Heavy gloves (1)

Fleece gloves (1)

Watch cap type hat (1)

Baseball style hat (1)

Neck Gaiter (1)

Long underwear (2 pairs)

Backpack (1)

Gear bag (1)

We have been able to keep the cost of the uniform kit down due to the generosity of our great partner, Columbia Sportsware. As previously indicated, each program is responsible for the payment of the runner’s uniform kit. The total cost of the uniform kit is $625 USD.

This cost is inclusive of all shipping, custom & duty fees and embellishment (logo embroidery) of the uniforms. (This does not apply to athletes, Running Team Leaders or Logistics Team members. No payment is

due from these team members)

Programs or the person responsible for payment need to go to the Final Leg website as soon as possible, but no later than August 15, 2016 to pay for the uniform kit for their respective runner. Payment is made directly by the Torch Run/SO program (or individual) on our secure site with a credit card. I have attached instructions on how to proceed to the site and make the payment. I have also attached a mockup of the uniform kit that you will be receiving, I’m sure you will love it!

All the best,

John Newnan

Team Captain

2017 Austria Final Leg

P.S. Keep up the great work with your Polar Plunge fundraising efforts….Team #7 is in the lead!