/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory: Special Olympics Canada celebrates the love
of the game as it brings together fans, both old and new, at book launch/

TORONTO , Oct. 16 /CNW/ - In the year marking the fortieth anniversary of Special Olympics in Canada , Special Olympics Canada will celebrate its remarkable milestone with the nationwide launch of Make No Small Plans, a definitive collection of stories and photographs, at Beverley Junior Public School in downtown Toronto . The school was the site of the first Special Olympics national competitions in 1969.

    
    TSN's Vic Rauter will emcee the event, which will include guests such as:

    -   Dr. Frank Hayden, the pioneering Canadian researcher in the field of
        intellectual disability;
    -   Harold Smith, the sport movement's first volunteer coach in Canada
        and a former teacher at Beverley Junior Public School, who also
        escorted a Canadian floor hockey team to the inaugural Special
        Olympics competition in 1968 in Chicago;
    -   Jim Jordan, the book's editor and former president of Special
        Olympics Canada and Special Olympics Canada Foundation.

    Members of Mississauga Lightning, the Special Olympics floor hockey team,
will also face off against students from Beverley Junior Public School in a
friendly competition. It was at Beverley Junior Public School that Mr. Smith
ran a floor hockey league for students with an intellectual disability.

    When:     Thursday, October 22, 2009, from 12:20 pm to 1:00 pm

    Where:    Beverley Junior Public School
              64 Baldwin Street, Toronto, Ontario

    Limited parking on-site.

    Photo Opportunities:

    1. Starting at 12:20 and until 12:35 pm
           -  Remarks by Special Olympics Canada Foundation chairman John
              Barnett and Special Olympics Canada chairman Neil Glasberg
           -  Remarks by Dr. Frank Hayden and Harold Smith

    2. Starting at about 12:45 pm
           -  Floor hockey game between members of Mississauga Lightning and
              Beverley Public School

    Interview Opportunities (before and after the event)
        1. Dr. Frank Hayden
        2. Mr. Harold Smith
        3. Neil Glasberg, chairman of Special Olympics Canada
        4. John Barnett, chairman of Special Olympics Canada Foundation
    

About Special Olympics Canada

Special Olympics Canada is dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport. It is a national not-for-profit organization that provides training and competition opportunities to more than 32,000 athletes of all ages and abilities, primarily through local sport clubs. For more information, visit: www.specialolympics.ca.

For further information: Susana Petti, Director, Marketing and Public Relations, Special Olympics Canada, T: [phone], ext. 237, C: [phone], E: [email protected]; Kathryn Perry, Assistant, Marketing and Public Relations, Special Olympics Canada, T: [phone], ext. 229, E: [email protected]; T.J. Goertz, Communications Coordinator, Client Services, Communications and Public Affairs, Toronto District School Board, T: [phone], E: [email protected]