Health Equality For All

Special Olympics is celebrating the 2022 Global Golisano Health Leadership Award Recipients on Monday, September 19th! In 2011, Paychex founder, Tom Golisano announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) that he would donate $12 million to help develop Special Olympics health programs worldwide. Today, that gift has grown to $67 million in total to developing and sustaining, programs such as Healthy LEAP (Lifestyle, Education, and Practice),  a series of health, nutrition, fitness, and safety lessons created specifically for youth with and without intellectual disabilities, and Healthy Athletes, a program that provides free health screenings in a fun, welcoming environment.

Earlier this month, CGI, the United Nations General Assembly, Special Olympics, the Golisano Foundation, and award recipients will gather in New York City to celebrate 10 years of partnership in funding the creation of more inclusive health opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics health programs aim to provide a higher level of health equality for all individuals and today seven award recipients will be highlighted for their efforts in advancing health programs on an international scale. For a full list of award recipients, please click here. 

Special Olympics Texas’ health programs are continuing to grow with each passing season. Through our Healthy Athletes program, Special Olympics Texas provides approximately 1,500 health screenings annually at the Winter Games, Summer Games, and Fall Classic state competitions. Promoting health equity for our athletes across the state has become a top priority for our organization, and we aim to include our health programs in every event or competition. 

Healthy Athletes at Winter Games 2022