Special Olympics Family Festival is Virtual, Kicks Off Online Saturday

The 37th annual Special Olympics Family Festival (SOFF) kicks off online this Saturday, Sept. 19, for Special Olympics athletes, past volunteers and the general public to join in the fun.

SOFF is a unique event created by Consolidated Communications that annually brings together more than 600 Special Olympics athletes and 1,200 volunteers for a day of games and activities. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and out of an abundance of caution for athletes, volunteers and supporters, the event will be held virtually this year.

The link for the virtual event will be open to everyone and there is no registration. The video link will be available beginning this Saturday at 10 a.m. on the following sites:  

 ·         Special Olympics Family Festival Facebook page,  

 ·         Twitter at @mySOFFtweets,  

 ·         Instagram at @mySOFFsnaps; and  

 ·         the event webpage at www.consolidated.com/SOFF.  

“We’ve gathered our favorite SOFF guests and activities and packaged everything in a virtual format this year.” said Tracy Davis-Green, 2020 SOFF chairperson. “Due to social distancing guidelines, we are unable to gather in person, but we felt strongly about providing something special that our athletes, our committed volunteers and our supporters could experience online. We’d also like to invite anyone who wishes to learn more about SOFF to join in the fun by watching the virtual event.”

More than 600 athletes registered for the event and they recently received a gift bag of items similar to what they would get at the live event. In addition, there are some surprises in store to ensure their virtual experience is equally exciting.

“Thanks to our generous contributors and supporters, we are able to provide a SOFF t-shirt and face mask in addition to several other items in the athletes’ bag,” Davis-Green said. “Jimmy John’s also generously contributed a certificate for a free sandwich for each registered athlete, similar to the lunch we serve at a live SOFF event.”

SOFF is organized by a committee of employees from Consolidated Communications employees, along with representatives from Special Olympics Illinois, Lake Land College, First Mid Bank & Trust and Sarah Bush Lincoln.

Consolidated Communications hosted the first-ever SOFF event in 1984 and is committed to continuing the annual festival on the grounds of Lake Land College when it is safe for all involved. For more information on SOFF visit consolidated.com/SOFF.