Renee Manfredi

Of all the celebrations that take place during the holidays, there is one that will forever stand out to the Special Olympics athletes, youth leaders, supporters and staff who attended. On December 10, 2024, President Joe Biden hosted a dinner titled, “A Christmas for All: Celebration of Unity, America and Special Olympics.” The event recognized the work that Special Olympics, with the support of the Biden administration and Members of Congress, has done to engage U.S. government officials, educators, health professionals, parents, coaches, youth and communities everywhere to not only fight intolerance, but inspire us all to be more inclusive.

Special Olympics Celebrates the 2023 Global Golisano Health Leadership Award Recipients

Renee Manfredi never thought she'd be an athlete. Now she's a multi-sport gold medalist, Female Athlete of the Year, and Global Messenger for Special Olympics! JR Jackson chats with Renee about her incredible journey on Agents of Inclusion.

Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it is 2023?! It’s so hard to imagine that four years in my role as an SSIGM have already gone by. I can honestly say these years have certainly been filled with adventure and the unexpected.

With National Disability Employment Awareness Month right around the corner, I've been reflecting on my own employment journey. My journey to the job I currently have was not one that I planned and it didn't go as easy as one, two, three. It was and still is a journey of faith. You see, when I left high school, I faced barriers in qualifying for disability resources and vocational training that I had been told would help prepare me to enter the workplace. As I applied for services, I was told I was either too high functioning or too low functioning to receive these services. I had a lot of time to wonder, and even be afraid of what my future might hold. The workplace had always been a scary place for me. I wasn’t so worried about the type of job I would get; I was worried about the support I would receive to be successful in my job.

After more than two long years of separation due to Covid-19, what better place to be able to bring over 5500 athletes together for in-person competition but the Happiest Place on Earth – Disney World!! I’m not even sure I can describe this week, but I will do my best.

When I was assigned to write this blog, I was excited. This blog focuses on my life as a military child. I had so many thoughts going through my mind. What would I say? What would I talk about? How would I start?

This year's National Women's History Month theme (Providing Healing, Promoting Hope) recognizes the many ways in which women have provided healing and hope to humanity for countless generations.

For the ninth consecutive year Special Olympics capitalized on the environment as a massive storytelling platform for the movement despite a shift primarily to a virtual setting.

For National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October), I wanted to share about the BEST resource around: Special Olympics.