NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Special Olympics spent the spring of 2022 participating in a Bowl-O-Rama event, strengthening a 10-year partnership between the two organizations. 

CCIW institutions paired up by geography and competed against each other in two bowling games with a local Special Olympics chapter. Special Olympic athletes split up and joined each team for a traditional game at a local bowling alley.

Carroll and Carthage competed against each other with local Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes, while Elmhurst and North Park, and Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin were joined by Special Olympics Illinois athletes. Augustana also took part in this event with its local Special Olympics chapter.   

This was the first-of-its-kind event between the CCIW and Special Olympics. Both organizations have taken part in a joint bocce ball clinic where Special Olympics athletes teach CCIW student-athletes how to play bocce. Both the CCIW and Special Olympics will look to conduct a Unified Bocce event together in the future. 

Additionally, the CCIW and Special Olympics took part in virtual bingo via Zoom during the spring of 2021 and 2022. Both organizations also conducted virtual fitness events including Stretch into Spring in May of 2021 and Fall into Fitness in November of 2021. 

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to five million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries.

Visit the following links for information on Special Olympics as well as Special Olympics Illinois and Special Olympics Wisconsin.  
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL).