‘#ChooseToInclude trending in Canada’: Local Special Olympians benefit from donut sales
Kerry Cloney is getting in some extra bowling practice as she prepares for her next provincial tournament.
The Special Olympian from London, Ont. is excited to be back after the pandemic wiped out so much of her playing time.
“I can compete, visit and go to all different places,” says Cloney when asked why she loves the sport.
Her husband Brian, also a Special Olympian, has been competing for 40 years.
“I would actually guess I probably got over 100 plus medals over the years,” says Brian, who is proud of his days playing floor hockey and soccer (in which he won an Ontario Cup).
Brian Cloney shows off his Ontario Cup soccer medal. He has achieved more than 100 Special Olympics medals over the past 40 years. Pictured in London, Ont. on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 (Brent Lale/CTV London)This weekend, both of them are beneficiaries of the proceeds from the Tim Horton's Special Olympics donut.
Each donut, purchased for $2 this weekend, helps local athletes.
“If you look at the hashtag ‘choose to include’ that we've been using for the donut, I think (Friday) it was up around third or fourth in the country trending,” says Derek Spence, manager of the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Money raised helps with field and arena rentals, equipment, uniforms, and travel expenses to play in tournaments.
“Last year, we were fortunate enough to partner with Tim Hortons and raise $600,000 across the country,” says Spence.
“$300,000 of which was raised right here in Ontario. That goes a long way towards helping the 26,000 athletes in Ontario that are involved with Special Olympics.”
100 per cent of the proceeds from the Special Olympics donut at Tim Horton’s goes to local athletes competing in Special Olympics Canada pictured in London, Ont. on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
Athletes like the Cloneys.
Brian says his floor hockey and soccer teams have been named Ontario team of the year in the past due to their knowledge and implementation of their oath
“When I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,” says Brian. “That's based on good sportsmanship, like how we present yourself to the opposition team and your positive attitude.”
The pandemic cancelled the past three Ontario Provincial games. This summer the high school games will resume, then Kerry and three other London bowlers will compete in Waterloo, Ont. in the spring of 2024.
“We'll be able to see old friends that I haven't seen over two years plus going on three years now, since everything's shut down,” says Kerry.
Brian hoped everyone got out and got a donut before the program finished Sunday night.
“It helps athletes like us participate in events and travel around the world,” says Brian. “It also helps volunteers participate so they can help athletes’ dreams come true.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.