On Thursday, September 29th, the motionball gala returns to Toronto featuring live music, dancing, drinks and a celebration of our Social Olympic athletes and supporters. We got to speak with the brothers to find out more about their journey.

For more information and tickets, check out their website.

What are some of the biggest changes to funding/awareness you have observed after 20 years? (Special Olympics)

The biggest positive funding change for Special Olympics these past 20 years would have been from the Government. Thanks to some hard work from the leaders at Special Olympics Canada over the years, the support from the Government has grown dramatically. There were 50,000 registered Special Olympics athletes within Canada back in 2019 and another 800,000 Canadians living with intellectual disabilities that could benefit from Special Olympics programs – clearly the Government of Canada finally saw the need and respected what the movement was doing for these Canadians.

Directly behind Government funding is the Police – what they do on an annual basis for Special Olympics through their Law Enforcement Torch Run events throughout Canada is truly remarkable.

And I believe the 3rd largest annual financial supporter of the Special Olympics movement in Canada is then motionball. Pre-Covid we were donating over $2m annually. And just as importantly we were and continue to introduce 10s of 1,000s of Canadian young professionals and University students to the movement through annual integrated social and sporting events all throughout Canada.

What are some of your earliest fondest/terrifying memories of starting out the organization?

Perhaps my earliest fondest moment at a motionball event was receiving our first THANK YOU note from a Special Olympics parent whose son had attended our first motionball Marathon of Sport event back in 2003. He thanked us for promoting the idea of integrated sports; for making his son feel like a Celebrity that day; and for providing an opportunity for his son to feel appreciated. It is a note my brothers and I still read to this day in order to get inspired and motivated to do more.

In terms of a terrifying moment in our early days of running motionball – I have 2 I would like to share. Year 2 of the motionball Toronto Gala at Capitol Theatre. We are 5 minutes to the opening of our VIP sponsor reception and the power goes out. Thankfully the venue had a ton of candles so we turned the VIP experience into a candlelight cocktail reception and had our entertainment play acoustic. We got away with it but thanked our lucky stars the power came back on for the main party! A close 2nd – we are 5 days out from our 2005 Toronto Gala event; we have moved to the much bigger York Theatre venue and we are 800 tickets shy of being sold out. We ordered an emergency meeting with our volunteer committee; leaned on them to be more engaged and supportive (a tough conversation with volunteers) and begged them to step up and sell tickets door to door if necessary. And did they ever! We ended up selling out with a day to spare!

What changes have you seen within the org since starting? 

The sheer growth of motionball has been remarkable. What started out as one annual Gala event in Toronto has now turned into 50+ annual events in 18 cities and on 35 University campuses. We have donated $15,000,000 to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation since our inception and we now have 6 full time staff. motionball has truly been blessed with some of the most inspiring volunteer Event Directors over the years who have taken time out of their busy work and or school schedules to passionately run and grow our events. Our volunteers are the lifeblood of motionball and our success to date would not be possible without them.

Where do you see yourselves going in the next 20 years with the org?

There are still 10 to 15 cities throughout Canada that I would love to see running motionball events. I expect another 20 to 30 University and or College campuses within Canada that will be running motionball University events. I hope and pray that our #nogoodway anti-bullying campaign will be a recognizable social campaign to all Canadian University students 5 years from now; and I fully expect to take our flagship motionball event – Marathon of Sport – to all the College Campuses in the States!

What can guests expect from the motionball gala?

The motionball Toronto Gala has truly become a MUST ATTEND event in Toronto for those in town on Thursday September 29th. We have 10 different entertainment acts; a host bar; over 100 silent auction items; fun and interactive photo booth activation stations; late night food stations; some of the best dressed Torontonians dolled up in their Black Tie suits and gowns; and most importantly a fun and welcoming vibe that truly caters to all.

How can our readers get involved?

Whether it is volunteering at one of our many events; or joining our local event committees; buying tickets to our Galas and enjoying the event with friends; or putting a team into our Marathon of Sport event – there are so many ways to get involved with motionball. Send an email to info@motionball.com and join the fun!

The post Over 20 years, motionball for Special Olympics raised over $15 million appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Typically, the sprawling Liberty Grand event venue would fill with 2,500 of Toronto’s finest young move-makers and talented Special Olympic Athletes for a glittery celebration in support of the ever-important Special Olympics Canada Foundation.

This year, the social calendar staple event moves online with the motionball In-Home Gala presented by the AIR MILES Reward Program

Hosted by CityTV’s Devo Brown the 90-minute virtual gala will feature the same energy-lifting entertainment it’s offered in previous years. This includes musical performances by Karl Wolf, MOON Vs. SUN, Skratch Bastid, and Amaal; stand-up comedy by Family Feud Canada’s Gerry Dee; and a special performance by Special Olympics athlete Ari Reinoso.

The event will also include a digital luxury silent auction, awards for best dressed, and the option of a gourmet three-course dinner for two delivered to your home with cocktails for the full gala-glam experience.

In better years, the motionball event raises over $300,000 in support of the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. This event will ensure that motionball has the resources to continue supporting the community of Special Olympics athletes during what has been an incredibly difficult period for many of them and their families.

Brothers Mark, Sean, and Paul Etherington started the motionball not-for-profit back in 2002 when they noticed a lack of integration between the Special Olympic supporters and the benefitting athletes. It has since grown to become so much more than the hot-ticket Toronto gala, becoming a multi-faceted national charity.

Tickets can be purchased here: motionball.com/2021-motionball-in-home-gala/, at $30 for general admission and $250 for VIP (includes dinner & drinks for 2). For every ticket purchased, one will be given to a Canadian Special Olympics athlete free of charge!

The post Friday’s motionball In-Home Gala Moves the Multi-Faceted Party Online appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Describe your charity/non-profit in a few sentences.

motionball is a national not-for-profit organization that empowers young Canadians to be leaders in their communities, raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics so that individuals with intellectual disabilities can lead happier, healthier lives. Nationally, we are proud to host 40+ annual events in 20 Canadian cities. Since its inception in 2002, motionball has donated over $11,000,000 net to Special Olympics and continues to expand.

What problem does it aim to solve?

We’ve noticed a significant difference between the number of Canadians living with an intellectual disability and the total number of athletes that Special Olympics Canada (SOC) has enrolled in their programs. Knowing that 2% of all Canadians are intellectually disabled, the 47,000 Special Olympic athletes registered today makes up only 10% of the total community.

The primary reasons I hear for individuals not getting involved with Special Olympics are cost, availability of programs near them, and/or a lack of awareness of opportunities. Through our mission, motionball hopes to influence a positive change in these numbers by educating more Canadians, building awareness and growing funds to support the SOC movement.

When did you start/join it?

I first participated in a motionball Marathon of Sport during Orientation Week at Queen’s University in 2011, and became involved in organizing events the following year as part of the inaugural motionball University committee. Since joining, I’ve helped to grow motionball by launching event chapters in Kingston, Hamilton, and Kitchener/Waterloo. For the past two years I’ve volunteered time on the executive committee for the Toronto Marathon of Sport.

What made you want to get involved?

Participating in the Marathon of Sport was one of my favourite memories of Orientation Week, and first year as a whole.

My younger cousin has autism, and growing up I can remember the lengths my aunt went to trying to provide him the support, education and opportunities that many of us take for granted.

What pushed me to get involved was the connection that comes from an integrated experience like the Marathon of Sport. I had participated in a few not-for-profit events, but I found this level of integration and connection unique to motionball. Playing alongside the athletes we work to support allows participants to understand the impact Special Olympics has on their lives and creates an immediate connection to the movement. I saw in motionball an organization that cared most about supporting the opportunities for all Canadians with an intellectual disability and changing the way we approach the conversation.

I think of my cousin each event, and am proud of the expanding opportunities that motionball is able to fund for the next generation of Canadians.

What was the situation like when you started?

When I started with motionball, at its core it was a very close family of supporters, volunteers, staff and leadership. We were running about 10-12 events nationally, and we were the only university program. We were a committee of ten students and supported one event of about 150 people.

For our committee at Queen’s, we focused on educating our student body and sharing motionball with as many faculties as we could. Thinking back, we were thrilled with $1,000 in net fundraising for our first committee organized event.

The Etherington brothers were incredibly supportive and would frequently make the trip to Kingston to help host our events, and national office provided us with great support.

How has it changed since?

motionball has grown significantly in the past 8 years. Today, the motionballU program I was first involved with has spread across Canadian colleges and universities and is a driving force to engage younger generations with the Special Olympics movement.

New cities have joined and staple events like the Marathon of Sport Calgary, Vancouver and Kelowna all blew past the $100,000 net annual fundraising mark years ago. It wasn’t long ago that the Toronto Marathon of Sport surpassed $200,000 in net fundraising for the first time, and this year our goal is an incredible $450,000 net.

The passion, engagement, and initiative of the volunteer leaders has brought us to a point of critical mass. When I speak about motionball, I don’t find myself explaining what it is very often anymore. People hear motionball and say, “I’ve heard of that. My friend/partner/coworker was there last year and it looked amazing, they loved it”.

Though this is partly due to the scale of the Toronto Marathon of Sport and the Toronto Gala, a huge component of our growth has been the passion and energy of our participants. They share stories and bring friends the next year, as that cycle repeats year over year the growth is exponential.

What I’m amazed by is that through all of our growth, the core mission and leadership of motionball has remained consistent. As organizations grow it can be easy for communication to be disorganized and the spirit of the event to be lost in a crowd of people. The Etherington brothers and the incredible staff at motionball’s national office have done an amazing job welcoming new event directors, volunteers, and participants into the motionball family. I’d still describe motionball as a close family, we’re just a bit bigger now!

What more needs to be done?

For all that we’ve been able to do educating Canadians on the Special Olympics movement and engaging them through events, there remains a significant opportunity to increase the enrollment of Canadians with an intellectual disability in programs offered by Special Olympics Canada. Many communities and programs are looking for volunteers and coaches who can support local teams and increase the opportunities for athletes. Sometimes having a great coach or friend at a few events can make a meaningful impact on an athlete’s enjoyment of the day and is a great way to show support.

One big area we’re focused on off the playing field is the #NoGoodWay campaign. The aim of the #NoGoodWay campaign is to eliminate the word “retard” from everyday conversation. Today it’s often used casually, and even if people don’t mean it in “that way,” the word is rooted in discrimination, bullying, and exclusion for many of the Canadians we’re supporting. We’re working with our partners to ask everyone to stand with the 1 in 100 Canadians living with an intellectual disability.

How can our readers help?

We’re always looking for passionate volunteers to help our existing events and great leaders to help us grow to new cities. If you’re interested in getting involved to help with events, I invite you to reach out to Cassie Chambers (cassie@motionball.com) to learn more.

We’re fortunate to have great support from our national sponsors who support all of our events, but we also have a number of local sponsors who donate and support individual chapters. If you feel that your company might be interested in getting involved with motionball, as a participating team or sponsor, please reach out to Julie Lafazanidis (julie@motionball.com) to explore an opportunity.

If your calendar is busy but you still want to support our incredible athletes, I invite you to donate in support of motionball and Special Olympics here: http://mball.ca/mos-23892. If you know someone participating, you can also search for their name and donate specifically to them.

Finally, share the word about motionball, our events and the #NoGoodWay campaign. We invite everyone to take the pledge to stop using the r-word in their vocabulary, and readers can join the other Canadians who have at motionball.com/nogoodway/.

Do you have any events coming up?

Yes we do! On Saturday, May 25th, we kick off our Marathon of Sport season with the Toronto Marathon of Sport at Downsview Park. With 84 Teams of young professionals participating, over 150 Special Olympic athletes, and an army of volunteers, this is motionball’s largest Marathon of Sport and highest net fundraiser. Last year we set an event record by surpassing $400,000 net in fundraising. This year our goal is $450,000 net! It’s an inspiring day and I invite anyone interested in motionball or Special Olympics that hasn’t been to an event to stop by, watch and cheer on our teams.

From there, we’ll have as many as 3 events each weekend in cities across Canada through to the Fall Classic Golf Tournament.

Where can we follow you?

To stay up to date on motionball Toronto activities, follow @motionballto or @motionball on Instagram, and @motionballTO and @motionball on Twitter.

The post Charitable Choices: motionball team member Braeden Hunt appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

The funds that are received by Special Olympics Canada Foundation go directly to
programs that help the training of athletes and volunteers across the country. Donations are much needed in aiding with:

-Physical fitness, health and longevity of athletes
-Self-esteem of athletes
-Friendship and social skills of athletes
-Employability of athletes and creating a desire for them to excel in other areas of life
-A more enlightened society

We recently caught up with the Etherington brothers Paul, Mark and Sean who started motionball to find out how they are progressing and where you can go to help out this great cause.

How many events have you now run since inception and how much have you donated to Special Olympics?

Paul: Since inception motionball has donated $9,000,000 to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. Personally, I have attended 107 motionball events but we have certainly run many more than that. And to date, we are running now 30 annual events in 18 cities within 8 provinces across Canada.

What does the money that you donate go towards at Special Olympics Canada?

Mark: The money we raise is split 70% to the provinces where it is generated; 25% to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation (SOCF) and 5% to our #NoGoodWay awareness campaign. The 70% funds to provinces are directed into Special Olympics sports programs in communities in the provinces – creating grass root sport opportunities for Special Olympics athletes. The 25% to the SOCF is to ensure the long-term financial integrity of the movement and is often redistributed back to provinces via granting programs. The 5% awareness funding is for our #NoGoodWay campaign designed to eliminate the casual use of the “R” word in everyday conversation – this is primarily a social media campaign.

Tell us about some of the other events that happen during the year and in what cities they happen.

Paul: We run 3 Gala events in Toronto; we run over 20 Marathon of Sport events within 18 cities; we now have 10 Universities engaged with motinoball and running Marathon of Sport events for us. We run a Fall Classic Golf Tournament; a motionball Idol event; a motionBowl event not to mention our ever-growing anti-bullying social awareness campaign called #NoGoodWay which is designed to stop the negative and casual use of the “R” word.

What is the Meritorious Service Medal?

Mark: The award is presented by the Governor General’s office and recognizes Canadians who have made contributions to their community. The official website description of the award is The Civil Division Meritorious Service Medal recognizes a deed or an activity that has been performed in a highly professional manner, or according to a very high standard: often innovative, this deed or activity sets an example for others to follow, improves the quality of life of a community and brings benefit or honour to Canada.

What are some of the changes that have taken place with your motionball gala in Toronto over the years? (Event Space, # of Guests, amount raised) Include figures if any.

Paul: In March of 2002 we ran our first ever Toronto Gala event. We had just under 600 guests; had 1 entertainment act and raised $48,000. This year’s event had 2500 guests; we had 9 live entertainment acts; 6 different activation stations and the event itself net close to $300,000.

Where do you go from here?

Sean: Like the Special Olympics movement, motionball is a grass roots organization and we ultimately want representation in all provinces and territories. We have a great team in Montreal but we also recognize the opportunity and need to grow in Quebec, a province that is only second to Ontario in terms of overall Special Olympic athlete registration and growth. As Paul eluded to, we are also focused on growing the number of Marathon of Sport events in Canadian Universities (MOSU). Our mandate is to Educate, Integrate, Celebrate and our focus has always been on that next generation of supporters, so the MOSU program is a natural next fit.

What is the best part about doing what you do in Toronto?

Sean: Toronto is an amazing city full of young professionals who want to give back. There are 170,000 not for profit and charitable organizations across Canada, many of which are based in Toronto and yet we have never run out of talented individuals who put up their hand and ask to do more for a worthy cause. Our goal has always been to connect our participants with the Special Olympics athletes, knowing that once that connection was made, the athletes would take it from there and truly sell them on the value and need for that engagement.

PAY IT FORWARD: What other Toronto charitable organizations do you respect?

Paul: There are so many outstanding not for profits in Canada that I look up to and respect. However, in particular, I am a big fan of the Canadian Cancer Society; Holland Bloorview; SickKids Foundation; BoobyBall and Me to We.

Be sure to visit their website for more information and to get involved.

The post Paul, Mark & Sean Etherington of motionball for Special Olympics Canada appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

The motionball Toronto gala in support of Special Olympics Canada is taking place this Friday, February 5th. The 15th edition of the Toronto chapter is set to be the best yet, raising more money and having a bigger show than ever before.

Last year, we interviewed Paul Etherington who is one of the founding brothers of motionball about his history. This year, I thought I would find out a bit more about the man behind the philanthropy and discover his Toronto.

Learn more about motionball through their website – http://www.motionball.com

How is this year changed from last year?

A lot has changed since last year! The gala sold out 3 days faster, we have almost double the amount of entertainment, we’ve invited double the amount of Special Olympics athletes to celebrate and plan to raise a minimum of $50,000 net more than last year. All of these changes will mean an overall better experience for the participants plus more funds and awareness raised for Special Olympics.

How did you come up with the theme this year? What Should we wear?

Every year the team has a lot of fun determining what the theme should be and this year we came up with “a Night in the Woods” early in the planning stages. The motionball Toronto gala is made up of fun, excitement, mystery and of course décor that completely transforms Liberty Grand, which is why it seemed like the perfect theme to go with! We love having guests dress up for the gala and suggest tuxedos for the men and gowns or cocktail dresses for the ladies.

Tell us a bit about your Toronto.

My Toronto is home! You name it we have it. Toronto is safe, culturally diverse, filled with endless opportunities and is continuously throbbing with excitement and energy. It’s the best city in the world in my opinion.

*** Rapid Fire ***

Favourite coffeeshop?

Homeway

Favourite grocer?

Summerhill Market

Favourite park?

Sherwood

Favourite Ontario Destination?

Georgian Bay

Queen East or Queen West?

I prefer the party in Queen West but the living lifestyle of Queen East.

Blue Jays, Leafs or Raptors?

The Jays

Favourite Toronto based charity other than motionball?

The Pink Party in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Check out motionball in support of Special Olympics Canada this Friday in Toronto.

The post Paul Etherington of motionball Shares His Toronto appeared first on Toronto Guardian.