Three decades of financial partnership continue as we announce 2018 sponsorship of the Special Olympics

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Tim Shriver:  It’s a stubborn myth that if you have an intellectual challenge, you’re not as valuable as if you don’t. Special Olympics athletes prove that no matter what people tell you at birth, no matter what people tell you in school, no matter what obstacles are in your way you can beat it. 

 

Kelly Fredrickson:  Special Olympics and Bank of America have had a relationship for thirty plus years. We share their values. Diversity and Inclusion is core to who we are.  

 

Tim Shriver:   Bank of America has invested in games, they’ve invested in leadership, they’ve invested in our athletes. 

 

Kelly Fredrickson:  It’s so necessary for the people who are participating in Special Olympics to take all of the skills that they’ve learned through competition and participation into the world that lives beyond sport. 

 

Mary Davis:  Leadership training is really, really important. We want to ensure that our athletes can show their skills and abilities to the world. 

 

Tim Shriver:  These talks are platforms for some of the most powerful, and compassionate, and determined young leaders in the world to assert their determination to create a future that’s centered on the idea of unite. 

 

Brightfield Shadi:  Me, being a leader, it will be a great honor and opportunity to change the lives of people living with intellectual disability. 

 

Kelly Fredrickson:   One of the benefits of being a Bank of America employee is that you’re encouraged to volunteer. 

 

Mary Davis:   We’re a volunteer movement. We depend on that. So, when you see the volunteers with their Bank of America t-shirts, it’s very precious. And it’s very, very special. 

 

Tim Shriver:  I think every volunteer that comes into the Special Olympics movement finds something quite remarkable that they come to help, and they often leave feeling like they got their best selves in return.

 

Mary Davis:  Special Olympics, as a movement, could never do everything itself. The support of the corporate community is absolutely essential.

 

Kelly Fredrickson:  As a company, we have a responsibility. And part of that is creating a more inclusive world for everybody. 

 

Tim Shriver:  Once hearts and minds are changed, we believe whole communities, and cultures, and political systems can change too. The engine of our movement is these great global platforms that remind us of the goal – a world united, and give us the energy to pursue it when the torch is out. 

For over 30 years, Bank of America has been a proud sponsor of Special Olympics. In that time, 4.5 million athletes from 170 countries have been uplifted by the games and its sponsors. We are proud to announce that in 2018, we will serve as a premier sponsor of the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, Washington. 

Our long-standing relationship with Special Olympics is a demonstration of our company’s belief that diverse and inclusive communities are stronger communities. We have a culture of corporate social responsibility from the day that employees walk through our doors. In previous years, our employees and members of the summer intern class have had opportunities to participate in local games, as well as the company-sponsored Unified Relay Across America torch relay that led up to the 2015 World Games in Los Angeles, Calif.

“I really loved helping Special Olympics gain visibility through the Unified Relay Across America. Between the spectators watching the relay in person and those who watched it on TV, the event reached hundreds of thousands of people. Being a part of such a large event that demonstrated the importance of an inclusive society was extremely rewarding.” – Krystal Rincon, Global Transaction Services

Funding from the bank goes towards Leadership Excellence programs supporting athlete councils, regional trainings, and local program grants. In addition to the bank’s role as the official financial services partner for the 2018 USA Games, we also provided support for the Special Olympics USA national team that competed in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria in 2017 and will do the same for the U.S. athletes competing in the 2019 Summer World Games in Abu Dhabi.

As a company, we are committed to diversity and inclusion, including the commitment to attract and hire people with disabilities to careers within the bank, and to provide them with accommodations in their jobs. Employees with intellectual disabilities are key to the success of our business. In our Support Services group, we employ more than 300 individuals, many of whom have intellectual or physical disabilities, to provide key fulfillment and printing services for our lines of business. As a community, the bank supports their development and success, while our Disability Advocacy Network fosters an environment that accepts, values, respects and advocates for those affected by disabilities. 

Learn more about our Special Olympics partnership by visiting Bank of America’s Supporting People with Disabilities page.

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