

Chicago Auto Show First Look for Charity
I was at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place for the First Look for Charity, which is where people's tickets result in donations to charities. I was helping Special Olympics as an Ambassador. I did not give a speech this time, I mingled with the crowd and told them about Special Olympics. I met some other Special Olympics athletes, we got to see cool cars, like the Chicago Cubs car, which was probably the highlight of the car show. Here we see the celebrities from Windy

A Pinch of Happiness
A Pinch of Happiness is a spice shop in Oswego. I work there doing many jobs, among them are running the register. I work 2 days per week. It can get hectic, there was the Oswego Chocolate Walk which brought in many customers. We have been interviewed, here is the interview with NBC: https://www.nbcchicago.com/on-air/as-seen-on/a-pinch-of-happiness-473030073.html #community #charity


Rowing for Special Olympics
I attended the Cross Fit Thunderbolt Fundraiser for Special Olympics in Oswego IL. Randy and I made a short speech about Special Olympics. I used a rowing machine. It was not the first time using a rower. Everybody gave it a try. There was a good crowd. This was the first of two Special Olympics fundraiser events in one day, you can read about the other one here: https://www.alexkotas.com/single-post/2017/07/10/Raising-Money-at-a-Cubs-Game Go Special Olympics! #reputation #c


Raising Money at a Cubs Game
The McCook Police Department in Chicago held the Second Annual Rooftop Fundraiser for Special Olympics on July 8. We visited with people in the area and talked about Special Olympics. We sold raffle tickets all the way up to the very top of the rooftop. We were way up high, like on the 6th floor! During the game, there was free dinner. We got it after we checked in. I had Italian sausage with ketchup and mustard, and chips. It was catered by Buona Beef. They had brownie bite


Bowling Surrounded by Green Shirts
I competed in the Special Olympics bowling tournament at Bowlero Naperville. This picture looks orange because all their lights are orange. I had to get there early on a Sunday morning. It was crowded. We bowled 3 games as opposed to the usual 2. There was trouble with the automatic scoring because of the lighting. I got 3rd place in my division. I would like to participate again, perhaps in a different location. #community #health #charity


Wings Anyone?
Special Olympics has many fundraisers, and they had one at Buffalo Wild Wings in Aurora in association with the Aurora Police Department! The parents did not take pictures, because they were too lazy to bring out their cameras. So use your imagination! My job was to be in charge of the sales table: you could buy tshirts, hats and raffle tickets among other items. When they sell things, some of that money goes back to Special Olympics. First we ate dinner because it was a s


Good Day for Golfing
Exactly one week ago, Sheila, Randy and I went to Geneva to help at this golfing site. I was chosen for this event because I am a Special Olympics Global Messenger. It was a fundraiser for Special Olympics. We helped the players and guided them at Hole 5. We rode golf carts to get there. It was my first time riding in a golf cart - I was scared to death! I had to really hang on. Sheila didn't think she was going to make it either! I got to meet some interesting people like


Make Music Chicago
I went to Casey's in Naperville for an event called Make Music Chicago. It started in France, and the idea is to make music all day! We were outside to encourage audience participation. We were singing songs, and people could sing along. We sang stuff like "Let It Go", "Shake It Off". Heather played the keyboard, Pearl played the ukulele, Forrest played the guitar, and we had some small percussion instruments like shakere and djembe drum. It was sort of fun, sort of not fu


Good Deeds at Dunkin'
Once again I volunteered for Cops on the Roof, a fundraiser for Special Olympics with the Aurora Police Department. We spent some time inside Dunkin' Donuts on New York Street encouraging people to make donations. When it stopped raining, I stood in the drive-thru area with the officers (without my car LOL). Two of the officers were up on the roof of Dunkin' Donuts. The local newspaper journalist came and took pics. Perhaps you'll see me next year at a Dunkin' Donuts across f


Good day for bowling
It was a semi-unusual day yesterday in Warrenville. It was rainy while we were inside. We went up to the cashier like normal for B-Buddies bowling and they told us what lanes to go to. Went there, got our balls and shoes, and started to bowl. Unusually, unlike the past 2 games I came in last place and did not break 100 quite yet. Caitlin won the 2nd game, and I won the 3rd. I got 2 strikes in the final game, so that really helped my score of course. We were there a long time