SOMO News

We don’t often toot our staff’s horn, but we would be remiss if we didn’t publicly congratulate Susan Shaffer for her recent honor. Susan is one of three nominees for Mentor of the Year by the Women’s Intersport Network For Columbia. She will be treated to a luncheon today with the other nominees.

Susan, better known in the SOMO world as “Shaff,” has been a part of Special Olympics Missouri for the past 19 years as a coach, Unified Partner and staff member. She is currently the Training Coordinator of SOMO, and through the power of sport, she exemplifies the mission of SOMO by being a true mentor to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Shaff provides them with opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy. She also enables them to participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Her nominator wrote: Over the past six years, I have witnessed firsthand a woman that dedicates her life to the well-being of more than 15,000 athletes and families in the state of Missouri that SOMO serves, to more than 250 competitions in one year, and provides guidance to over 1,000 coaches in the state of Missouri. Susan gives her life to SOMO and to all the athletes.

Recent SOMO Hall of Fame inductee Beth Brokamp is also being honored as a nominee for the Gladys Stankowski Sportswoman of the Year.

Update: Both Shaffer and Beth were named the recipient of the award for which they were nominated. If you’d like to congratulate Shaffer, you can email her at shaffer@somo.org.