Union Mutual extends sponsorship of Special Olympics

Union Mutual, a central Vermont-based insurance provider, will present the 2016 Special Olympics Vermont Summer Games June 3-5 at the University of Vermont, extending its lead sponsorship through the 2018 Games. Athletes will compete in swimming, track and field, bocce, and softball.

“We are proud to build on the relationship established last summer between Union Mutual and Special Olympics Vermont,” Union Mutual President and CEO Michael Nobles said. “The Summer Games are a chance to showcase the courage, determination and pure joy for these tremendous athletes, and we are honored to once again share in that experience with them. The experience for the athletes and our volunteers was life-changing in 2015, so Union Mutual has decided to make a long-term commitment to Special Olympics Vermont and will be the lead sponsor of the summer games for the next three years.  As a Vermont-based company founded on the promise of helping our neighbors, we look forward to many more fantastic weekends alongside the athletes and their families.”

Summer Games is Special Olympics Vermont’s largest competition event of the year featuring nearly 500 athletes representing every Vermont county. The weekend begins Friday, June 3 with Opening Ceremonies in Patrick Gym and the culmination of the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Opening Ceremonies will also feature guest speaker Andy Newell, a Vermont native sponsored by Union Mutual and three-time Olympic Nordic skier who has been competing internationally on the World Cup stage and in World Championships for the past 10 years.

“We are honored to continue our sponsorship of the Special Olympics Vermont Summer Games,” Union Mutual director of Marketing Alexis Markolf said. “The games are a symbol of celebration and community that Union Mutual is proud to be a part of.  We are thrilled to partner with an organization that brings so many Vermonters together in the spirit of athletic competition.”

A large team of Union Mutual volunteers will run Olympic Town activities and the award ceremonies throughout the weekend.

“We are thrilled to have Union Mutual on board for another three years,” said Lisa DeNatale, President and CEO of Special Olympics Vermont. “Their staff is so invested in helping to create a positive and memorable experience for our athletes on and off the field.”