Special Olympics USA athlete Amanda Vito to compete at Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023

Celebrating Special Olympics USA

Bank of America has partnered with Special Olympics for over 40 years to support athlete leadership and empowerment, as well as economic advancement

As part of this ongoing partnership, Bank of America is the premier sponsor of the Special Olympics USA delegation, which will compete in the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. The delegation of nearly 100 athletes and 34 Unified partners from across the United States will compete alongside more than 7,000 athletes from around the world at the Games.

Get to know athlete Amanda and Unified partner Martha

Amanda has competed in Special Olympics for the past 20 years in athletics, basketball, bowling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, soccer, softball and swimming. She will represent Special Olympics USA in golf at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin with her Unified partner and friend Martha. The pair recently represented Special Olympics New York in golf at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando.

Overcoming her fear of public speaking, Amanda advocates for Special Olympics as a Global Messenger in her community and is employed as a daycare assistant at a local YMCA, where she likes to exercise. Amanda always strives to do her best and brings a big smile and joy to everyone she encounters.

Martha has been involved with Special Olympics for 40 years in many capacities, including coach, clinician, committee member and Unified partner. Although she has experience in many of the sports offered through Special Olympics New York, she is focused on Alpine skiing, golf and swimming. In 2022, Martha received one of the highest honors being named the Special Olympics North America Annette Lynch Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for her outstanding commitment to coaching Special Olympics athletes.

Martha is a retired special education teacher and works seasonally managing a golf course pro shop. Of the many roles she has served in with Special Olympics, she has admired every athlete she has had the privilege to meet for their determination, perseverance and understanding.

Bank of America’s partnership with Special Olympics

Through our partnership with Special Olympics, Bank of America seeks to support athletic excellence, while also addressing barriers to acceptance, inclusion and respect for the disability community.

In early 2022, Bank of America announced a three-year, $5 million grant to Special Olympics to expand and develop leadership programs in urban school districts – with a focus on reaching underserved communities and communities of color – to address ongoing, compounded disparities faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities. The funding will help Special Olympics remove barriers to inclusion while supporting athletes and their families in accessing economic opportunity and quality education.

As part of the ongoing support for athlete leadership programming, the Global Athlete Congress, will be held during the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. Athlete leaders from all seven Special Olympics Regions will share ideas and projects they developed to lead the way to a more inclusive world. During the various sessions of the Congress, they will further develop their skills, so they can take on leadership roles in Special Olympics, their communities and their workplaces.