Putting Awareness In Motion For The Next Generation

By Jackielou Perez

It started out as a mission to raise awareness and give back to a cause that’s been close to Etherington brothers’ hearts since they were kids. It’s been ten years since  motionball, a not-for-profit organization designed to introduce a new generation of supporters, sponsors and volunteers to the Special Olympics Canada (SOC) movement, was born. Not only are these brothers and their team raising awareness about Special Olympics through sporting and social events, but they’re making sure every individual involved is having fun and benefitting, too.

Having just wrapped the first Montreal Marathon of Sport, the organization is entering the fall season with an annual golf tournament and in October, the Football Frenzy. One of the co-founders, Paul Etherington, took the time to chat about the largest fundraising arm of the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.

You and your brothers came up with the idea of motionball ten years ago. Did you ever think it would be what it is now?
Our first event was a gala that had 600 people attend. We now have over 1500 people attending the Toronto gala, but we knew in order to fulfill our mission, we’d have to have more events. We now have 13 events happening in seven cities across Canada. Our initial objective was to raise a million dollars in our first ten years. We've surpassed that above and beyond and to date, motionball has raised $2.4 million.

Your parents have been involved with Special Olympics since 1983. What makes it important to you and why the Special Olympics?
So many people know about the Canadian Olympics committee, as they should, and so many people know about the Paralympics. Few people understand that Paralympic participants are physically disabled and that Special Olympic athletes are intellectually disabled. The Paralympics is an incredible organization and do a great job connecting with Olympics at large. Special Olympics hasn’t had that opportunity and the [number of Special Olympic athletes] is a lot larger [than Paralympic athletes].

Canadian Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics all share a common goal: to represent and win gold for Canada. To do that, we need more corporate, government and public support.

There are so many charities in Toronto. Not only has motionball been around for ten years, but it grows every year. What makes motionball such a success?

Many times people don’t know what their money or their support is going to. With motionball events, we make sure to have fun and produce value-driven events that connect people with the athletes, to hear their stories and to see first-hand what the cause is all about. Our events are 100% volunteer driven and we make sure to provide a worthwhile experience for young professionals who attend our events.

Can you name a motionball experience that has stood out for you personally?

I received a letter a few years back from a mother who said she was embarrassed to be seen with her son who had an intellectual disability. Even though it wasn’t his fault, she had almost given up on him. But being involved in Toronto’s Marathon of Sport [where he was a celebrity for the day], reminded her how special her son was. It’s stories like these that remind us that what we’re doing is making a difference and levelling the [opportunities] for [Special Olympic] athletes.

What does motionball have in store for the future?

This past month, we had celebrity ambassadors at our Montreal Marathon of Sport. Montreal Canadiens defencemen P.K. Subban and Olympic medalists Alex Bilodeau and Annie Pelletier spent the entire day hanging out and participating with the athletes, and it’s something we hope to replicate in all our future events.

SOC has successfully registered 34,000 Canadians of all ages and abilities and more than 14,600 volunteers, including over 13,000 trained coaches. By 2014, motionball plans to contribute $1 million annually to SOC. The organization is re-launching its website soon (www.motionball.com) and we're always looking for individuals to get engaged as volunteers and participants.