Olympia Donates Logistics to Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games for the Fifth Year

Olympia’s volunteerism at Special Olympics Summer games has become cemented in Olympia culture as an annual tradition. This June marked the fifth year of Olympia’s partnership with the organization, with Summer Games as the hallmark event for Olympia’s work with athletes with intellectual disabilities.

The event requires the donation of over 350 man-hours from our crew to transport equipment, move athletes in and out of their weekend accommodations, manage luggage, and break down the event. The Olympia team always looks forward to this opportunity to meet the athletes and play a small role in making their biggest competition of the year a success.

Our team assists in the whole week leading up to the games, picking up the equipment, food, and supplies for the competition.

The excitement then truly begins the day of the Game’s opening ceremonies, when the athletes arrive at the event.  They are greeted by the Olympia Movers, who valet their luggage to their dorms.

Between competitions, Olympia’s “Are You Stronger Than An Olympia Mover?” hi-striker game has becoming a big hit with the athletes and their families – an impressive number have proved their strength by hitting the bell!

Loading the move-out luggage on to the truck

The weekend concludes with event break-down (including extremely heavy gymnastics equipment!) athlete-move out, luggage sorting, and delivering the luggage to families as they depart for home. We love asking athletes to show us their well-earned medals from the weekend!

We’re looking forward to participating in Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games next year and for many years to come!

To learn more about our year-round partnership with Special Olympics, visit http://www.olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

Olympia Moving Donates Heavy Lifting to Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games

Olympia Moving at last year's Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games Move-In
Olympia Moving at last year’s Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games Move-In

On Friday, the athletes of Special Olympics Massachusetts will be greeted by the professional movers of Olympia Moving & Storage as they arrive at one of their most anticipated events of the year: Summer Games. The Olympia Movers cheer the teams as they pull in before unloading the buses and moving them into their dorms for the weekend, bellhop style.

The move-in to Summer Games is just one part of Olympia Moving & Storage’s role as the official logistics sponsor of the event. This is the Boston moving company’s fourth year donating services to the competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games takes place June 3 – 5 at the Harvard University Athletic Complex and Boston University. Over 2,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities across Massachusetts will come to Boston to compete in sports including track & field and athletics. The event strives to promote the athletes’ abilities instead of focusing on disabilities and encourages their health.

“Our movers look forward to greeting the athletes at Summer Games each year,” says Michael Gilmartin, President of Olympia Moving & Storage. “During our past four years of sponsorship with Special Olympics Massachusetts, we’ve found that the athletes’ determination and positive attitudes inspire our team.”

“Special Olympics Massachusetts is grateful to the great staff of Olympia who volunteer their time to give our athletes a great weekend every June and for all they do year round to support our program,” says Matt Ruxton, Vice President of Sports at Special Olympics Massachusetts. “Their great staff that is willing and ready to do anything to make our events go as easy and smooth as possible.”

In addition to athlete move-in, Olympia Moving & Storage provides equipment transportation, move-out, and break-down assistance to Summer Games. The donation is part of the company’s year-round sponsorship of Special Olympics Massachusetts. Last year the Boston moving company donated over $50,000 in monetary and logistics donations to the organization

To learn more about Olympia’s sponsorship of Special Olympics, visit olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

Special Olympics Athlete Amanda Church Speaks at Boston Moving Company Sales Meeting

Amanda Church shows off her Special Olympics World Games medals with Olympia Moving & Storage Founder & President Michael Gilmartin
Amanda Church shows off her Special Olympics World Games medals with Olympia Moving & Storage Founder & President Michael Gilmartin

Olympia Moving & Storage was proud to feature Special Olympics athlete Amanda Church as a guest speaker at our bi-annual sales meeting in October. The Boston moving company was the sponsor of Amanda’s trip to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles this summer.

Amanda gave a speech at the sales meeting, sharing her extraordinary experiences at World Games. Amanda’s told Olympia Moving about her training, staying in the Olympic village, being on ESPN during the Opening Ceremonies, meeting Michael Phelps, and of course swimming her events and the amazing moment of being awarded her medals on the podium.

She also gave Olympia Moving inspiring insights on how Special Olympics World Games is changing how the world views people with intellectual disabilities:

“The World Games showcased not just how capable people with intellectual disabilities are in athletics but also in life. I think the World Games really changed how people think about people with intellectual disabilities. That’s the whole reason for R-Word campaign. This word I believe should be removed from all books, TV, movies, everywhere. It is hurtful to not only people with disabilities but to everyone else all over the World. Some people who hear this word take it so bad that they can lose their self-esteem, not want to go to school or work, or worse. I would like everyone to stop anyone who says this to anyone and remind them what the R-Word means to them and how it affects others whether you have a disability or not. This word needs to be removed from our vocabulary.” – Amanda Church, Special Olympics World Games Athlete

Amanda also showed off her medals: a Silver Medal for the 200 meter breaststroke and a Bronze medal for the 4 by 50 freestyle relay. She was also kind enough to thank Olympia Moving for the sponsorship during her speech:

“I trained very hard to reach my goal, but I could not have done it without the support of my coach’s, family, and friends; but most importantly the support of all of you at Olympia. You gave me the best gift of all which was helping me get to Worlds with a $5,000 donation, and for that I thank you. I hope Olympia will continue to keep supporting Special Olympics, and come to Summer Games year after year.” – Amanda Church, Special Olympics World Games Athlete

Learn more about our sponsorship of Amanda.

Amanda Church World Games Final Update (July)

Amanda Church_Olympia Moving

It has been an inspiration to be Amanda Church’s Special Olympics World Games sponsor, watch her training updates, and cheer her on. She has been on an incredible journey and we could not be more proud. Amanda represented the United States, finished strong at her swimming events, and showed the world what athletes with intellectual disabilities are capable of!

Olympia Moving kicked off World Games by driving Amanda and the rest of the Massachusetts World Games delegation to the airport. They were off to L.A. in style!

Amanda shared her final Special Olympics World Games update with us after the games:

Amanda’s Training Update: July 2015

Current Event Times:

Event Competition Time
100 Breaststroke 2:09.00
100 Freestyle 2:15.00
200 Breaststroke 4:29.00

I had a great time at World Games.  I competed in 4 events.  I competed in the 4 by 50 freestyle relay, the 100 meter Freestyle, 100 Meter Breaststroke and the 200 Meter Breaststroke.  I did great at World games and had a blast.  I even got the opportunity to meet Michael Phelps.

  • In my 100 Meter Freestyle I got a 8th place ribbon but had a great finish time.
  • In my 100 Meter Breast Stroke, I got a 5th place ribbon and also had a great time.
  • In my 200 Meter Breaststroke I got the Silver Medal. I had a great time.
  • In the 4 by 50 relay my team and I received the Bronze Medal. We were so excited.

Check out this video of Amanda in the 100-meter freestyle (lane 5, white cap) – look at her go!

Special Olympics Massachusetts interviewed Amanda after the race:

Congratulations, Amanda, on your medals and achievements!

Congrats Amanda

Learn more about our sponsorship of Amanda.

Official Logistics Sponsor of Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games 2015

For the third year, Olympia Moving served as the proud logistics sponsor for Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games!  Summer Games is the biggest athletic event for athletes with intellectual disabilities in Massachusetts, and a favorite job of the year for the crew at Olympia Moving.  The move coordinators and sales reps even donate their time to help out on Summer Games weekend.

Olympia Moving donated logistics assistance valued over $20,000 to Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games.  In addition to managing all the pick ups and deliveries for the event’s equipment, Olympia Moving moves over 2,000 participating athletes into their dorms and manages their luggage.  Athlete move-in is special for the Olympia Moving staff and crew because it gives them the opportunity to welcome the athletes to the games!

Here are some pictures of our crew with the athletes on this great weekend!

To learn more about our ongoing support of Special Olympics Massachusetts, visit https://www.olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

You can also read the training blogs by Special Olympics World Games athlete Amanda Church, sponsored by Olympia Moving.

Amanda Church Special Olympics World Games Training Update (June 2015)

Amanda Church_Olympia MovingAmanda Church, the Special Olympics World Games athlete sponsored by Olympia Moving & Storage, has had a busy month!  She’s entering her final training for her competitions in LA World Games in July, along with athletes from 177 countries!

Amanda gave us an update with her training!

Amanda’s Training Update: June 8th

Current Event Times:

Event Current Time
100 Breaststroke 2:02.00
100 Freestyle 2:26.00
200 Breaststroke 4:32.00

“This past weekend June 5th-7th was Summer Games 2015. I had a ton of fun. I got 4th place in the 100 Meter Freestyle, but I know I was in a tough heat, but that is ok. I am challenging myself to make sure I will be ready to try to reach the Gold at World Games. I also got a Gold Medal in my 100 Meter breaststroke, and also in the 200 Meter breaststroke. My times were awesome. I also did all these events on Sunday.”

“I am going to keep on training really hard to get ready for World Games! The harder I train, the more I feel good about heading to World Games, and looking forward not only to compete, but to have the chance to get to meet other Special Olympics athletes from all over the world.”

Wow, Amanda!  Congrats on your medals!  Amanda was also interviewed by Fox 25 during summer games, you can check out the video:

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Amanda also represented Special Olympics at the Unified Relay, as the World Games Flame of Hope passed through Boston. Here’s a picture of her on stage with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh!

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Olympia Moving was also at Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games, running the logistics and moving the athletes into their dorms! Check out photos of our crew with the athletes!

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Learn more about our sponsorship of Amanda.  

Olympia Moving at Special Olympics MA Summer Games

It was an exciting weekend for athletes around the state as team Olympia pitched in to help with the Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games logistics. Our team, comprised of volunteers from the office and our crew, were kept busy performing free services for Special Olympics. Even company president, Michael Gilmartin, and VP of sales, Piet Gauchat, gave up their weekends to run the on-call logistics truck for the event. Olympia helped with every facet of the event’s logistics, including:

  • 12 pick-ups and drop-offs of food and equipment
  • Athlete move-in to their dorms
  • Event logistics assistance & equipment transportation
  • Event break-down
  • Athlete move-out and luggage distribution

Matt Ruxton, Vice President of Sports for Special Olympics Massachusetts, said: “I wanted to say thank you for all that you did to make this past weekend such a success. It truly was a great weekend and we could not do it without your help. You guys are the ones who make the event possible and all the success is due to your hard work. ”

One of the local program directs said: “This was the most efficient / well run weekend during my 7 yrs. The check-in, buses, staging, awards, etc. all went well. overall a great weekend. Great job!”

Here are some pictures from the event. You can see more pictures in our Facebook album.

Read our official press release about our involvement.

We can’t wait to continue to help out Special Olympics Massachusetts the rest of the years as their official logistics sponsor! Learn more about this partnership at olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

Olympia Moving & Storage Donates Logistics Services to the Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games

Olympia Moving Sponsors Special Olympics Summer GamesRead the Press Release on the Boston Globe website

Press Release:
Olympia Moving & Storage Donates Logistics Services to the Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games
As part of their year-round sponsorship, Olympia Moving & Storage, a moving company in Watertown MA, is the official logistics sponsor of the annual event for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Watertown, MA June 2, 2014

Olympia Moving & Storage, a premier Boston area relocation company, will be the official logistics sponsor of the Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games. This is the second year Olympia will be donating their services free of charge to the non-profit organization.

Summer Games is taking place the weekend of June 6 – 8, 2014 at the Harvard University Athletic Complex and at Boston University. Over 1,900 athletes with intellectual disabilities from around the state will be competing in 6 sports, including track and field and aquatics. As one of Special Olympics Massachusetts’s largest events, Summer Games showcases the abilities of these athletes and encourages healthier lives in their communities.

Olympia Moving will be doing the heavy lifting of transferring the equipment needed for the weekend’s sports and social events, as well as the much-anticipated Opening Ceremony at Boston University.

Employees from Olympia Moving are volunteering their time to welcome the arriving athletes to the games and move them into their dorms at Boston University. The relocation company will also assist with closing the event.

“The Special Olympics Massachusetts team has been great to work with over the past year,” says Michael Gilmartin, President of Olympia Moving & Storage. “It’s been especially valuable to see our Olympia Moving team work directly with these athletes and be inspired by their joy and determination.”

Mary Beth McMahon, President of Special Olympics Massachusetts, is looking forward to Olympia’s continued support of the Summer Games. “We rely so heavily on volunteers in every aspect and the work Olympia did helping our coaches with the move in and move out and helping our Games Management Team work more efficiently and effectively with logistics is really priceless.”

Olympia’s support of Summer Games is part of their year-round sponsorship of Special Olympics Massachusetts. The moving company is entering their second year of this partnership. Last year, Olympia Moving & Storage contributed almost $50,000 in monetary and in-kind donations to Special Olympics. To learn more about Olympia’s sponsorship, visit http://www.olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

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Contact:
Olympia Moving & Storage
Rachael Fischer, Marketing Manager
617-231-1290
rfischer@olympiamoving.com
www.olympiamoving.com

About Olympia Moving & Storage:
Olympia Moving & Storage is a full-service moving company in Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, DC. Since its inception in 1993, Olympia has built an unparalleled reputation for delivering exceptional local moving, interstate moving and international moving services. In addition to residential moves, Olympia offers specialized services for companies preparing for an office move. Olympia Moving is the preferred mover for numerous universities, law firms and real estate organizations. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our 85% customer referral rate and our numerous awards. For more information, visit http://www.olympiamoving.com or call 800-222-4744.