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ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

motionball is a national non-profit that empowers young Canadians to be leaders in their communities, raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics through integrated social and sporting events. We believe that the next generation of Canadians, today’s students and young professionals, are the future of the Special Olympics movement – with the power to make a meaningful difference for generations to come.

Our purpose is to create a sustainable funding model and base of supporters for the Special Olympics movement.  At the same time, we’re providing more people with the tools to pursue their passions and make a difference in their own communities. 

Our mandate  is to introduce the next generation of donors, volunteers and sponsors to the Special Olympics movement through integrated social and sporting events. motionball now proudly hosts 50+ annual events in 17 Canadian cities and 34 university campuses. Through these events and as a result of the many individuals, partners and organizations that have supported the movement, motionball has donated over $13,000,000 net since its inception in 2002.

Have more questions? Visit our FAQ.

OUR HISTORY

motionball was founded in 2002 by 3 brothers – Paul, Mark and Sean Etherington. Growing up, they learned the importance of volunteerism through their parents, who were, and are to this day strong supporters and advocates of the Special Olympics movement. After many years of volunteering at events and coaching  Special Olympics  teams, the brothers decided to connect a cause they were passionate about to their own peers. With the help of their friends and professional networks, motionball was born. 

The first ever motionball Gala was held in Toronto, raising $45,000 for the cause, and run entirely by volunteers. Marathon of Sport came to be in 2003, and within a few years, the event was replicated in Vancouver, Halifax and Calgary. Fast forward to 2013 – motionball was operating in 8 cities across Canada, and began to expand onto university campuses. By 2015, motionball delivered its first ever annual donation of $1 million to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.  

Today, motionball continues to be a volunteer led organization, with many founding board members (the Etherington Brothers, Graham White and Darcy Montgomery) still volunteering their time to the organization. Mark and Paul Etherington remain heavily involved with the day to day operations acting as volunteer President and Chairman respectively, along with a small and passionate national office staff who support our volunteer Event Directors from coast to coast. In 2019, this ever expanding network were proud to donate for the year $2.1 million to Special Olympics.

VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NATIONAL OFFICE STAFF

VOLUNTEER EVENT DIRECTORS

Tasha
Bell

Calgary Gala

Julie
Gathercole

Calgary Gala

Annie
Miliken

Calgary MOS

Carrie
Soby

Calgary MOS

David
Ogbuah

Cape Breton MOS

Chloe
Zinck

Cape Breton MOS

Karen
Unger

Edmonton MOS

Dave
Jones

Halifax Gala and MOS

Cher
Digdon

Halifax Gala and MOS

Chris
Rafuse

Halifax Gala and MOS

Alexandria
Haggarty

HAMILTON MOS

Jeremy
Haggarty

HAMILTON MOS

Ashley Manson
(Miller)

Kelowna MOS

Derek
Fuhr

Kelowna MOS

Jamie
Carpenter

Kelowna MOS

Alex
DesRochers

Kingston MOS

Emma
Jackson

Kingston MOS

Anthony
Colonna

Montreal MOS

Riccardo
Zerbino

Montreal MOS

Reza
Mashkoori

Ottawa MOS

Liz
Mackenzie

Ottawa MOS

Ben
MacDonald

PEI MOS

David
Muise

Saint John MOS

Danielle
Robertson-Boersma

Saskatoon mOS

Kim
Davy

Saskatoon mOS

Scott
Southward

Toronto MOS

Diana
Newman

Vancouver MOS

Jaclyn
Cummings

Vancouver MOS

Monica
Manaigre

Winnipeg MOS

Rachel
Gordon

Winnipeg MOS

motionballU Volunteer event directors

Meghan
MacLeod

Acadia University

Julia
Sylvester

Acadia University

Rachel
Bayer

Bishops University

Erika
Scott

Bishops University

Natalie
Hamel

Brock University

Bronwyn
Monty

Concordia University

Ryan
Beauchamp

Concordia University

Grace
Pink

Dalhousie University

Steph
Hawley

McGill University

Lauren
Turner

McMaster University

Vienna
van Veen

McMaster University

Eric
Gratton

Mount Royal University

Rowan
Gibbson

Mount Royal University

Kailtin
Vaillancourt

Nipissing University

Anna
Kobylansky

Queens University

Cassie
Zumwalt

Queens University

Saint Mary’s University

saint mary’s university

Parneet
Sidhu

Simon Fraser University

Dilpreet
Thiara

Simon Fraser University

Olivia
McLennan

thompson rivers university

Mae
Hobenshield

thompson rivers university

Neema
Maen

UBCO

Maddy
Laranjo

UBCO

Nathan
Smyth

University of Alberta

Becca
Page

University of Calgary

Alia
Nielson

University of Calgary

Lucas
Omazic

University of Guelph

Emily
Newton

University of Guelph

Kacy
Rawlyk

University of Saskatchewan

Julianna
Sparks

University of Saskatchewan

Erika
Tworzyanski

University of Toronto

Rafaela
Steiner

University of Toronto

Shayla
MacMillan

University of Winnipeg

Brooklyn
Parlene

Ontario Tech University

Vanessa
Pietrantonio

University of Ottawa

Sarah
Young

Western University

Erin
Heidecker

Western University

Lindsey
Bruce

Wilfred Laurier University

Annie
Mills

York University

Carly
Albaum

York University

Ava
Glesby

University of Manitoba

Kaycee
Hunt

University of Manitoba

Breanna
Andrews

University of New Brunswick

Matthew
Minchel

University of New Brunswick

Accountability & Governance

motionball is a not for profit organization that prides itself on introducing Canadians to the Special Olympics movement through integrated and inclusive sport and social events.  We appreciate there are costs associated with running fundraising events and we are mindful of the investment, however, we also firmly believe our events champion integration and awareness between those with intellectual disabilities and those without.  The greatest tool we have in levelling the playing field and allowing our participants to meet, interact and engage with Special Olympics athletes is by having them spend a day together on the playing fields and creating meaningful relationships through sport.

As an organization, we acknowledge the importance of being good stewards of the dollars donated to motionball and therefore we follow an internal objective to ensure our Marathon of Sport events (which represent 80% of our fundraising totals) keep their event costs to under 20% of gross revenue, and our Gala events at below 50%.

We are proudly a volunteer lead organization, and from inception, our Founders, Board Members & Volunteer Event Directors receive no compensation for their considerable time, effort and enthusiasm for making a difference in their communities.  

As motionball has grown so too has our professional staff and as of 2022 motionball has 6 full-time employees who support our almost 100 passionate motionball Volunteer Event Directors and the 50 events hosted throughout the year.  We are committed to a thoughtful investment in our paid team in order to expand motionball’s reach and ultimately increase funding and awareness of Special Olympics in Canada. 

In terms of our 2022 Revenue & Expenses:

Gross 2022 Revenue    $2,597,514
Gross Event Costs            $834,637
Operating Costs                $181,074
Donation to SOCF          $1,600,000

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