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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 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 18 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 $19,000,000 net since its inception in 2002.

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OUR HISTORY

motionball was founded in 2002 by three 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 with their 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. By 2013 motionball was operating in eight cities across Canada and began expanding to university campuses. By 2015, motionball delivered its first ever annual donation of $1,000,000 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. Since inception, motionball has donated over $19 million to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. Our goal in 2024 is to raise $2 million net for SOCF.

VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NATIONAL OFFICE STAFF

VOLUNTEER EVENT DIRECTORS

Lucrezia
Chiappetta

Caledon MOS

Jason
Scorcia

Caledon MOS

Paul
Horton

Calgary Gala

Tasha
Bell

Calgary Gala

Nathan
Smyth

Calgary MOS

Chloe
Zinck

Cape Breton MOS

Ethan
Merlin

Cape Breton MOS

Celeste
Soete

Edmonton MOS

Hayley
Cross

Edmonton MOS

Dave
Jones

Halifax Gala and MOS

Cher
Digdon

Halifax Gala and MOS

Chris
Rafuse

Halifax Gala and MOS

Matt
Graham

HAlifax mos

Jeremy
Haggarty

HAMILTON MOS

Alexandria
Haggarty

Hamilton MOS

Derek
Fuhr

Kelowna MOS

Christian
Richardson

Kingston MOS

Emma
Lamber

Kingston MOS

Justin
Mulligan

London MOS

Anthony
Colonna

Montreal MOS

Riccardo
Zerbino

Montreal MOS

Erin
Heidecker

Oakville MOS

Kate
Medd

Oakville MOS

Marley
Mullan

Ottawa MOS

Paytonn
Abraham

Ottawa MOS

Ben
MacDonald

PEI MOS

Melanie
Clayton

Revelstoke MOS

Reza
Askari

Vancouver MOS

Jimmy
Darbyshire

Vancouver MOS

Taylor
Conte

Windsor MOS

Marisa
Conte

Windsor MOS

Marina
Lovell

Winnipeg MOS

Paige
Small

Winnipeg MOS

motionballU Volunteer event directors

Charley
Wing

Bishops University

Regan
Simpson

Bishops University

Michela
Venosa

Brock University

Jacob
Hutchings

Brock University

Chelsea
Morgan

Concordia University

Emma
Shaw

Dalhousie University

Cam
Campione

Dalhousie University

Subhan
Malik

Degroote School of business

Aiden
Mackenzie

Laurentian University

Brent
Farnsworth

Laurentian University

Avery
Alexander

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Alyssa
Barbuto

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Gurleen
Sandhu

McMaster university

Jordan
Dubyk

McMaster university

Guroop
Sidhu

Mount Royal University

Katrina Pappas

Ontario Tech University

Mara
Majer

Queens University

Alexandra
Partridge

Queens University

Lauren
Young

Saint Mary’s University

Conrad
Scotchburn

Saint Mary’s University

Simran
Prashar

Simon Fraser University

Irene
Cheng

Simon Fraser University

Danny
Laursen

St. FX University

Sophie
Lewis

St. FX UNIVERSITY

Alivia
Mercer

Thompson Rivers University

Britney
Veltman

Toronto Metropolitan University

Aaliyah
Rabeeh

University of Alberta

Eman
Amerey

University of Alberta

Georgia
Mayhew

University of British Columbia Okanagan

Kylie
Hildrebrandt

University of British Columbia Okanagan

Rowan
Barclay

University of British Columbia Vancouver

Janice
Chan

University of British Columbia Vancouver

Emily
Bulmer

University of Guelph

Pelumi
Elesin

University of Lethbridge

Dylynn
Couttie

University of Lethbridge

Bryce
Dodds

University of Ottawa

Adriana
Salamunovic

University of Ottawa

Noah
Rainbow

University of Regina

Cooper
Anderson

University of Regina

Jayda
Church

University of Saskatchewan

Julianna
Sparks

University of Saskatchewan

Alyssa
Coquia

University of Toronto

Grace
McClenahan

University of Victoria

Hunter
Kennedy

University of Victoria

Siena
Melo - Da Silva

University of Waterloo

Hannah
Alexander

University of Winnipeg

Katelyn
Howie

University of Winnipeg

Lexi
Delisle

Western University

Daniel
Roozbeh

Western University

Katarina
Nizic

WilfrId Laurier University

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. 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 has our professional staff. As of 2024 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      $2,597,514.00
Gross Event Costs            $834,637.00
Operating Costs              $181,074.00 
Donation to SOCF          $1,600,000

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