motionball is a national non-profit organization that empowers young Canadians to be leaders in their communities, raising funds and awareness of the Special Olympics movement through inclusive social and sporting events.
The motionball University program was established to give Canadian university students the opportunity to create meaningful, relevant ways to support Special Olympics through their own on-campus initiatives and events.
All motionballU events are purposeful, fun, and inclusive – bringing together university students and individuals from the community with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics programs.
Students are able to give back to a great cause while building meaningful relationships with the very individuals who are benefiting from their support: local Special Olympics athletes.
motionball now donates over $2 million to Special Olympics Canada Foundation annually, with a significant amount of this funding being generated by passionate university students.
Interested in getting involved? Start your own motionballU chapter at your university if there isn’t one already! Contact sarah@motionball.com for more information on how to get started!
Want to participate? Click on your university name below to get involved! There are lots of ways to help out including joining a committee, volunteering, or putting in a Team for Marathon of Sport. Join today!
Meet this year’s National Leadership Council (NLC). This council is made up of 10 passionate, dedicated, and enthusiastic past and present student leaders who work alongside motionball’s National Office to help enhance the motionball University program.
Each of these leaders serve as mentors to our current motionballU Event Directors across Canada, providing them with guidance and support throughout the school year.
Subhan has been involved in the McMaster motionballu, Marathon of Sport Hamilton committee, and National Leadership Council. His favourite part of motionball is meeting all the amazing people who choose to get involved. After you attend a motionball event, you are part of the journey forever. motionball hosts great events for everyone which makes it super impactful. Subhan loves brainstorming creative and innovative ideas to contribute to the growth of motionball. Subhan loves to network with different schools and bring ideas to reality. Fun Fact: Subhan can speak 5 languages.
Erin is a previous motionballU event director and women’s field lacrosse player at Western University. She deeply appreciates the transformative power of sport and community through motionball, and instructing other sports such as lacrosse and downhill skiing. Erin is also known for making really yummy waffles!
Chloe is passionate about spreading the message of motionball, and helping motionballu committees reach their goals. She is currently a member of the Toronto City committee, and served on the UofT motionballu committee for 4 years, spending two of them as Event Director. Chloe looks forward to getting to know students across the country who love motionball as much as her.
Ethan Merlin is from Sydney, Nova Scotia and is a fifth year BSc student at Dalhousie University as well as the team captain for the University of King’s College Men’s Basketball Team. Outside of this, he’s been involved with motionball since 2018 where he’s a member of the motionball Cape Breton committee and the Event Director for motionballU Dalhousie! This is his first year on the NLC and cannot wait to get things underway! He intends to provide his passion, enthusiasm, and experience to his council members and those schools in which he assists in executing their best MoS yet!
Catherine is a past member of motionball McMaster and UofT! Her favourite part of motionball is how the events always inspire people to promote inclusivity in their everyday lives. Catherines younger sister is a Special Olympics athlete and she has seen the positive impact motionball has had on her confidence. She is excited to be part of the NLC and bring motionball magic to campuses across the country!
Callista is currently an Athletic Therapy student at Sheridan College and was previously on the motionball committee at Queen’s University! Her favourite part of motionball is getting to meet everyone who is a part of it and supporting Special Olympics in such a meaningful way. Callista loves to think of new fun and creative ideas for fundraising initiatives and can help brainstorm! Fun fact: She is a big Harry Potter and Marvel fan!
Emma became involved with motionball in August of 2021 when she became the ED for Dalhousie University’s first Marathon of Sport! The experience was so impactful that she decided to stay apart of motionball through the NLC after graduating with a BSc Kinesiology and a Certificate in Disability Management in May of 2022. She hopes to help university’s build upon their past events successes and help get new chapters on their feet. Besides motionball, Emma aspires to become a physiotherapist and is currently backpacking throughout Australia!
Max started her involvement with motionball through the McGill University chapter and she is now part of the National Leadership Council. Believe it or not, she now loves zoom meetings, no matter the time of the day (only when it’s for motionball). Her favorite things about motionball are the friendships she’s made through the motionball family, and having fun with everyone when she participates in Marathon of Sports. She loves taking part in inclusive sports and even though she wishes she was taller, she loves competing in bench ball with all the Special Olympic athletes. She would like to continue promoting awareness for Special Olympics Canada and eventually expand her knowledge and passion to new communities. See you at the next Marathon of Sports!!
Timothy is a current student at Western University pursuing a Master's degree in International Business. He has been a part of motionball for four years and is always finding new reason's to why he loves it. Tims favourite thing about motionball is meeting so many amazing people and making lasting connections.
Marley has been involved with motionball for 5 years now and was the previous Event Director at Queen’s University. She is also a member of the motionball Ottawa committee and is incredibly passionate about creating inclusive opportunities for everyone to engage in team sports. Marley has met the most remarkable people through motionball, and cannot wait to help motionballU Event Directors across the country raise awareness for Special Olympics. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree, focusing on optimizing physical activity participation for individuals with disabilities. Fun fact: She can play the fiddle and stepdance at the same time!