SOMO breaks ground on new construction in Jefferson City, MO

Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) officially broke ground on construction of their one-of-a-kind Training for Life Center.

This 34,000 square foot facility will be the headquarters for Special Olympics Missouri, as well as provide our 15,312 athletes throughout the state a place to convene, train, and further their development both on and off the playing field. It will be the first facility of its kind in the world built for the sole purpose of improving the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by having athletic training and Healthy Athletes screenings in the same place.

 

Construction will begin soon after the groundbreaking, and is expected to be complete in the fall of 2018. The $16 million that has been raised to date is enough to construct the main building and multi-purpose outdoor sports field. SOMO is still looking to raise $2 million to complete the remaining outdoor training fields, including tennis courts, bocce courts, a softball field, horseshoe pits, golf skills areas, donor recognition areas and a wellness trail surrounding the campus.

In addition to athletics training, the campus will provide enrichment opportunities for new and existing SOMO programs, including free health screenings in our Healthy Athletes Program, life skills training, and our Young Athletes Program for children as young as three. These programs are specifically designed to improve health, fitness and socialization among our athletes.

 

Click here for more on the Training for Life Center

Mark Musso, President and CEO for Special Olympics Missouri

Training for Life Campus artist rendering