Tommy Shimoda Presents Ald. Matt O'Shea His Order of Lincoln Award

Acclaimed athlete Tommy Shimoda presented his Order of Lincoln Award to 19th Ward Alderman Matt O'Shea, in honor of Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children’s Charities (SOC/SCC) at an event held at Mt. Greenwood Park on Saturday. Ald. O’Shea was joined by former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, the founder of Special Olympics Chicago, Smita Shah, General Trustee of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and current member of the Board of Directors of SOC/SCC. Athletes from the Mt. Greenwood Park Special Recreation program were also on-hand for the presentation and enjoyed a pizza party immediately following.

Ald. O’Shea is the current Vice President of the Board of Directors of the SOC/SCC organization.

Shimoda, 30, made history in 2021 by becoming the first person with a disability to become a recipient of the Order of Lincoln. The Order of Lincoln is awarded to residents whose work uplifts communities within the State.

He is one of the most accomplished and celebrated athletes of the SOC/SCC program. Since joining the SOC/SCC program at eight years old, Shimoda has continuously made history by breaking down barriers and stereotypes of those with intellectuals and physical disabilities. In 2017, Shimoda was the only athlete to compete in the Special Olympics World Games, which took place in Schladming and Graz, Austria, where he won gold and bronze medals. That same year, he was awarded an honorary Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award (ESPY). He is also the first athlete of the Special Olympics program to be inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of other athletes such as Jonathan Toews, Walter Payton, Ryne Sandberg, Carlton Fisk, Bob Love, and Ryne Sandberg.

Shimoda competes with the SOC/SCC Special Recreation program at Mt. Greenwood Park. Diagnosed with autism, Shimoda is non-verbal and speaks with the aid of a handheld computer. He currently competes in over 21 different sports, including basketball, softball, archery, track and field, swimming, gymnastics, snowshoeing, bowling, bocce, hockey, skiing, and ice skating.

SOC/SCC provides year-round activities and events for children and adults with intellecrual disabilities. Athletes compete and train in 17 sports throughout the year in over 150 Chicago Public Schools throughout the city and in 23 parks through the Chicago Park District. In addition to sports activities, SOC/SCC provides extracurricular activities including arts programming, an athlete produced cable access television show, cooking nights, dance parties, special events, field trips, and more. They also fund art and music therapy programs at Chicago Public Schools, as well as the first-ever After 22 program at Daley College for adults with disabilities entering college.

For more information on Special Olympics Chicago/SCC, please visit www.sochicago.org