We’re so excited to have Noah Clifford, David Riley, Jeremy Dorr and Chaka Sutton representing Special Olympics Colorado at this year’s Special Olympics Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC! They’ll be meeting with elected officials to champion our work in health and education and push for the support our athletes deserve.

Learn more about our delegation below!

Noah Clifford

Hello, my name is Noah Clifford. I am 19 years old and have been involved in the Special Olympics for 4 years. I enjoy participating in powerlifting, flag football, basketball, and softball. My flag football team was selected to participate in the USA Games this upcoming summer to represent Colorado. Special Olympics has provided me with confidence, family, community, discipline and leadership. I have made many friends, and my family has grown over the years of being involved in Special Olympics.

David Riley

Special Olympics Colorado is an important part of life for David Riley. He started participating in Special Olympics sports when he joined the Aurora basketball team at 10 years of age. Throughout the next 31 years, David has enjoyed basketball, flag football, softball, volleyball, tennis, skiing, track and field, and floor hockey.

David’s involvement in Special Olympics skyrocketed during the last few years as he took advantage of some of the many leadership opportunities SOCO has to offer. He has been a member of the Athlete Input Council, is an Athlete Leader and Fitness Captain, and graduated from the Athletic Leadership Program at the University of Denver. David is very proud to have been named the 2020 Male Athlete of the Year.

David has a close family consisting of his sister, brother-in-law, niece, and mom and dad. He lives in his own condo with a roommate and sees his family members often. They always support him in his competitions and love the excitement of seeing him compete with his teammates.

David grew up in Centennial, Colorado and attended Cherry Creek Schools. After participating in the transition program, he attended Eastern New Mexico University in Roswell and got a certification in Child Development. He learned to be very independent while attending college.

After college, he worked at a preschool and then an elementary school in the before and aftercare program. He loved those jobs and enjoyed working with children. After about 10 years, he transitioned to a new career and now works for Argus Event Staffing. He loves working part-time at Avalanche, Rockies and Broncos games and getting to know the fans. His newest venture is super exciting. He is one of four Special Olympics Service Ambassadors at Denver International Airport for United Airlines. This part-time job is very challenging and rewarding.

Volunteering is a big part of David’s life. While working at the elementary school for pay, he also volunteered in the library, first grade, and Kindergarten. He also used to volunteer at Belleview Suites Assisted Living and Koelbel Library before the pandemic. Currently, he volunteers quite a bit with Special Olympics.

David won an epic 17-month battle with Lyme Disease a few years ago. The support of his family, friends, and SOCO teammates and coaches helped him through that hard time.

Some of David’s best friendships have been developed through participation in Special Olympics, his jobs, and his volunteer opportunities. He looks forward to what the future brings!

Jeremy Dorr

Coach Jeremy Dorr began his Special Olympics Colorado coaching career in 2012 at Grandview High School. After moving to Legend High School, Jeremy started a Unified sports program and helped earn Legend “National Banner School” recognition – a designation only given to a few distinct schools across the country.

Jeremy coaches Special Olympics teams in both school and community settings. He coaches teams in bowling, flag football, softball, powerlifting, and basketball. This winter alone, he coached six distinct basketball teams. Jeremy also coached Team Colorado’s Bowling Team in the 2018 USA Games in Seattle, Washington.

Coach Dorr is a mentor to countless students and athletes, constantly serving as a supportive presence in their lives and demonstrating all that they can accomplish on the playing field and in life.

Chaka Sutton

Chaka Sutton has worked for Special Olympics Colorado for 30 years and is the direct liaison to Special Olympics International, Special Olympics North America and Team USA for sports. Mr. Sutton oversees SOCO Sports, community programming, professional team partnerships and Unified Champion Schools. Chaka works with district administrators and schools to establish programming in districts across Colorado, ensuring quality delivery of UCS implementation.

Chaka oversees the Competitive Programs and Unified Schools Departments and ensures quality delivery and implementation of the Unified Champion Schools program. He has also served as Head of Delegation for two USA National Games Teams, spearheaded the SOCO Rapids Unified Team and introduced flag football to Colorado. Chaka is also the direct liaison to Special Olympics International, Special Olympics North America and Team USA for sports. He has coached three World Games teams for Special Olympics Team USA and served as Team USA Director in 2015.

Prior to joining SOCO, Chaka was a preschool teacher at the Denver Child Opportunity Program – Lowry Campus and was an assistant football coach at East Tennessee State. Chaka earned his Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Psychology, with a minor in Sport Management, in 1995 from East Tennessee State, where he played football.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column]