We are so excited to be the presenting sponsors of the upcoming 2018 Special Olympics USA Games Closing Ceremony on Friday, July 6 in Lake Union Park in our hometown of Seattle and invite our fellow Seattleites to join us. Amazon is proud to support the inclusive spirit the Games because diversity and inclusion are an inherent part of our culture.

Supporting communities where our employees live and work has long been ingrained in Amazon’s DNA.
Beth Galetti - senior vice president human resources at Amazon

Supporting communities where our employees live and work has long been ingrained in Amazon’s DNA. When it comes to supporting our nonprofit partners, we consistently create and leverage innovative tools, encourage employee participation, and actively engage our customers.

Today, alongside the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games team, we announced two convenient ways for our customers, our employees, and fellow Seattleites to support the inclusive spirit of the USA Games.

  1. Alexa: Ask Alexa to make a donation to the Special Olympics USA Games. Simply say, “Alexa, make a donation to the Special Olympics USA Games” and choose the amount you’d like to donate.
  2. "Choose to Include": We are proud to sponsor the “Choose to Include” restaurant fundraising campaign, in which participating Seattle restaurants will designate and feature a dish from their menu or create a dish that celebrates the spirit of the USA Games. At the end of the campaign, each restaurant will donate a portion of proceeds from these dishes directly to the USA Games.

You can make donations via Alexa right now. The “Choose to Include” campaign runs from Friday, June 22 – Friday, July 6. We’re continuing our support by kicking off this wave of fundraising by making an additional $10,000 donation to the USA Games.

Beth Galetti, senior vice president of human resources, announces ways customers and Amazonians can support the upcoming USA Games.
Photo by JORDAN STEAD / Amazon
Amazon's Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Beth Galetti, announces ways customers and Amazonians can support the upcoming USA Games.
Members of Amazon's 'Vocally Self Critical' a cappella group perform a song that they will sing as part of the upcoming Opening Ceremony of the USA Games.
Photo by JORDAN STEAD / Amazon
Members of Amazon's chorus and a cappella group 'Vocally Self Critical' perform a song that they will sing as part of the upcoming Opening Ceremony of the USA Games.
Beth Knox, President and CEO of Special Olympics USA Games, speaks to the crowd at Amazon.
Photo by JORDAN STEAD / Amazon
Beth Knox, President and CEO of Special Olympics USA Games, speaks to the crowd at the Amazon event.
Preview of artwork that will be on display as part of the "Choose to Include" campaign.
Photo by JORDAN STEAD / Amazon
Preview of local artwork that will soon be on display as part of the "Choose to Include" campaign.

In addition to restaurant participation, local art will be stationed around South Lake Union and the Denny Triangle neighborhood to celebrate the spirit of the USA Games. We’re encouraging those who spot the artwork to take a selfie, or pose with friends, and post their photos on social media using #ChooseToInclude.

The unique talents, experiences, and backgrounds of our employees are the driving force which enables us to build and innovate on behalf of millions of customers around the world. We are looking forward to celebrating the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games athletes, their families, and their friends.

We hope our customers and fellow Amazonians decide to celebrate the spirit of inclusion through Alexa, and the “Choose to Include” campaign.