JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) is excited to announce the 2024 Awards Banquet, a celebration of excellence, dedication, and inclusion. The event will take place on Saturday, November 23, 2024, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Training for Life Campus in Jefferson City. This highly anticipated banquet will honor SOMO’s 2024 Hall of Fame inductees and Area Award winners, recognizing their outstanding contributions and achievements over the past year.
This year’s 2024 Hall of Fame Class is made up of two outstanding individuals. SOMO surprised both of them with the news earlier this year.
- Jeanie Byland
- Lucas Blattel
The SOMO Hall of Fame was created in 1997 by the Board of Directors as a way to recognize longevity and achievement of athletes and volunteers within the organization. A voting committee, appointed by the SOMO Chairperson of the Board, is responsible for reviewing all nominations and voting on no more than two inductees in each category (athlete and volunteer).
To be inducted, finalists must be named on 75 percent of the ballots. A permanent video display, housed in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, features photos and bios of each year’s SOMO Hall of Fame inductees.
SOMO will also announce its annual statewide award winners at the Awards Banquet in the following categories: Outstanding Family of the Year, Outstanding Coach of the Year, Outstanding Volunteer of the Year and Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
Outstanding Athlete Nominees
- Central Area Winner: Abby Bax
- Southwest Area Winner: Jennie Crabbe
- North Area Winner: Heather Lammers
- Kansas City Metro Area Winner: Nicole Noblet
- St. Louis Metro Area Winner: Joseph Niemeyer
- Southeast Area Winner: Lucas Blattel
Outstanding Coach Nominees
- Central Area Winner: Joseph Peart
- Southwest Area Winner: Bonnie Franklin
- North Area Winner: Lori Buhman
- Kansas City Metro Area Winner: Dianna Neihouse
- St. Louis Metro Area Winner: Mark Bussen
- Southeast Area Winner: Tina Rice
Outstanding Family Nominees
- Central Area Winner: Roberts Family
- Southwest Area Winner: Stephens/Ronneberg Family
- North Area Winner: Niemeyer Family
- Kansas City Metro Area Winner: Montoya Family
- St. Louis Metro Area Winner: Hawkins Family
- Southeast Area Winner: Myers Family
Outstanding Volunteer Nominees
- Central Area Winner: Kaley Barnes
- Southwest Area Winner: David Thompson
- North Area Winner: Misty Coyle
- Kansas City Metro Area Winner: Sally and Shawn Petersen
- St. Louis Metro Area Winner: Jason Flanery
- Southeast Area Winner: Dan Zembsch
For more information on the Hall of Fame, visit somo.org/hof.
To explore a list of previous award winners, visit somo.org/awards.