Daniel Fundora, is a Special Olympics Florida athlete from Miami-Dade County, who is here to change the world for inclusion! He has been involved with Special Olympics for eighteen years, participating in flag football, basketball, softball, stand-up paddle boarding, golf, karate, soccer, and bowling. Some of Daniel’s favorite accomplishments within Special Olympics include earning a gold medal at the 2018 USA Games for stand-up paddle boarding and being awarded 2019 Florida Athlete of the Year. He was also honored with the opportunity to be a Torch Runner for the 2019 World Games.

Daniel wears many hats, including Special Olympics Health Messenger and a Best Buddies Ambassador. As a Health Messenger, Daniel educates athletes. He coaches and also teaches about the Fit 5 program, which features a focus on fitness, nutrition, and hydration. Losing 65 pounds through a healthy lifestyle made Daniel passionate about health, which is clear through his commitment each and every day.

Within Special Olympics Florida, Daniel also participates as a Sports and Fitness Coach for bowling, softball, and bocce. Daniel is a certified personal trainer who focuses on how to work with individuals with disabilities to achieve their health and fitness goals. “Being labeled ‘less than’ is unacceptable,” Daniel shares. For this reason, Daniel is a huge advocate of the spirit of inclusion through the unified movement. “Unified sports are all about inclusion,” he writes. Daniel’s favorite part of unified sports is that “they give students with and without disabilities a chance to play on the same team.” He loves seeing the unified movement in action at Unified Champions Schools, which he says teaches participants about sportsmanship and collaboration, on the field and beyond.

Daniel works every day for a more inclusive world. His energy and passion are contagious and he is a living example of the power of ongoing self-improvement.

You can help! Please click DONATE NOW to make a quick, secure online donation, for my participation in Sunshine Bowl! You can even post a note on my page to cheer me on! If you prefer to give by check, please mail your donation to the address below and be sure to add a note with my name and “Sunshine Bowl” so it gets credited to my page. Please remember to ask your employer if they will match your donation.

Special Olympics Florida
Attn: Sunshine Bowl 2021
1915 Don Wickham Drive
Clermont, FL 34711