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Athlete Erin Thom and volunteer Donna Bilous enter Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame

July 13, 2025
    Athlete Erin Thom and volunteer Donna Bilous enter Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame

    At the Closing Ceremony of the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games, two deserving new members were inducted to the Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame.

    Volunteer Donna Bilous

    Abbotsford's Donna Bilous joins the Hall of Fame as a Provincial Builder. Over more than 20 years as a dedicated, insightful volunteer leader and coach with the Special Olympics movement, Bilous has made a lasting difference through her deep impact on sport quality and opportunities, program operations, advocacy for health of people with intellectual disabilities, and leadership for community inclusion and social change.

    Bilous is the valued Chair of Special Olympics BC’s Leadership Council and an impactful member of the SOBC Board of Directors, providing vital insights to shape the movement in our province. She is also a noted leader nationwide for the sport of speed skating, as a widely recognized coach and official who has led multiple Special Olympics speed skating teams to great success at Provincial, National, and World Games. Bilous was the deserving winner of Special Olympics BC’s Howard Carter Award for coaching excellence in both 2017 and 2011, and coaches multiple different sports in SOBC – Abbotsford. 

    Bilous also frequently and generously gives her time and expertise to strengthen sport development throughout the Special Olympics movement, regularly serving on provincial and national working groups to help ensure high-quality sport and extensive opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities. 

    As a longtime, now-retired nurse and proud parent of her daughter Paige Norton, an accomplished Special Olympics athlete, Bilous has also been a vital voice in B.C. to champion health equity for people with intellectual disabilities.

    "Being inducted to the Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame is such an honour. When you look at those who I share this honour with, I am humbled for this recognition. Though SOBC has recognized me for my contributions to this amazing organization, I have been given so many opportunities to grow as a coach, a person, and as a parent of an accomplished athlete. I hope my involvement and passion for Special Olympics BC has impacted those that matter most, and that is the athletes, coaches and volunteers of our organization. My goal is always to raise the profile of Special Olympics and the work they do and focus on abilities of our amazing athletes."
    Donna Bilous, SOBC Hall of Fame Provincial Builder

    Hall of Fame inductee Donna Bilous

    Athlete Erin Thom

    Cranbrook's Erin Thom joins the SOBC Hall of Fame in the Athlete Category. has been a dedicated Special Olympics athlete for 35 years, since she was 12 years old. She got her start in soccer, bowling, and alpine skiing, and went on to join swimming, basketball, softball, curling, cross country skiing, golf and Club Fit. She actively participates in every season of the year! 

    Since 1994, Thom has participated in all Regional Qualifiers and Provincial Games in winter sports, specializing in alpine skiing. She earned National and World Games medals in alpine skiing multiple times, dating back to the 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games and most recently at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

    In 2008, Special Olympics programs across Canada started offering golf. Thom took on the sport with great skill and quickly started achieving competitive success, adding her into the summer Games cycle as well. In 2016, Thom started qualifying for summer sports at the National and World level, and has twice competed in golf in the Special Olympics World Summer Games.

    Thom is widely known throughout her community as an active leader involved in countless fundraising initiatives and awareness campaigns, and is known throughout the provincial Special Olympics community for her warm friendship and support. 

     

    “The Special Olympics movement in our province is so fortunate to be enriched by the involvement of Erin Thom and Donna Bilous. Their incredible skills have inspired countless others, and their leadership and example have made a lasting difference. It’s a privilege to know Erin and Donna and welcome them into the Special Olympics BC Hall of Fame."
    SOBC President & CEO Dan Howe

     

    About Special Olympics BC

    Special Olympics BC is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through sport. In 55 communities around the province, we provide year-round training and competitive opportunities in 18 different sports to thousands of athletes of all ages and a wide range of abilities, all offered at low or no cost thanks to the dedicated efforts of coaching and organizing volunteers and the support of generous sponsors. For more information, please visit www.specialolympics.bc.ca and find us on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, and TikTok @specialolympicsbc and on X @SpecialOBC.

     

    Media Contact

    Megan Pollock, SOBC Marketing & Communications Director
    Email megan@specialolympics.bc.ca 
    Cell 604-737-3077