A partnership forged between Romeo's Retail Group, Balfours, Visy Board, NOVA Entertainment and Variety - the Children's Charity will see six lucky South Australian children with an intellectual disability experiencing the trip of a lifetime by taking part in the Dream Ride Experience in Connecticut, USA in late August. The Dream Ride Experience raises funds to support athletes competing in the Special Olympics, and the South Australian youngsters will have opportunity to meet and speak with those who have made it to the highest levels of their chosen sport as part of the celebrations. "The Dream Ride Experience honours those people living with intellectual disabilities, and it highlights their determination and willingness to persevere, overcome challenges, and shatter stereotypes," said Joseph Romeo, of Romeo's Retail Group. "We want to play a role in advocating for great inclusion in the community, and inspire some of our local teens by showing them what they can achieve in an environment that has a focus on ability rather than disability," he said. "Balfours is proudly South Australian, and we share that passion with Romeo's, Visy Board, NOVA Entertainment and Variety - the Children's Charity, so it is a perfect opportunity to combine our efforts to ensure these selected children get to enjoy the Dream Ride Experience of a lifetime," confirms Balfours' Chief Marketing Officer. The six lucky South Australian children selected by Variety SA in consultation with Special Olympics will travel with their respective carer or guardian to the US from August 24-31, with airfares, accommodation, a special trip to NYC and all transfers and access to the Dream Ride event covered by the donors. First established in 2001, the Dream Ride Experience remains the signature fundraising event of The Hometown Foundation, Inc. In addition to celebrating the achievements of Special Olympics athletes, the annual event brings together thousands of motoring enthusiasts together with people with an intellectual disability during the multi-day extravaganza, which features the Dream Ride, Dream Cruise, Dream Concert, Dream Show, and a Family Fun Zone. ### About Romeo's Retail Group The Romeo Family first started in the supermarket industry in March 1987. Beginning with one small convenience store, they have progressively built a business that now stands as an outstanding independent retailing success story. With this retailing success the Romeo Family have received many awards such as State Retailer of the Year 2001, 2004, 2007 & 2008, National Retailer of the Year 2001 & 2008 and International Retailer of the Year 2002 and 2009 which was chosen from over 72 countries from all over the world. Industry experts have commended the family for their exceptional performance in areas ranging from leadership and innovation to staff development and managerial grooming. About Balfours Baking for more than 150 years, Balfours is a loved favourite for its traditional bakery recipes, including pies, pasties and sausage rolls, custard tarts, donuts, Frog Cakes , Kitchener buns, and vanilla slices. From the long-lingering memory of having a Balfours treat all to yourself as a child, to the grown-up pleasure of some precious 'me time' with a tasty Balfours product, the Balfours brand continues to inspire a feeling of joy and comfort. 'Balfours, baking people happy since 1853'. Balfours' extensive range of quality savoury and sweet bakery products are sold in selected convenience stores, sporting venues, schools and supermarkets nationally. About Visy Board Visy is a leading, privately owned packaging and resource recovery company, with more than 120 sites across Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam and trading offices across Asia, Europe and the USA. Fostering an entrepreneurial culture Visy leads in speed to market with new packaging innovations. Our passion for innovation and commitment to sustainable investment enables us to supply the industry with world-class, quality and locally manufactured products. Visy's insights and Innovation team scout the world for inspiration and opportunity to stay ahead of local market trends to bring great ideas to life and work with our customers to help facilitate growth. We do everything from preserve and protect a product to help enhance it for your consumer. Whether you need cans, boxes, plastics, carry packs, automation, kegs, point of sale, recycling or other packaging - let Visy provide the packaging solution for you. About NOVA Entertainment NOVA Entertainment is Australia's fastest growing entertainment company with broad interests across the media industry. The company has a national footprint in the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Central Coast markets with the NOVA Network being the most listened to metro network in Australia. Other key brands include Smoothfm - a contemporary easy listening FM network in Sydney and Melbourne and FIVEaa - the leading commercial talk station in Adelaide. As one of the media industry's most innovative companies, NOVA Entertainment's vision is to endure as an entertainment company, with a mission to create content that is loved and shared by audiences, wherever they are. About Variety - the Children's Charity Variety -the Children's Charity is a not-for-profit organisation committed to empowering Australian children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs to live, laugh and learn. Variety provides practical equipment & experiences through Variety programs (Freedom, Future Kids & Caring for Kids), helping Australian children in need overcome whatever obstacles they face to live life to the fullest!
