Southern California is a community of love and inclusion. Thus, it is no surprise that as many as 100 cities throughout Southern California are busily planning to serve as host towns to the 7,000 Special Olympics athletes who are coming to L.A. from around the world this summer to compete. Olympics delegations from around the world will be treated to three fun-filled days of entertainment, and cultural exchange at their host town celebrations from July 21 to 24, immediately preceding the games which will take place from July 25 to Aug. 2.
At their host towns, delegations of athletes and coaches from around the world will be welcomed and celebrated. The schedule of events will include getting to know community members, taking part in cultural activities unique to each area, and dining with the community. For example, my town of El Segundo is a host town. We are holding events including a beach-bash at Dockweiler Beach, a tour and meal at the Lakers’ practice facilities, lunch provided by Jersey Mike’s hosted at the Car Museum, and many more celebrations throughout our town. We hope the Special Olympics athletes that we host will feel celebrated in our circle of inclusion, and I for one can not wait to make new friends from around the world!
So, a big shout out to the host towns, which include:
ALHAMBRA
– hosting Germany
ANAHEIM
-hosting Senegal
ARCADIA
– hosting Kyrgyz Republic, Trinidad and Tobago
AZUSA, DUARTE, GLENDORA
-hosting South Africa
BAKERSFIELD
-hosting Kenya and Jordan
BEVERLY HILLS
-hosting Gibraltar and Monaco
BIG BEAR LAKE
-hosting Luxembourg, Montenegro and Chile
BURBANK
-hosting Zimbabwe and Botswana
CAMARILLO
-hosting New Zealand and Saudi Arabia
CARSON
-hosting Turkmenistan, Palestine, Dominica and Mal
CERRITOS
-hosting Uruguay and Guyana
CHATSWORTH
-hosting Timor, Leste and Serbia
CHINO HILLS
-hosting Laos and Poland
CLAREMONT
-hosting Georgia Republic Latvia, Bolivia and Curacao
CORONA
-hosting Slovakia and Iran
COSTA MESA
-hosting Aruba and Bahamas
CULVER CITY
-hosting Malaysia
DOWNEY-Ireland
CALABASAS
-hosting Great Britain
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – FIGUEROA & 5TH
-Belarus, Moldova and Algeria
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – OLIVE & 7TH
-Colombia
EL SEGONDO
–hosting Macedonia, Uzbekistan and Barbados
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
-hosting Netherlands
FULLERTON
-hosting Rwanda, Bosnia, Ukraine, Lebanon and Tunisia
GLENDALE
-hosting Dominican Republic, Bonair and Armenia
GOLETA
-hosting Bhutan, Panama and Qatar
HACIENDA HEIGHTS
-hosting Chinese Taipei
HAWTHORNE
-hosting Nigeria and Estonia
HERMOSA BEACH
-hosting Belgium and Belize
HUNTINGTON BEACH
-hosting Australia
INGLEWOOD
-hosting Jamaica
IRVINE
-hosting Korea
LA HABRA -hosting
-Myanmar, Lithuania and Norway
LA JOLLA
-hosting Bharat (India)
LA MIRADA
-hosting Russia
LA VERNE
-hosting Pakistan and US Virgin Islands
LAKE FOREST & LAGUNA HILLS
-hosting Cayman Islands and Syria
LAKEWOOD
-hosting Slovenia and Turkey
LINCOLN HEIGHTS
-hosting Germany
LONG BEACH
-hosting China
MANHATTAN BEACH
-hosting Nepal and Hungary
MISSION VIEJO
-hosting Indonesia and Spain
MONTEREY PARK
-hosting Germany
MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES OF LAKE ARROWHEAD
-hosting Switzerland
NEWPORT BEACH
-hosting Fiji and Mexico
NORTHRIDGE
-hosting Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Malta, Iceland and Iraq
ORANGE
-hosting Senegal and Canada
OXNARD
-hosting Afghanistan, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Kosovo
PALM SPRINGS
-hosting Portugal and Bahrain
PALMDALE
-hosting Cyprus and St. Lucia
PASADENA
-hosting Tanzania, Singapore and Namibia
POMONA
-hosting Isle of Man Libya
POWAY
-hosting Ecuador and Togo
RANCHO CUCAMONGA
-hosting Cote d’Ovoire
RANCHO SANTA FE
-hosting Uganda, Brunei, Darussalam and Bulgaria
REDLANDS
-hosting Austria, Liechtenstein
REDONDO BEACH
-hosting Benin, Haiti, and Suriname
RIVERSIDE
-hosting Sweden
SAN DIEGO EAST COUNTY
-hosting Hong Kong and Egypt
SAN DIEGO GOLDEN TRIANGLE
-hosting Costa Rica
SAN DIEGO NORTH COUNTY
-hosting Ghana, Swaziland and Thailand
SAN DIEGO POINT LOMA
-hosting Burkina, Faso, Albania and Finland
SAN DIEGO SOUTH COUNTY
-hosting Argentina and Puerto Rico
SAN PEDRO
-hosting Croatia and Kazakhstan
SANTA BARBARA
-hosting Guatemala, Honduras, St. Kitts, Nevis and Nicaragua
SANTA CLARITA
-hosting Malawi, Philippines, Faroe Islands and El Salvador
SANTA MARIA
-hosting Mauritius and France Republic of Congo
SANTA MONICA
-hosting Romania and Brazil
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS
-hosting Israel
SIMI VALLEY
-hosting Zambia, Serendib (Sri Lanka), and Peru
SOLVANG
-hosting Denmark
SOUTH PASADENA
-hosting Paraguay, and Morocco
STUDIO CITY
-hosting Czech Republic, and Cuba
THOUSAND OAKS
-hosting Mongolia, San Marino,Tajikistan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
WEST COVINA
-hosting Nippon (Japan)
WEST LOS ANGELES
-hosting Italy
WESTCHESTER
-hosting Bangladesh
WHITTIER
-hosting Macau
WINNETKA
-hosting Venezuela
Thank you to the cities of Southern California for showing the world how we include those who are culturally and intellectually different than us, and welcome them into our lives. On this momentous week where the Supreme Court showed the world that our United States Constitution honors the rights of all citizens, we in Southern California are proud to show the world that we honor everyone and uphold a circle of inclusion.