The Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 is coming in 17 months. Yesterday, I attended a kickoff event to learn more about the exciting plans. Los Angeles is both proud and honored to be hosting this event. It will be the largest sporting event to be hosted in LA since the 1984 Olympics. To give you an idea of the scope, there will be 7,000 Special Olympics athletes from 170 nations, 30,000 volunteers, 3,000 coaches and 500,000 spectators participating in twenty-five events over nine days at 27 venues. The projected economic impact to the region is nearly a half billion dollars. The cycling, half marathon, kayaking and sailing events will take place in Long Beach, the longtime home of the Southern California Special Olympics Games. The dates: July 25, 2015 – August 2, 2015. My involvement with Special Olympics spans many years through Disney. Going all the way back to junior high, I was a student aid in a class for students with intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics movement is truly transformational, not only for the athletes, but for everyone involved. www.LA2015.org