La Verne Named Host Town for 2015 Special Olympics World Games

Covina High School student Kimberly Guillen described the panic she felt when one of her shoes slipped off during a track event at a past Special Olympics competition. She trudged on in an up-down motion until finally reaching the finish line. To the spectators, that was all that mattered.

“We finished third, but my family and the people in the stands didn’t care,” she said.

It was that feeling of accomplishment and anticipation that fueled an announcement Dec. 16 at the University of La Verne, where La Verne was named a host town for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.

The University will house athletes participating in the games, set to take place July 25 to Aug. 2 in Los Angeles. The athletes will also have access to training facilities on campus. The city plans to give tours of the city and offer other opportunities to show them what La Verne is all about. The University and city are co-hosts for the summer games’ Host Town program.

“To be part of something that is so inspiring and brings joy, accomplishment and acceptance for so many young people is really important in what La Verne is all about to allow us to be a host town in this program,” said La Verne Mayor Don Kendrick.

Joann Klonowski, vice president of the Host Town program, said the Olympics will draw 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches from around the world to Southern California. It will be the largest sports event in the world in 2015, and larger than the 1984 Summer Olympics.

“The highlight of Special Olympics is the World Games. The World Games have taken place in Shanghai, China, in Ireland, and most recently in Athens, Greece,” Klonowski said. “And now they’re going to be in the United States.”

The heart of the event parallels the University’s mission, said University of La Verne President Devorah Lieberman.

“For these Special Olympics athletes, they are achieving more than they ever imagined every day and these are role models for the rest of us,” she said.

The city presented a proclamation and the University gave a plaque of appreciation to Special Olympics representatives during the ceremony at Morgan Auditorium.