The mission of Special Olympics Southern California is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities [mental retardation], giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Description:
Special Olympics is an international program of year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than one million children and adults with intellectual disabilities and closely associated developmental disabilities.

Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization accredited by Special Olympics Inc.--one of 52 accredited operating in the United States.

SOSC serves over 12,000 children and adult. Children can join Special Olympics at age eight.

Special Olympics athletes receive a minimum of eight weeks of training from volunteer coaches in their- chosen sport(s) prior to competitions.There are over 1,500 certified Special Olympics coaches participating in Special Olympics throughout Southern California.SOSC is made up of 31 local Areas/Programs in 11 counties governed by a Board of Directors made up of a broad cross section of Southern California leadership.SOSC accredits local Areas/Programs and offers an array of services including: coaches and volunteer leadership training, management consultation, fund raising and public education initiatives, Chapter-wide coordination and staging culminating competitions in each of the 20 sports.

In addition to sports training and competition opportunities, Special Olympics athletes are also encouraged to participate in other Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPS). In southern California this includes:

4 athletes serving on the SOSC Board of Directors
More than 40 athletes acting as Global Messengers and helping to spread the word about Special Olympics in public presentations
Athletes are being trained to be certified as both coaches and officials

Over 15,000 volunteers donate over 250,000 hours annually, filling a wide variety of roles through all levels of programs in southern California.

History:
Eunice Kennedy Shriver started the concept of Special Olympics in 1963 as a daycamp for people with intellectual disabilities to provide them with the therapeutic effects of physical fitness and sports. In 1968 she organized the first International Special Olympics Games, in which 1,000 athletes from the U.S., Canada and France competed. That year, Special Olympics was founded as a nonprofit organization.

The first Annual Western Regional Special Olympics was held on July 26, 1969 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A total of nine hundred athletes from Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah participated in the softball throw, the 50 and 300-yard dash and 25 and 50-yard swim. With the success of this event, each western state began to formulate plans to organize its own chapter program. And in the following years, the program was expanded to include opportunities for training, a multi-level competition structure and year-round programming.

Contact people:

Dennis Machado, Operations Manager, (phone), (email) Stephanie Krouse, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

615 McClelland Santa Maria, CA 93454 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Bus Stop: Santa Maria Mall, 5 minute walk