Special Olympics Southern California

Tune in to Thursday Night Football tonight and watch the Rams’ Tight End, Tyler Higbee shine in his cleats designed by the Inland Empire’s own, Brett Laza! #MyCauseMyCleats #LARams #NFL #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #Chino #Corona #Fontana #LakeElsinore #Menifee #MorenoValley #Murrieta #Norco #Ontario #PalmDesert #PalmSprings #RanchoCucamonga #Redlands #Riverside #Temecula #SanBernardino #Donate

A big thank you to Wexford Labs for this donation of disinfectant wipes, and to Craig N. Johns for helping secure it! These wipes will be pivotal for when we are able to return to activity! #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #Barstow #Beaumont #BigBear #Chino #Corona #Fontana #LakeElsinore #Menifee #MorenoValley #Murrieta #Norco #Ontario #PalmDesert #PalmSprings #RanchoCucamonga #Redlands #Riverside #Temecula #SanBernardino #Donate

We are saddened to announce the passing of Rafer Johnson, founder of SOSC, humanitarian, & Olympic Gold Medalist. The entire SOSC community mourns this loss. We extend our love & support to Rafer's wife, Elisabeth Betsy Thorsen; two children Jenny & Joshua; & family.

SOSC ATHLETES THIS VIDEO IS DEDICATED TO YOU! Members of law enforcement have missed seeing you all compete this year. They can't wait to get back to presenting medals at competitions, serving meals at Tip-A-Cops, pulling planes and plunging into freezing cold water with you all. Check out this great video and we hope to #SeeYouSoon!

Calling all athlete artists!! We need your help designing our next batch of postcards to be sent to volunteers and supporters! Follow the link below for rules; deadline to submit is Oct. 31st! https://www.sosc.org/designcompetition

Monday’s aren’t so bad when you receive your Unified Fit Kit! Check out our Mojave River athlete, Wyatt Price as she gets hers, providing her with additional tools to workout from home and stay ready! #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #Barstow #Beaumont #BigBear #Chino #Corona #Fontana #LakeElsinore #Menifee #MorenoValley #Murrieta #Norco #Ontario #PalmDesert #PalmSprings #RanchoCucamonga #Redlands #Riverside #Temecula #SanBernardino #Donate

ATTENTION We have some important news to share about SOSC's plan to Return To Activity. It's important to note that we are in Phase 0 until 3/31. For more information on the plan, visit https://bit.ly/3iMoOrD. #WeAreSOSC

Are you ready to ROCK? Make sure you’re signed up for our next Virtual SOSC Dance on November 14th from 6 PM - 8 PM! Register and check out our other Fall Extravaganza events in the link below . #RockOn #WeAreSOSC #ChoosetoInclude https://www.sosc.org/fall/ceremonydance

Let's go Murrieta Valley High School!!! Our National Unified Champion School is 1 of 36 schools nationwide selected to the ESPN Honor Roll, representing California! #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Murrieta #MurrietaValley #MVUSD #CIF #CIFSS #SouthwesternLeague #UnifiedChampionSchools #Unified #UnifiedSports #PlayUnified #LiveUnified #ESPN #ESPNHonorRoll

Our hearts are heavy today with the news of the passing of local legend Gerry Wilson. Gerry has been a part of our Special Olympics family for 19 years and will be truly missed. His legacy will live on through his family and the many lives he has touched.

For our October Spotlight, we would like to recognize 8 year Special Olympics member, Michelle Walker-Squires. Michelle is a coach, as well as an assistant area director for Mojave River. Alongside coaching, she helps out with administration work, fundraisers like Cop on a Rooftop, and is certified for coaching in multiple sports. She is a go getter and always puts our athletes first. Throughout COVID Michelle has been the one orchestrating and organizing Zoom meetings for al...l of Mojave River’s athletes. In these zoom calls, the athletes have the opportunity to connect, do workouts, and talk with their friends. Without Michelle coordinating these calls the athletes would not be connecting throughout this time. She not only leads these calls, but she also helped parents figure out the technology so their children could participate in the calls. She has always put the athletes first, as well as their families. Michelle came on and immediately started making changes for the better. She took over Basketball and revamped it, taking it from no teams to developing two teams for our athletes. When a coach is out, or needed, she is always the one to step up to the plate and fill the spot. She never hesitates to change her schedule around to be there for the athletes and give them the best experience with SOSC possible. Along with her dedicated approach, she has always been an amazing listener. Whether a coach, parent, or athlete has a concern, or just wants to talk she has always been there for them to listen and help. Michelle is the one who always helps out the athletes whenever they need a ride. If it means turning around and getting the athlete to practice she will do it in a heartbeat. Michelle is passionate, devoted, and loving to all that she encounters. She never hesitates to assist and does it with a smile on her face. A Favorite highlight for her is when her teams were at an athlete clinic at Cal Baptist. The head coach of the Cal Baptist Basketball team came up to her and asked if those were her athletes. He continued to say how extremely talented and amazing they were. It warmed her heart that he saw their talent and hard work. Michelle wants nothing but the nest for our athletes. For her to see them smile, having fun, and working hard is what means the most to her. We are so thankful to have Michelle apart of our Special Olympics team. All her hard work is appreciated and does not go unnoticed. #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #VolunteerAppreciation

For the month of September, we would like to spotlight 4-year Special Olympics volunteer, Bob Kinzel. Bob, with our deepest condolences, passed away September 17th, 2020. Bob was the kind of guy who instantly made you smile when you met him, he was always happy, and always put others first. He had a passion after he retired to give back to his community and he did just that. If you asked him how his day was he would respond with, Today is the best day of my life! Jovial, we...lcoming, and passionate are a few words used to describe Bob. His start with SOSC came at the 2015 World Summer Games with Lake Arrowhead being a host town for 120 members of the Switzerland Special Olympics Delegation. For him, this experience of being present with the Special Olympics Switzerland delegation, was the best three days of his life. They were so amazing he committed to our greatest need, and became Head Coach for all four sports offered by the Rim Mountain Communities program, helping them become a Local Program under SOSC. He was an incredibly gifted coach, a consummate professional and a genuinely beautiful human being. Bob gave his heart and soul to the Special Olympics athletes and to everyone he touched over the years he resided in the Mountain Communities, says Polly Sauer, Local Program Coordinator, Rim Mountain Communities. Bob was not just a coach to our athletes, but a friend. He was present at every competition and attended coaches’ camps to be able to best coach and serve the athletes of the rim mountain communities. At the 2019 SOSC Fall Games, Bob was presented as the Coach of the Season. He shared his inspiration from one of the most respected and greatest Coaches of all time, John Wooden. A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life. He lived this belief everyday with our Special Olympic Athletes and he did indeed change their lives. For Bob, each and every practice, competition, fundraiser, or even gathering with our Special Olympic athletes was a gift. His highlights were those tender private moments he had the opportunity to share individually with parents and their children, regardless of adult or adolescent he was always carefully listening, learning their concerns, and finding every way to best serve his athletes on and off the field. More than words can convey. "The culmination of his career and beautiful life was his being Head Coach of the Rim Mountain Communities Special Olympics Local Program in 2016 until his untimely passing", shares his wife, Carol. Bob Kinzel’s legacy will be remembered forever by all the lives he touched. #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #VolunteerAppreciation

Join us in welcoming Calvin Lyons as the next President and CEO of Special Olympics Southern California ! Lyons joins us from the Boys & Girls Clubs, where he served as President and CEO of the Metro Los Angeles Clubs. Read more about Calvin at https://bit.ly/2RKH21R. #WeAreSOSC

Meet our volunteers! I cannot thank enough the City of Menifee and to SOSC Inland Empire for all your support in believing in me to start up the Special Olympics Local Program in Menifee. We started Sports Demo Clinics in September 2017 and officially started our Spring Season training in February 2018 with three sports: Athletics, Basketball, and Bocce Ball. Adding Bowling for our Summer Season and Softball for our Fall Season. In 2019 we added Volleyball as our fourth sp...ort. Thank you to all of Mighty Menifee Coaches and Volunteers to help get this program started I could not have done it without all your support. Being a parent of a Special needs athlete, has brought so much to my life. It has made me become a stronger person, watching Stacey grow and overcome hurdles of her shyness. Special Olympics helps build the self confidence of a person with intellectual disabilities so they can give back to their communities. She has learned to make friends, become physically fit, sets goals for herself, and has become competitive in many of her sports she trains and competes in. She has had the opportunity to shine, win or lose as I tell her and the athletes Always strive to do the best you can and be proud of what you achieve. - Hilda Bojorquez, Local Program Coordinator, Mighty Menifee #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #Barstow #Beaumont #BigBear #Chino #Corona #Fontana #LakeElsinore #Menifee #MorenoValley #Murrieta #Norco #Ontario #PalmDesert #PalmSprings #RanchoCucamonga #Redlands #Riverside #Temecula #SanBernardino #Donate

We look at holidays, the way Craig looks at Libby. Happy Labor Day Weekend! #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #LaborDay #Beaumont #BigBear #Chino #Corona #Fontana #LakeElsinore #Menifee #MorenoValley #Murrieta #Norco #Ontario #PalmDesert #PalmSprings #RanchoCucamonga #Redlands #Riverside #Temecula #SanBernardino #Donate

We’d like to give a big round of applause to our top individual fundraiser from the 2020 Temecula Torch Run, Juanita Koth, owner of Gaits In the Grapes Guided Trail Rides! She went for a 3-hour ride in her Torch Run shirt on the day of the event, all the while raising $725 for Special Olympics athletes! Please join me in applauding Juanita for her efforts! #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #Inclusion #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #RiversideCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #Barstow #Beaumont #BigBear #Chino #Corona #Fontana #LakeElsinore #Menifee #MorenoValley #Murrieta #Norco #Ontario #PalmDesert #PalmSprings #RanchoCucamonga #Redlands #Riverside #Temecula #SanBernardino #Donate

THANK YOU to all our sponsors who supported the Virtual Temecula Torch Run!! Through your support our athletes will continue to participate at no cost! #TheSOSCEmpire #TemeculaTorchRun #LETR #WeAreSOSC

This month we would like to Spotlight 16 year Special Olympics members, Kim and Mike Laza. They both started with Special Olympics when their son, Brett Laza, became involved in the program as an athlete. The Laza’s have vibrant personalities that do not go unnoticed. Fom the moment they started with SOSC, it was apparent that they were not going to be ones to sit on the sidelines and watch the action happen. They are always finding ways to help out and get involved. Through ...the years they have coached many different sports, but the main ones being Athletics, Floor Hockey, Tennis, and Volleyball. Coaching was just the start of it, they have continually been a part of Law Enforcement Torch Runs, Final Leg, Tip-A-Cops, Polar Plunge, and Cop on a Rooftop. It does not stop there; Kim is also the Assistant Area Director for Western San Bernardino. A few of their highlights since volunteering with Special Olympics would be, watching Brett have the opportunity to be a part of the Final Leg at the World Games in 2015. There are some moments you do not forget and that is one of them. For Kim, having the opportunity to be a Head Coach, for Athletics, at the USA Games in Seattle was a memory that will last a lifetime. She was so happy to be a part of that moment with her athletes, and to have the opportunity to see her son, Brett, compete. For them it’s all about the athletes and how to create an unforgettable experience for them. They love seeing the athletes connect with one another, and make friendships that they would not have without SOSC. Mike and Kim are loving, dedicated, ambitious, and welcoming to all. They go above and beyond what is asked of them. When something needs to be done, they complete the task before it is asked of them. They are willing to drive anywhere, no matter how far they will be there to help out. They are approachable and exude happiness everywhere they go. Not a day goes by where they are not putting others before themselves. SOSC Western San Bernardino would not be the same without their ambition, love, leadership, and vibrant personalities. Their devotion never goes unnoticed and is appreciated by all who are involved with Special Olympics. #WeAreSOSC #TheSOSCEmpire #SpecialOlympics #InlandEmpire #SanBernardinoCounty #Community #VolunteerAppreciation

Virtual program for the 2020 Temecula Torch Run.