A Gold Medal for Los Angeles
August 4, 2015
by Gary Toebben
During my nine years in Southern California, I have never been prouder of the City and County of Los Angeles. From the Opening Ceremony on July 25 to the Closing Ceremony this past Sunday, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games celebrated the importance of inclusion, courage, personal effort, civic generosity and volunteer spirit. To capture a glimpse of this nine day celebration, take a moment to view this video shown at the Closing Ceremony.
L.A. area businesses and their employees played a major role in organizing and paying for this global celebration that featured 6,500 athletes from 165 countries. The only event during the nine-day schedule that generated revenue from attendees was the Opening Ceremony. The sponsors listed here provided the money and in-kind donations that enabled the Special Olympic athletes to participate in 25 different sports. Thirty thousand volunteers made it all work smoothly and many of those volunteers were also employees of the sponsors. “Fans in the Stands” cheered on the athletes at every venue.
The sheer number of businesses, public agencies, host communities and individual citizens who played an essential role in the success of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games made me proud of the City and County of L.A. We showed the world how to “Reach Up” for inclusion, and the business community’s civic engagement led the way.
It was an inspiring nine days in L.A. City and County and everyone who participated in any way was glad that he or she did. As for me, I was especially proud to work for and with so many of the Chamber-Member businesses and individuals who sponsored this outstanding event. You earned a Gold Medal for L.A.
And that's The Business Perspective.
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