Los Angeles, CA – July 23, 2015 – Ann Costello, Director of the Golisano Foundation will have an active role in the Special Olympics 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles July 25 to August 2.
This will be the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015, and the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games.
The Golisano Foundation is one of the nation's leading foundations dedicated exclusively to helping people with intellectual disabilities. It has been a major supporter of Special Olympics' Global Health Program helping to launch Healthy Communities three years ago in six states and eight countries with a $12 million gift, the largest in Special Olympics history. The initiative has made significant progress in increasing access to health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a population that lacks access to adequate healthcare and faces significant health disparities. The Foundation has partnered with Special Olympics because it is the world's leading global health care provider for people with IDD.
Every two years, Special Olympics athletes come together to compete at the Special Olympics World Summer Games. This summer, more than 6,500 athletes from 165 countries will descend upon Los Angeles competing in 25 different sports to show the true meaning of courage, joy and determination.
Ann Costello will:
Special Olympics is a global movement that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports, every day around the world. We empower people with intellectual disabilities to become accepted and valued members of their communities, which leads to a more respectful and inclusive society for all. Using sports as the catalyst and programming around health and education, Special Olympics is fighting inactivity, injustice and intolerance. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 4.5 million athletes in 170 countries. With the support of more than 1.4 million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and more than 94,000 games and competitions throughout the year. Special Olympics is supported by individuals, foundations and partners, including the Christmas Records Trust, the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics, The Coca-Cola Company, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN, Lions Clubs International, Mattel, Microsoft, P&G, Bank of America, Essilor Vision Foundation, the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, Finish Line, The Safeway Foundation, and Safilo Group.
Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.
