Opening Ceremonies are Saturday July 25 – Ann Costello to Participate

First Lady Michelle Obama is Honorary Chair and Attending

This is the World’s Largest Sports & Humanitarian Event in 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:

• Address the Special Olympics International Board of Directors on the support of the Golisano Foundation to launch Healthy Communities (Sat. July 25th)
• Walk in the Parade of Athletes and escort athletes from Thailand into the Coliseum for the World Summer Games Opening Ceremonies featuring star-studded entertainment including Stevie Wonder, Avril Lavigne, Jimmy Kimmel and more. (Sat. July 25th)
• Participate in the ribbon cutting to open Healthy Athletes screening at the Games. The Golisano Foundation has been a long time supporter of Healthy Athletes. Hundreds of Healthy Athletes medical professionals will offer free health examinations to the athletes in seven disciplines: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNfitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Opening Eyes (vision) and Special Smiles (dentistry) on the USC Campus. (Sunday July 26)
• Address global Clinical Advisors who participate in the 14 current Healthy Communities and lead the various Healthy Athletes screening programs worldwide and thank them for all that they do to improve access to healthcare for people with intellectual disabilities (Monday July 27)
• Address medical professionals from around the United States at the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) Global Summit on Innovations in Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at a luncheon keynote with Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics.
• And attend several dinners and receptions.

About Special Olympics

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.