100 host towns welcome Special Olympics World Games athletes

Southern California is a community of love and inclusion. Thus, it is no surprise that as many as 100 cities throughout Southern California are busily planning to serve as host towns to the 7,000 Special Olympics athletes who are coming to L.A. from around the world this summer to compete. Olympics delegations from around the world will be treated to three fun-filled days of entertainment, and cultural exchange at their host town celebrations from July 21 to 24, immediately preceding the games which will take place from July 25 to Aug. 2.

At their host towns, delegations of athletes and coaches from around the world will be welcomed and celebrated. The schedule of events will include getting to know community members, taking part in cultural activities unique to each area, and dining with the community. For example, my town of El Segundo is a host town. We are holding events including a beach-bash at Dockweiler Beach, a tour and meal at the Lakers’ practice facilities, lunch provided by Jersey Mike’s hosted at the Car Museum, and many more celebrations throughout our town. We hope the Special Olympics athletes that we host will feel celebrated in our circle of inclusion, and I for one can not wait to make new friends from around the world!

So, a big shout out to the host towns, which include:

• ALHAMBRA
– hosting Germany
• ANAHEIM
-hosting Senegal
• ARCADIA
– hosting Kyrgyz Republic, Trinidad and Tobago
• AZUSA, DUARTE, GLENDORA 
-hosting South Africa
• BAKERSFIELD
-hosting Kenya and Jordan
• BEVERLY HILLS
-hosting Gibraltar and Monaco
• BIG BEAR LAKE
-hosting Luxembourg, Montenegro and Chile
• BURBANK
-hosting Zimbabwe and Botswana
• CAMARILLO
-hosting New Zealand and Saudi Arabia
• CARSON
-hosting Turkmenistan, Palestine, Dominica and Mal
• CERRITOS
-hosting Uruguay and Guyana
• CHATSWORTH
-hosting Timor, Leste and Serbia
• CHINO HILLS
-hosting Laos and Poland
• CLAREMONT
-hosting Georgia Republic Latvia, Bolivia and Curacao
• CORONA 
-hosting Slovakia and Iran
• COSTA MESA
-hosting Aruba and Bahamas
• CULVER CITY
-hosting Malaysia
• DOWNEY-Ireland
• CALABASAS
-hosting Great Britain
• DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – FIGUEROA & 5TH
-Belarus, Moldova and Algeria
• DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – OLIVE & 7TH
-Colombia
• EL SEGONDO
 –hosting Macedonia, Uzbekistan and Barbados
• FOUNTAIN VALLEY
-hosting Netherlands
• FULLERTON
-hosting Rwanda, Bosnia, Ukraine, Lebanon and Tunisia
• GLENDALE
-hosting Dominican Republic, Bonair and Armenia
• GOLETA
-hosting Bhutan, Panama and Qatar
• HACIENDA HEIGHTS
-hosting Chinese Taipei
• HAWTHORNE
-hosting Nigeria and Estonia
• HERMOSA BEACH
-hosting Belgium and Belize
• HUNTINGTON BEACH
-hosting Australia
• INGLEWOOD
-hosting Jamaica
• 
IRVINE
-hosting Korea
• LA HABRA -hosting
-Myanmar, Lithuania and Norway

• LA JOLLA
-hosting Bharat (India)
• LA MIRADA
-hosting Russia
• LA VERNE
-hosting Pakistan and US Virgin Islands
• LAKE FOREST & LAGUNA HILLS
-hosting Cayman Islands and Syria
• LAKEWOOD
-hosting Slovenia and Turkey
• LINCOLN HEIGHTS
-hosting Germany
• 
LONG BEACH
-hosting China
• MANHATTAN BEACH
-hosting Nepal and Hungary
• MISSION VIEJO 
-hosting Indonesia and Spain
• MONTEREY PARK
-hosting Germany
• MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES OF LAKE ARROWHEAD
-hosting Switzerland
• NEWPORT BEACH
-hosting Fiji and Mexico
• NORTHRIDGE
-hosting Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Malta, Iceland and Iraq
• ORANGE
-hosting Senegal and Canada
• OXNARD 
-hosting Afghanistan, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Kosovo
• PALM SPRINGS
-hosting Portugal and Bahrain
• PALMDALE
-hosting Cyprus and St. Lucia
• PASADENA
-hosting Tanzania, Singapore and Namibia
• POMONA
-hosting Isle of Man Libya
• POWAY
-hosting Ecuador and Togo
• RANCHO CUCAMONGA
-hosting Cote d’Ovoire
• RANCHO SANTA FE
-hosting Uganda, Brunei, Darussalam and Bulgaria
• REDLANDS
-hosting Austria, Liechtenstein
• REDONDO BEACH
-hosting Benin, Haiti, and Suriname
• RIVERSIDE
-hosting Sweden
• SAN DIEGO EAST COUNTY
-hosting Hong Kong and Egypt
• SAN DIEGO GOLDEN TRIANGLE
-hosting Costa Rica
• SAN DIEGO NORTH COUNTY
-hosting Ghana, Swaziland and Thailand
• SAN DIEGO POINT LOMA
-hosting Burkina, Faso, Albania and Finland
• 
SAN DIEGO SOUTH COUNTY
-hosting Argentina and Puerto Rico
• SAN PEDRO
-hosting Croatia and Kazakhstan
• SANTA BARBARA
-hosting Guatemala, Honduras, St. Kitts, Nevis and Nicaragua
• SANTA CLARITA
-hosting Malawi, Philippines, Faroe Islands and El Salvador
• SANTA MARIA
-hosting Mauritius and France Republic of Congo
• SANTA MONICA
-hosting Romania and Brazil
• SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS
-hosting Israel
• 
SIMI VALLEY
-hosting Zambia, Serendib (Sri Lanka), and Peru
• SOLVANG
-hosting Denmark
• SOUTH PASADENA
-hosting Paraguay, and Morocco
• STUDIO CITY
-hosting Czech Republic, and Cuba
• THOUSAND OAKS
-hosting Mongolia, San Marino,Tajikistan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• WEST COVINA
-hosting Nippon (Japan)
• WEST LOS ANGELES
-hosting Italy
• WESTCHESTER
-hosting Bangladesh
• WHITTIER
-hosting Macau
• WINNETKA
-hosting Venezuela

Thank you to the cities of Southern California for showing the world how we include those who are culturally and intellectually different than us, and welcome them into our lives. On this momentous week where the Supreme Court showed the world that our United States Constitution honors the rights of all citizens, we in Southern California are proud to show the world that we honor everyone and uphold a circle of inclusion.