April 15, 2024 • 29 mins
Aired April 14, 2024:
The Dream Big Raffle will benefit thousands of Special Olympics Southern California athletes with intellectual disabilities. This has become SOSC’s biggest and most impactful fundraiser as proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund training programs and competitions, health screenings, leadership classes, venue rentals, sporting equipment, uniforms, coach training, travel expenses, meals, and more. For most families, participation in sporting organizations would be financially impossible. Since its inception in 1968 by Rafer Johnson, SOSC has been free of charge. You can go to www.SoCalRaffle.com for more information and how to purchase tickets! Deadline to Purchase Tickets is May 17 th. Odds of winning 1 in 25 Over 2,800 prizes
In this show, Lisa Foxx interviews SOSC CEO Kelly Pond. They discuss all the ways the Dream Big Raffle is a WIN WIN for everyone! Lisa also talks to Commander Ryan LeBaron of the Long Beach Police Department. He is also on the executive committee of Southern California Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run Council. They discuss details of the annual Torch Run and how upcoming Tip A Cop events will raise $$ for SOSC while also bringing the community together. Find out more at www.sosc.org
The Dream Big Raffle will benefit thousands of Special Olympics Southern California athletes with intellectual disabilities. This has become SOSC’s biggest and most impactful fundraiser as proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund training programs and competitions, health screenings, leadership classes, venue rentals, sporting equipment, uniforms, coach training, travel expenses, meals, and more. For most families, participation in sporting organizations would be financially impossible. Since its inception in 1968 by Rafer Johnson, SOSC has been free of charge. You can go to www.SoCalRaffle.com for more information and how to purchase tickets! Deadline to Purchase Tickets is May 17 th. Odds of winning 1 in 25 Over 2,800 prizes
In this show, Lisa Foxx interviews SOSC CEO Kelly Pond. They discuss all the ways the Dream Big Raffle is a WIN WIN for everyone! Lisa also talks to Commander Ryan LeBaron of the Long Beach Police Department. He is also on the executive committee of Southern California Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run Council. They discuss details of the annual Torch Run and how upcoming Tip A Cop events will raise $$ for SOSC while also bringing the community together. Find out more at www.sosc.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Lisa Fox here and this is theiHeart So Cal show, and boy do
we heart Special Olympics Southern California.I've been a longtime fan. This organization
is very personal. It's very personalto me, and that's why I love
talking about the Dream Big Raffle.They do this every year. This fund
raiser is essential to their programs.The Dream Big Raffle benefiting Special Olympics within
(00:22):
California is underway now, and hey, easy for us. It's a chance
for us to win a gorgeous multimillion dollar dream home and tons of other
incredible prizes, all to benefit theathletes and their programs. So on.
To tell us all about it isSpecial Olympics of Southern California CEO Kelly Pond.
Hi, Kelly, Hello, Lisa, thank you so much for having
(00:42):
me today. I feel like I'malready fared up because I see your TV
commercials on constantly. I'm like,there's Kelly, I know her, look
at the house. It's a bigdeal every year you do this, and
I love your enthusiasm on the TVcommercials with the you know some of the
athletes. I mean, what aspecial time this is every year and super
exciting it's only for us to wina chance to win all this exciting stuff,
(01:03):
but also for you guys organization tobenefit so much from the money raised.
I know we me and the athleteswere so lucky to be able to
hang out in this gorgeous dream houseto film the commercial. It's incredible.
The Dream Big Raffle is our largestfundraising event each year. We've been doing
it for fifteen years. It's raisedmillions of dollars, which is critical because
(01:27):
all of our Special Olympics programs areone hundred percent free to the athletes and
their families. So this Raffle issuch a win, win, win.
You know, people that participate,they get a chance, a one in
twenty five chance, so crazy,thanks, the odds are fantastic. One
in twenty five people, one intwenty five. That's crazy, your odds
(01:51):
of winning. What's you buy afundraising ticket? Yeah? Because we give
over twenty eight hundred prizes away,and so it's a win. It's a
win for those individuals that participate,it's a win for Special Olympics because it's
raising important funds that allow us todo the work. And then of course
it's a win for the athletes andtheir family. Sure. Yeah, and
(02:14):
we get the easy part. Wejust get to go to www dot SoCal
Raffle dot com. We pop onthere and then once you open up the
website, you're like, I wantthat car, I want to go to
Italy, I want that trip.Ooh, I would love a scooter.
You get kind of wowed by allthe possibilities, right, and then you
call the phone number, you buya ticket or two, a one hundred
and fifty bucks a ticket, andyou get a better deal if you'll bundle
(02:35):
and buy more. And right,we know how it works with the lottery.
I mean the more tickets you buy, the better your chances. So
I would encourage people to get onthat website now and take a look because
we only got till May seventeenth toget it. To get a piece of
the action. Again, that's goingto help Special Olympics absolutely. We have
as you mentioned, tickets are onehundred and fifty dollars and if you buy
multiple tickets, there's you know,deals for bundles. We all so give
(03:00):
away ten thousand dollars a week forten weeks, so there's add on ticket
opportunities. There's early bird drawing,so there's lots of opportunities to get in
for prizes that are you know,luxury vehicles, vacation homes, electronics,
all kinds of good stuff in additionto this dream house. In this dream
house right, it's called the dreamBig Raffle for a reason. This dream
(03:23):
home. They've done different homes overthe years. This time it's a custom
built dream home in Calabasas. Wow, jaw dropping gorgeousness. All the pictures
are right there on the website,so cal Raffle dot com. If you've
seen the commercials I've seen the mostdone at KHLA Channel five with Kelly and
the athletes in the dream Hall overWe're like, oh that I could I
could win that. It's crazy.It's in an exclusive Calabasis community, the
(03:47):
Oaks, and it's an exquisite custombuilt five thousand square foot homes. And
if you can take a look atthe pictures on the website, done is
so Beautiful com you'll see the backyard has this gorgeous pool and sweeping views
(04:08):
and it's a great place to entertain. And you know, again there's the
possibility of the home or cash prizes, a million exchancet, a million,
dollars. So there's all kinds ofpossibilities if you participate this. This home
is just wrapped with love. Butthe home is so beautiful, someone's gonna
(04:30):
win it. I mean every yearthere's a drawing and there is a winner
for the dream home, right.I mean, you have the choice,
like you said, of the homeor cash. But this home is spectacular
with the six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, cherrywood, hardwood floors, a chef's
kitchen built with custom cabitatry import ItalianCarrera, marble countertops, vaulted ceilings throughout
(04:50):
upstairs, loft space, sweeping canyonviews, that big gorgeous swimming pool,
entertainment space. You got fruit treesand organic vegetable garden and so much more.
You could win this. You couldlive there and know that the money
it took to get you there allgoes to help Special Olympics Southern California.
Definitely, we're excited to be ableto have this fundraising opportunity to support our
(05:15):
athletes and their families. Yeah,and Kelly, because I mean it's a
Special Olympic Southern California. I meanyou cover a huge region. I mean
it's a lot, a lot ofathletes, not just in La or Orange
County, it's many counties. It'sa lot of people. Yeah, we
Special Olympics because year round programs forathletes from as far north as San Luis
Obispo, all the way down toSan Diego. And we have our you
(05:40):
know, we're in our spring sportsseason right now, and we culminate with
our summer games at cal State LongBeach, which you're very familiar with.
You come out and so fun,it's a blast. We also have bowling
in the summer, We have ourfall sports season, we have a floor
ball season in the winter time.And then in addition to all of those
(06:01):
community sports that are happening year around, we have programs in the schools.
We partner with over one hundred andthirty schools in southern California, where we're
offering opportunities for students with and withoutintellectual disabilities to compete or play together in
our unified sports programs or in aunified club. So, in addition to
(06:24):
Special Olympics transforming the lives of ourathletes, people with children, and adults
with intellectual disabilities, we also havethe opportunity to transform the lives of those
students that are competing and playing alongsideour athletes as well volunteers, families,
and the greater community. I mean, we have so much to learn from
(06:46):
each other. And you know,it starts with love and understanding and then
also just being a kid and goingout and having fun, you know,
And that's what these the sports andthe games and having these competitions, that's
what. It's an easy way tobring people together. That's what I love
about sports. It brings people togetherand teach you about teamwork. That's right.
I had. I was talking withthe parents who was sharing that before
(07:08):
their son joined Special Olympics, theywere in high school means trying to do
mainstream activity sports and really just didn'tyou know, kind of came home and
didn't feel a part of any partof what was happening in the school.
And when he joined Special Olympics,the minute he walked out onto the practice,
(07:30):
one of the other athletes like ranup to him, gave him a
big high five and invited him,you know, to come and just check
out the practice. And he said, now he can't get his son off
the phone because he's always talking tonew friends that he's met. He's now
an an athlete, leader and ambassador, so he goes and share special Olympics
(07:53):
has transformed his life and allowed himso you kind of take, like you
said, that team building experience andit translates into so many other aspects of
one's life. And you've really seenthis firsthand, Kelly. What I love
about your story and you have sucha positive attitude and such great energy.
But you were volunteer and with theorganization for many years and now here you
(08:15):
are the CEO helping to you know, really make the magic happen from the
top all the way down, soyou've been there to see it firsthand.
So many lives change on a dayto day basis. So yeah, I
tell you volunteering, we talk somuch about how we you know, want
to serve and support the athletes,but truly, you talk to so many
(08:37):
of our volunteer leaders and our coachesand we're special invited as a family.
Once you get out on the fieldor come out to an event and connect
and be inspired by our athletes andwhat they're able to accomplish, you can't
help but want to be a partof it, to learn from them.
(08:58):
And you know, most of thetime time we are the ones that are
learning and benefiting from everything that SpecialOlympics had to offer. And we cannot
exist without volunteers. Lisa and Iknow you come out. You're a volunteer,
and we st appreciate it. Ourprograms relies on over fifteen thousand volunteers
(09:18):
across Southern California to make it happen. And as we continue wanting to serve
more athletes and be a part ofmore schools, we're going to continue needing
more volunteer support. So anyone thatis out there and listening and interested in
just coming to check it out andwitness our athletes experiencing that joy and courage,
(09:39):
we welcome them to participate, evenjust to cheer on or take on
a volunteer role. Yeah, andwhether it's in the office or at your
events or at the Summer Games,I mean, just come out and try
it. Try it for a day, be a part of it for a
day. Do get hooked, trustme, I know, especially for the
Summer Games, Oh my gosh,it's to be a part of that.
To cheer on those athletes and seetheir love with their families and to see
(10:01):
the community come together. And whateverway you're able to get back and volunteer
with Special Olympics in California. Kelly, what's the best way that they can
go about doing that, or likeapply or sign up? How does it
work? Yes, visit our websiteis soo SC dot org. So sc
dot org. You can learn moreabout volunteering at Special Olympics seven California,
(10:24):
becoming an athlete, how you canpurchase tickets for the Dream Big Raffle.
It's all on our website at SOOSBdot org. And again, the energy
is just so infectious. Like youmentioned last summer when I co hosted the
Summer Games, Ah, I feellike my you know when your face hurts
because you're smiling so much. Weare out there and just having the best
(10:45):
time with so many groups of people, and of course, you know the
law enforcement always so heavily involved.Talk about that special relationship that Special Olympics
has with law enforcement, because thelove is just it's a real special bond
and it's so nice to see andpersonal love that the LAPD and these officers
have for these athletes and just SpecialOlympics Southern California as a whole as an
(11:07):
organization. And then all the workthey do you know, off the clock
to give back to your organization.It's just it's really lovely to see.
That's so true. It's such agood point. Law enforcement are incredible partners
to our athletes. They raise fundsand generate awareness throughout the years. Matter
of fact, through a lot ofthe law enforcement fundraising efforts, they raised
(11:31):
one point seven million dollars for ourathletes last year alone. Wow. And
in addition to the fundraising, twoweeks leading up to our Summer Games and
our other Championships events, they passedthe torch throughout the community. And so
you might spot a group of officersand Special Olympics athletes and community members running
(11:54):
with the torch or the flame ofhope, and they pass it from city
to city until it gets to LongBeach where we light the cauldron and officially
kick off our Summer Games championship.Oh, it is such a sight to
see. It is so cool.And then I had a chance to catch
up with them at one point inBeverly Hills a few years ago, and
I got to hold the torch myself. It was like I'm holding this piece
(12:18):
of history in my hand. Youfeel so honored to be a part of
it in any way, When doesthat part of it start the torch run
with the LAPD so folks can kindof follow or learn more. Yes,
it will start the first week ofJune. So and then the leads up
to our summer games, the Ephannight and from the torch run, and
(12:39):
again the money raised from the dreamBig Raffle, it's a biggie. It's
your biggie every single year. Andthank good that you've had fifteen years of
it because, like you said,it truly fuels and funds pretty much a
big chunk of all that you dofor so many of these athletes. So
we encourage folks and it's fun.So again we get the fun part.
You just pop on socol raffle dotcom. Look at this big, gorgeous
(13:00):
custom home in Calabasas. Beautiful home. You have a chance of winning,
and then really good chances to winall these luxury cars. You can win
cash, you can win these incrediblevacations. My gosh, I mean,
Kelly, can we can we gowith these people when they win? Greece,
Cancun, Morocco, d Buy Italy, Portugal, Jamaica, Netherlands.
Gorgeous luxury vacations. You've got theseBMW's and Chevy Silverado's, like these big
(13:24):
gorgeous luxury cars, or cash.You can win scooters, flat screens,
airflyers. I mean, it's along list of possibilities, but everything on
that list is a pretty cool thingto win. And again with odds of
winning. It's one and twenty fivewhen you buy just one tickets, that's
right, I love you gave awonderful compilation of the price is offered all
(13:48):
for you know, one hundred andfifty dollars ticket, or like you said
earlier, there's discount tickets if youbuy in packages. And you know,
we're talking about the programs and theimpact that this support has. Another huge
offering that Special Olympics has that alot of people don't know about, Lisa,
is our healthy athlete screenings and soSpecial Olympics is actually the world's largest
(14:11):
public health organization for people with intellectualdisabilities because we offer free health services at
a lot of our championship competitions andour county competitions. Is where we're really
trying to grow our services. Andthis is free dental screenings, eye screenings
with then free glasses and a lotof our volunteer health practitioners come out and
(14:39):
in addition to serving supporting our athletes, a lot of them are also getting
more familiar and comfortable in learning howto serve people with intellectual disability. So
once again it's opening a door forpeople that would not maybe otherwise get that
experience. Yeah, shared experience wherepeople benefit on both sides. And again,
(15:01):
you have until May seventeenth to buya ticket for the Dream Big Raffle
benefiting Special Olympics Southern California. Andjust to know that this money is what
they rely on every year. Thisis their biggie. They rely on this
money every year to fund so manyathletes from counties all over the Southern California
region. And just down to thedetail, I mean, we're talking about
(15:22):
the money goes to fund training programsand the competitions, the health screenings,
like Kelly just mentioned, leadership classes, venue rental, sporting equipment, uniforms,
coach training, travel expenses, ohmy gosh, right, just to
travel alone to bring everybody in isa lot with the buses, that's right,
Our programs are you know, theseare all real costs that we experience
(15:45):
that the Dream Big raffle funding helpsmake possible and our programs are happening all
year long. I know, oneof the big myths that we talk about,
because we do talk a lot aboutour Summer gameschampionship, it's you know,
one where it's a culminating event,but a lot of people don't realize
that our athletes are training and competinglocally in their communities every week every weekend
(16:11):
in different sports, or participating inthe schools and the Unified programs as well.
So once again, all all thesecool prizes a one in twenty five
chance of winning, you know,over twenty eight hundred prizes for one hundred
and fifty dollars, and it's allto support Speciallympics programs, because they're free
(16:33):
to the athletes and their families.And you're helping to transform lives not only
of our athletes, but also ourUnified partners and creating really schools and communities
of acceptance and inclusion. Because,as you know, lisaid, by being
able to see people's abilities or whatwe have in common, what people can
(16:56):
do, it really just breaks downbarriers and helps us celebrate and understand one
another more. And that's what's createsmore acceptance and inclusion. Yeah. And
you know, and I'll say thistoo, being at the Summer Games,
the parents and the families are soappreciative of all of this because I think
they feel like, thank you forgiving my child something to look forward to
(17:19):
every day, something that they striveto be good at and be a part
of. And I think it helpsthe families be better, be better parents,
and be better families because they probablystruggle too, and so having this
bigger family and all these events andthings look forward to and all the support,
I know it helps the families outbecause I feel that love and appreciation
(17:40):
from moms and dads and siblings thatwe met at Summer Games and they're just
like, thank you for all ofthis. You know, it's so true,
and it's so fund to talk withthe families and see that it is
really I'm just I am amazed.I'm inspired by how many family members we
have that come out that are coachesor siblings are on the team as unified
(18:03):
partners playing golf along their sibling,and it really does become a family affair
in a way that, you know, families that kind of understand what one
another going through, how they canyou know, support each other and celebrate
one another. So it is definitelya highlight of the experience. I love
it, and like Kelly mentioned,they're always a need Speciallympics Southern California always
(18:26):
need to volunteers. If you'd liketo inquire about that and learn more,
it's on their website. Also,I'm hoping we're going to get our friend
come out of Ryan le Baron fromthe Long Beach Police Department on a little
bit to talk about other ways toalso get back to Special Olympics Southern California
with the LAPD doing these tip acoop events for the next month or two
at restaurants all over southern California.That's pretty cool, right, police officers
(18:49):
working as quote unquote waiters. Youshow up, have a great time,
buy a little something, and whateveryou tip the cop goes to Special Olympics.
Love that you bring that up becauseso many times people like, how
can I support Special Olympics, Andit could literally an answer could be as
easy as well, what are youdoing for dinner tonight? Right? And
so what happens is law enforcement officerspartner with different restaurants. They think we
(19:14):
have a couple California Peece to kitchenrestaurants that are doing Tip of Cops in
the weeks ahead, but you couldgo to the calendar to see and what
happens is law enforcement officers go inand they help the weight staff and they
become servers and they serve the foodfor the night, and then their extra
tips benefit our special Olympics athletes.So it's a fun way to just go
out to dinner with your family.You'll we usually have some of our athletes
(19:38):
out there giving high fives and sayingthank you, forting alongside the officers and
it's all to you know, benefitthe community, but also in a way
that is very you know, familyand friendly oriented. There's a ton of
Tip of Cop events, like Kellysaid, on the website, you can
also find out more about the TorchRun all of that, and also information
about how you can become a volunteerat SoC dot org soosc dot org.
(20:03):
And then of course you have untilMay seventeenth. People, May seventeenth,
you've got to buy your tickets forthis dream big raffle by May seventeenth.
Odds of winning one in twenty fivecrazy great odds, This big, gorgeous
custom amazing beautiful home in the exclusiveCalabasis community of the Oaks. Wait to
see the pictures of this house.Wow, that's on the website. A
(20:23):
chance with these luxury cars BMW's orChevy Silverado's brand new cars or like fifty
thousand, sixty thousand dollars big chunksof change, these luxury vacations to places
like Greece and Dubai and Italy andPortugal. You name it, scooters,
flat screens, airfryers, it's allon the website. Twenty eight hundred plus
(20:45):
prizes, odds one in twenty fiveof winning. You have until May seventeenth
to hopefully make some magic happen.Either way. You know where the money
is going, Special Olympics Southern Californiato help all of these athletes achieve their
dreams. All the info so calRaffle dot com, so Calraffle dot com
and Kelly Pond, thank you somuch. They're CEO Kelly Pond, long
(21:07):
time volunteer herself and now the CEOSpecial Olympics Southern California. Thank you so
much for all that you do,Kelly, and let's go raise the money.
Thank you so much. Lisea Iappreciate you, Hi, Kelly.
Now I gotta go. I gottago buy my tickets. I gotta get
in this raffle too. I wantto go to Greece if you win that
one, right seriously. Oh andwait, I got them on the line.
(21:32):
I got him. I got himto tell you a little bit more
about how you can support Special OlympicsSouthern California through Tip A Coop and the
LPD Torch Run. I got himon the phone with the Long Beach PD.
Hello, Commander Ryan LeBaron, howare you. I am doing great.
It's good to hear from you.Ah well, so happy to grab
you for a few minutes to expandon this very special relationship between the LAPD
(21:55):
and Special Olympics Southern California. Youknow, they raise all these essential funds
with the dream big raffle that's happeningnow through May seventeenth, but also through
the events that you all do togetherwith the Tip A Coop, rustaurant events
coming up, and the Torch Run. I mean, this special bond between
LAPD and Special Olympics Southern California,it goes pretty far back, right,
It's something that you know, nobody, nobody can really understand it without understanding
(22:18):
how it originated. I do wantto just talk about how it started with
Chief La Monion in Wichita, Kansas. He in nineteen eighty one, he
went to a special Olympics event andhe was hooked. He saw the athletes.
He got to, you know,put metals on the athletes at the
end of their competition. And he'slike, this is something that we got
to get behind and we just gotto do something. And he didn't know
what he was even going to do, and he started a torch Run and
(22:41):
that for a year. That firstyear they made like a few hundred bucks.
It was hardly anything. And it'ssince then every year since then,
it's grown to where now you know, over two hundred agencies just in California,
Southern California participate in the Torch Run, just here locally and worldwide,
you know, I mean local.We've earned twenty two million dollars since the
(23:02):
eighties. Ooh, look at thatjust here in southern California. Commander,
how long does each officer run andeach leg of the torch Run? I
know it starts first part of June. Lead them to the Summer Games in
Long Beach and where you serve.But how long of a run does each
officer do? Do they volunteer becausethey can run, or just because they
want to do? You have tobe a skilled police officer runner. How
(23:26):
does that part work? Yeah?So, I mean Special Olympics, as
you know, is all about inclusion. So we're not going to stop any
officer or even professional staff that wantsto help out and be part of it.
Will make a way for them tobe successful and to be able to
participate. And you know, wedon't have to we get people. The
people volunteer they want to do thisbecause being a part of Special Olympics,
(23:47):
Yeah, and being a part ofsomething very good in the community. So
it starts in June, like yousaid, and we passed that torch what
we refer to it as the flameof Hope from agency to agency. We
cover eleven hundred miles with over twohundred agencies or unit law enforcement units running
and passing that torch along and eachleg It's just dependent on the individual agency
(24:08):
how far they want to run.But it's a way that we can just
show support, raise funds and bringawareness for some absolutely amazing athletes. And
I know we're going to mention thetip Acop restaurant events that you also do
to fundraise and get back to Specialin Big seven California. But how can
we help donate funds to support thetorch run that you all do that's going
to start first part of June.SOSC dot org is probably the best way
(24:30):
to start. But really, whatI would just encourage people to do is
do something, Do anything. Theseathletes are so deserving, they're so appreciative.
Everything about the Special Olympics program iscompletely free to every athlete, no
matter where they come from, whatcommunity they're representing when they're competing, It's
all free, and it really isan opportunity to include everybody. So whether
(24:53):
you're showing support and bringing awareness topeople with intellectual delays, or whether you
out there raising money donating money,all of it goes back to help encourage,
bring awareness and bring opportunities to theseamazing, awesome athletes. It all
matters so much. And also thetip a cop events coming up? Do
you have the list? Because Iwrote down a few from the website SOSC
(25:15):
dot org slash events. I seea couple of tip a Cop restaurant events
coming up, LAPD Rampart Division gusesdrive in OCSD and Ocfire, gonna wait
tables at Brio Tuscany Grill, alsoManhattan Beach PD. They'll be at Zinc
at the Shade Hotel. Soon TORRESPDwill be at the Lazy Dog and so
many more more ways to catch upwith these guys acting as waiters. These
(25:40):
cops helpout to raise money and youcan look at on SOSC dot org like
you already listed a handful, butevery week there's a tip of cop and
it's just an opportunity. Again similarto our our running with the Torch.
We get officers that want to comeout, that want to participate. I
mean, you think of what thisopportunity is and it's a chick for us
(26:00):
to engage in the community, butin a really unique way. Members of
the community also want to see lawenforcement. But it's kind of an untraditional
way and where we're serving tables,waiting tables, yeah, conversing, talking
with people and all we're doing,you know, is raising awareness for our
athletes for what Special Olympics is.But we're also encouraging people if they want
to donate a few dollars, itgoes right back into the local Southern California
(26:23):
program for our athletes and look,I mean I cover from a cops family,
but for anyone who's ever been pulledover, it might be kind of
fun to say, hey, morewater please over here? Can I get
more water? Hop on it?Get on it, sir, now,
then here's twenty bucks. Absolutely,I mean, we're part of the community,
right but sometimes, you know,we have a very important job to
(26:44):
do, and sometimes that job makesus take a role in the community where
it's difficult for people to see usas part of the community, meaning like
that we live there, that wethat we eat at the same restaurants,
that we sit down and talk overour meals just like you do, and
that gives us an opportunity to We'restill in uniform because we're representing something as
law enforcement for special Olympics, butwe're also in a position where we can
(27:07):
just converse and just talk and I'llshare stories about my family, about my
kids, about what it was like, you know, being a police officer
when I came on and today andwhat we do, and what does a
day look like in the life ofa law enforcement officer, and more importantly,
we're talking about and sharing the storiesthat we have with these amazing athletes
and all the opportunities in which wetry to help them, but in return,
(27:29):
they're actually uplifting and blessing our lives. So that's really what it's about.
Absolutely, And I know for mepersonally, my cousin Michael, I'm
going to be with a cousin Michaeland my family who has special needs.
I know you have a big familyand lots of kids, so this is
very near and dear to our hears. But just as a whole, as
a community, like you said,it's all about bringing people together, showing
that love and making a difference.With all these typicop events, the police
(27:55):
officers, Torch run and of courseSpecial Olympics, the Big Dream, Big
Raffle, all the info at SOSCdot org and also Soclarraffle dot com.
That's it. Yeah, Absolutely bea difference maker. That's all we all
want to do, right, whethera police officer, whether you're doing some
other job in the community, whetheryou're a parent, a teacher, somebody
(28:17):
that just is a stay at homemother or grandmother or father. We want
to make a difference, and thisis an opportunity to make a difference in
a unique way. For some verydeserving and wonderful people in our community that
live among us and bring awareness towhat Special Olympics offers them. I love
it. We're going to be inyour community. We're going to be raising
awareness and funds for these athletes,and anything you want to do to be
(28:37):
a part of it would be muchappreciated, and it would be our privilege
to serve your table. I loveto Commanda Ryan LeBaron with the Long BEACHPD,
Thank you so much for all thatyou guys are doing. We appreciate
you. We'll see you out thereat the Tipocop events and the Torch Run.
All the info to help Special Olympicson in California again at SOSC dot
org. Thank you awesome, Thankyou so much. Thank you. Listen,
(29:02):
this is wonderful
Lisa Fox here and this is theiHeart So Cal show, and boy do
we heart Special Olympics Southern California.I've been a longtime fan. This organization
is very personal. It's very personalto me, and that's why I love
talking about the Dream Big Raffle.They do this every year. This fund
raiser is essential to their programs.The Dream Big Raffle benefiting Special Olympics within
(00:22):
California is underway now, and hey, easy for us. It's a chance
for us to win a gorgeous multimillion dollar dream home and tons of other
incredible prizes, all to benefit theathletes and their programs. So on.
To tell us all about it isSpecial Olympics of Southern California CEO Kelly Pond.
Hi, Kelly, Hello, Lisa, thank you so much for having
(00:42):
me today. I feel like I'malready fared up because I see your TV
commercials on constantly. I'm like,there's Kelly, I know her, look
at the house. It's a bigdeal every year you do this, and
I love your enthusiasm on the TVcommercials with the you know some of the
athletes. I mean, what aspecial time this is every year and super
exciting it's only for us to wina chance to win all this exciting stuff,
(01:03):
but also for you guys organization tobenefit so much from the money raised.
I know we me and the athleteswere so lucky to be able to
hang out in this gorgeous dream houseto film the commercial. It's incredible.
The Dream Big Raffle is our largestfundraising event each year. We've been doing
it for fifteen years. It's raisedmillions of dollars, which is critical because
(01:27):
all of our Special Olympics programs areone hundred percent free to the athletes and
their families. So this Raffle issuch a win, win, win.
You know, people that participate,they get a chance, a one in
twenty five chance, so crazy,thanks, the odds are fantastic. One
in twenty five people, one intwenty five. That's crazy, your odds
(01:51):
of winning. What's you buy afundraising ticket? Yeah? Because we give
over twenty eight hundred prizes away,and so it's a win. It's a
win for those individuals that participate,it's a win for Special Olympics because it's
raising important funds that allow us todo the work. And then of course
it's a win for the athletes andtheir family. Sure. Yeah, and
(02:14):
we get the easy part. Wejust get to go to www dot SoCal
Raffle dot com. We pop onthere and then once you open up the
website, you're like, I wantthat car, I want to go to
Italy, I want that trip.Ooh, I would love a scooter.
You get kind of wowed by allthe possibilities, right, and then you
call the phone number, you buya ticket or two, a one hundred
and fifty bucks a ticket, andyou get a better deal if you'll bundle
(02:35):
and buy more. And right,we know how it works with the lottery.
I mean the more tickets you buy, the better your chances. So
I would encourage people to get onthat website now and take a look because
we only got till May seventeenth toget it. To get a piece of
the action. Again, that's goingto help Special Olympics absolutely. We have
as you mentioned, tickets are onehundred and fifty dollars and if you buy
multiple tickets, there's you know,deals for bundles. We all so give
(03:00):
away ten thousand dollars a week forten weeks, so there's add on ticket
opportunities. There's early bird drawing,so there's lots of opportunities to get in
for prizes that are you know,luxury vehicles, vacation homes, electronics,
all kinds of good stuff in additionto this dream house. In this dream
house right, it's called the dreamBig Raffle for a reason. This dream
(03:23):
home. They've done different homes overthe years. This time it's a custom
built dream home in Calabasas. Wow, jaw dropping gorgeousness. All the pictures
are right there on the website,so cal Raffle dot com. If you've
seen the commercials I've seen the mostdone at KHLA Channel five with Kelly and
the athletes in the dream Hall overWe're like, oh that I could I
could win that. It's crazy.It's in an exclusive Calabasis community, the
(03:47):
Oaks, and it's an exquisite custombuilt five thousand square foot homes. And
if you can take a look atthe pictures on the website, done is
so Beautiful com you'll see the backyard has this gorgeous pool and sweeping views
(04:08):
and it's a great place to entertain. And you know, again there's the
possibility of the home or cash prizes, a million exchancet, a million,
dollars. So there's all kinds ofpossibilities if you participate this. This home
is just wrapped with love. Butthe home is so beautiful, someone's gonna
(04:30):
win it. I mean every yearthere's a drawing and there is a winner
for the dream home, right.I mean, you have the choice,
like you said, of the homeor cash. But this home is spectacular
with the six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, cherrywood, hardwood floors, a chef's
kitchen built with custom cabitatry import ItalianCarrera, marble countertops, vaulted ceilings throughout
(04:50):
upstairs, loft space, sweeping canyonviews, that big gorgeous swimming pool,
entertainment space. You got fruit treesand organic vegetable garden and so much more.
You could win this. You couldlive there and know that the money
it took to get you there allgoes to help Special Olympics Southern California.
Definitely, we're excited to be ableto have this fundraising opportunity to support our
(05:15):
athletes and their families. Yeah,and Kelly, because I mean it's a
Special Olympic Southern California. I meanyou cover a huge region. I mean
it's a lot, a lot ofathletes, not just in La or Orange
County, it's many counties. It'sa lot of people. Yeah, we
Special Olympics because year round programs forathletes from as far north as San Luis
Obispo, all the way down toSan Diego. And we have our you
(05:40):
know, we're in our spring sportsseason right now, and we culminate with
our summer games at cal State LongBeach, which you're very familiar with.
You come out and so fun,it's a blast. We also have bowling
in the summer, We have ourfall sports season, we have a floor
ball season in the winter time.And then in addition to all of those
(06:01):
community sports that are happening year around, we have programs in the schools.
We partner with over one hundred andthirty schools in southern California, where we're
offering opportunities for students with and withoutintellectual disabilities to compete or play together in
our unified sports programs or in aunified club. So, in addition to
(06:24):
Special Olympics transforming the lives of ourathletes, people with children, and adults
with intellectual disabilities, we also havethe opportunity to transform the lives of those
students that are competing and playing alongsideour athletes as well volunteers, families,
and the greater community. I mean, we have so much to learn from
(06:46):
each other. And you know,it starts with love and understanding and then
also just being a kid and goingout and having fun, you know,
And that's what these the sports andthe games and having these competitions, that's
what. It's an easy way tobring people together. That's what I love
about sports. It brings people togetherand teach you about teamwork. That's right.
I had. I was talking withthe parents who was sharing that before
(07:08):
their son joined Special Olympics, theywere in high school means trying to do
mainstream activity sports and really just didn'tyou know, kind of came home and
didn't feel a part of any partof what was happening in the school.
And when he joined Special Olympics,the minute he walked out onto the practice,
(07:30):
one of the other athletes like ranup to him, gave him a
big high five and invited him,you know, to come and just check
out the practice. And he said, now he can't get his son off
the phone because he's always talking tonew friends that he's met. He's now
an an athlete, leader and ambassador, so he goes and share special Olympics
(07:53):
has transformed his life and allowed himso you kind of take, like you
said, that team building experience andit translates into so many other aspects of
one's life. And you've really seenthis firsthand, Kelly. What I love
about your story and you have sucha positive attitude and such great energy.
But you were volunteer and with theorganization for many years and now here you
(08:15):
are the CEO helping to you know, really make the magic happen from the
top all the way down, soyou've been there to see it firsthand.
So many lives change on a dayto day basis. So yeah, I
tell you volunteering, we talk somuch about how we you know, want
to serve and support the athletes,but truly, you talk to so many
(08:37):
of our volunteer leaders and our coachesand we're special invited as a family.
Once you get out on the fieldor come out to an event and connect
and be inspired by our athletes andwhat they're able to accomplish, you can't
help but want to be a partof it, to learn from them.
(08:58):
And you know, most of thetime time we are the ones that are
learning and benefiting from everything that SpecialOlympics had to offer. And we cannot
exist without volunteers. Lisa and Iknow you come out. You're a volunteer,
and we st appreciate it. Ourprograms relies on over fifteen thousand volunteers
(09:18):
across Southern California to make it happen. And as we continue wanting to serve
more athletes and be a part ofmore schools, we're going to continue needing
more volunteer support. So anyone thatis out there and listening and interested in
just coming to check it out andwitness our athletes experiencing that joy and courage,
(09:39):
we welcome them to participate, evenjust to cheer on or take on
a volunteer role. Yeah, andwhether it's in the office or at your
events or at the Summer Games,I mean, just come out and try
it. Try it for a day, be a part of it for a
day. Do get hooked, trustme, I know, especially for the
Summer Games, Oh my gosh,it's to be a part of that.
To cheer on those athletes and seetheir love with their families and to see
(10:01):
the community come together. And whateverway you're able to get back and volunteer
with Special Olympics in California. Kelly, what's the best way that they can
go about doing that, or likeapply or sign up? How does it
work? Yes, visit our websiteis soo SC dot org. So sc
dot org. You can learn moreabout volunteering at Special Olympics seven California,
(10:24):
becoming an athlete, how you canpurchase tickets for the Dream Big Raffle.
It's all on our website at SOOSBdot org. And again, the energy
is just so infectious. Like youmentioned last summer when I co hosted the
Summer Games, Ah, I feellike my you know when your face hurts
because you're smiling so much. Weare out there and just having the best
(10:45):
time with so many groups of people, and of course, you know the
law enforcement always so heavily involved.Talk about that special relationship that Special Olympics
has with law enforcement, because thelove is just it's a real special bond
and it's so nice to see andpersonal love that the LAPD and these officers
have for these athletes and just SpecialOlympics Southern California as a whole as an
(11:07):
organization. And then all the workthey do you know, off the clock
to give back to your organization.It's just it's really lovely to see.
That's so true. It's such agood point. Law enforcement are incredible partners
to our athletes. They raise fundsand generate awareness throughout the years. Matter
of fact, through a lot ofthe law enforcement fundraising efforts, they raised
(11:31):
one point seven million dollars for ourathletes last year alone. Wow. And
in addition to the fundraising, twoweeks leading up to our Summer Games and
our other Championships events, they passedthe torch throughout the community. And so
you might spot a group of officersand Special Olympics athletes and community members running
(11:54):
with the torch or the flame ofhope, and they pass it from city
to city until it gets to LongBeach where we light the cauldron and officially
kick off our Summer Games championship.Oh, it is such a sight to
see. It is so cool.And then I had a chance to catch
up with them at one point inBeverly Hills a few years ago, and
I got to hold the torch myself. It was like I'm holding this piece
(12:18):
of history in my hand. Youfeel so honored to be a part of
it in any way, When doesthat part of it start the torch run
with the LAPD so folks can kindof follow or learn more. Yes,
it will start the first week ofJune. So and then the leads up
to our summer games, the Ephannight and from the torch run, and
(12:39):
again the money raised from the dreamBig Raffle, it's a biggie. It's
your biggie every single year. Andthank good that you've had fifteen years of
it because, like you said,it truly fuels and funds pretty much a
big chunk of all that you dofor so many of these athletes. So
we encourage folks and it's fun.So again we get the fun part.
You just pop on socol raffle dotcom. Look at this big, gorgeous
(13:00):
custom home in Calabasas. Beautiful home. You have a chance of winning,
and then really good chances to winall these luxury cars. You can win
cash, you can win these incrediblevacations. My gosh, I mean,
Kelly, can we can we gowith these people when they win? Greece,
Cancun, Morocco, d Buy Italy, Portugal, Jamaica, Netherlands.
Gorgeous luxury vacations. You've got theseBMW's and Chevy Silverado's, like these big
(13:24):
gorgeous luxury cars, or cash.You can win scooters, flat screens,
airflyers. I mean, it's along list of possibilities, but everything on
that list is a pretty cool thingto win. And again with odds of
winning. It's one and twenty fivewhen you buy just one tickets, that's
right, I love you gave awonderful compilation of the price is offered all
(13:48):
for you know, one hundred andfifty dollars ticket, or like you said
earlier, there's discount tickets if youbuy in packages. And you know,
we're talking about the programs and theimpact that this support has. Another huge
offering that Special Olympics has that alot of people don't know about, Lisa,
is our healthy athlete screenings and soSpecial Olympics is actually the world's largest
(14:11):
public health organization for people with intellectualdisabilities because we offer free health services at
a lot of our championship competitions andour county competitions. Is where we're really
trying to grow our services. Andthis is free dental screenings, eye screenings
with then free glasses and a lotof our volunteer health practitioners come out and
(14:39):
in addition to serving supporting our athletes, a lot of them are also getting
more familiar and comfortable in learning howto serve people with intellectual disability. So
once again it's opening a door forpeople that would not maybe otherwise get that
experience. Yeah, shared experience wherepeople benefit on both sides. And again,
(15:01):
you have until May seventeenth to buya ticket for the Dream Big Raffle
benefiting Special Olympics Southern California. Andjust to know that this money is what
they rely on every year. Thisis their biggie. They rely on this
money every year to fund so manyathletes from counties all over the Southern California
region. And just down to thedetail, I mean, we're talking about
(15:22):
the money goes to fund training programsand the competitions, the health screenings,
like Kelly just mentioned, leadership classes, venue rental, sporting equipment, uniforms,
coach training, travel expenses, ohmy gosh, right, just to
travel alone to bring everybody in isa lot with the buses, that's right,
Our programs are you know, theseare all real costs that we experience
(15:45):
that the Dream Big raffle funding helpsmake possible and our programs are happening all
year long. I know, oneof the big myths that we talk about,
because we do talk a lot aboutour Summer gameschampionship, it's you know,
one where it's a culminating event,but a lot of people don't realize
that our athletes are training and competinglocally in their communities every week every weekend
(16:11):
in different sports, or participating inthe schools and the Unified programs as well.
So once again, all all thesecool prizes a one in twenty five
chance of winning, you know,over twenty eight hundred prizes for one hundred
and fifty dollars, and it's allto support Speciallympics programs, because they're free
(16:33):
to the athletes and their families.And you're helping to transform lives not only
of our athletes, but also ourUnified partners and creating really schools and communities
of acceptance and inclusion. Because,as you know, lisaid, by being
able to see people's abilities or whatwe have in common, what people can
(16:56):
do, it really just breaks downbarriers and helps us celebrate and understand one
another more. And that's what's createsmore acceptance and inclusion. Yeah. And
you know, and I'll say thistoo, being at the Summer Games,
the parents and the families are soappreciative of all of this because I think
they feel like, thank you forgiving my child something to look forward to
(17:19):
every day, something that they striveto be good at and be a part
of. And I think it helpsthe families be better, be better parents,
and be better families because they probablystruggle too, and so having this
bigger family and all these events andthings look forward to and all the support,
I know it helps the families outbecause I feel that love and appreciation
(17:40):
from moms and dads and siblings thatwe met at Summer Games and they're just
like, thank you for all ofthis. You know, it's so true,
and it's so fund to talk withthe families and see that it is
really I'm just I am amazed.I'm inspired by how many family members we
have that come out that are coachesor siblings are on the team as unified
(18:03):
partners playing golf along their sibling,and it really does become a family affair
in a way that, you know, families that kind of understand what one
another going through, how they canyou know, support each other and celebrate
one another. So it is definitelya highlight of the experience. I love
it, and like Kelly mentioned,they're always a need Speciallympics Southern California always
(18:26):
need to volunteers. If you'd liketo inquire about that and learn more,
it's on their website. Also,I'm hoping we're going to get our friend
come out of Ryan le Baron fromthe Long Beach Police Department on a little
bit to talk about other ways toalso get back to Special Olympics Southern California
with the LAPD doing these tip acoop events for the next month or two
at restaurants all over southern California.That's pretty cool, right, police officers
(18:49):
working as quote unquote waiters. Youshow up, have a great time,
buy a little something, and whateveryou tip the cop goes to Special Olympics.
Love that you bring that up becauseso many times people like, how
can I support Special Olympics, Andit could literally an answer could be as
easy as well, what are youdoing for dinner tonight? Right? And
so what happens is law enforcement officerspartner with different restaurants. They think we
(19:14):
have a couple California Peece to kitchenrestaurants that are doing Tip of Cops in
the weeks ahead, but you couldgo to the calendar to see and what
happens is law enforcement officers go inand they help the weight staff and they
become servers and they serve the foodfor the night, and then their extra
tips benefit our special Olympics athletes.So it's a fun way to just go
out to dinner with your family.You'll we usually have some of our athletes
(19:38):
out there giving high fives and sayingthank you, forting alongside the officers and
it's all to you know, benefitthe community, but also in a way
that is very you know, familyand friendly oriented. There's a ton of
Tip of Cop events, like Kellysaid, on the website, you can
also find out more about the TorchRun all of that, and also information
about how you can become a volunteerat SoC dot org soosc dot org.
(20:03):
And then of course you have untilMay seventeenth. People, May seventeenth,
you've got to buy your tickets forthis dream big raffle by May seventeenth.
Odds of winning one in twenty fivecrazy great odds, This big, gorgeous
custom amazing beautiful home in the exclusiveCalabasis community of the Oaks. Wait to
see the pictures of this house.Wow, that's on the website. A
(20:23):
chance with these luxury cars BMW's orChevy Silverado's brand new cars or like fifty
thousand, sixty thousand dollars big chunksof change, these luxury vacations to places
like Greece and Dubai and Italy andPortugal. You name it, scooters,
flat screens, airfryers, it's allon the website. Twenty eight hundred plus
(20:45):
prizes, odds one in twenty fiveof winning. You have until May seventeenth
to hopefully make some magic happen.Either way. You know where the money
is going, Special Olympics Southern Californiato help all of these athletes achieve their
dreams. All the info so calRaffle dot com, so Calraffle dot com
and Kelly Pond, thank you somuch. They're CEO Kelly Pond, long
(21:07):
time volunteer herself and now the CEOSpecial Olympics Southern California. Thank you so
much for all that you do,Kelly, and let's go raise the money.
Thank you so much. Lisea Iappreciate you, Hi, Kelly.
Now I gotta go. I gottago buy my tickets. I gotta get
in this raffle too. I wantto go to Greece if you win that
one, right seriously. Oh andwait, I got them on the line.
(21:32):
I got him. I got himto tell you a little bit more
about how you can support Special OlympicsSouthern California through Tip A Coop and the
LPD Torch Run. I got himon the phone with the Long Beach PD.
Hello, Commander Ryan LeBaron, howare you. I am doing great.
It's good to hear from you.Ah well, so happy to grab
you for a few minutes to expandon this very special relationship between the LAPD
(21:55):
and Special Olympics Southern California. Youknow, they raise all these essential funds
with the dream big raffle that's happeningnow through May seventeenth, but also through
the events that you all do togetherwith the Tip A Coop, rustaurant events
coming up, and the Torch Run. I mean, this special bond between
LAPD and Special Olympics Southern California,it goes pretty far back, right,
It's something that you know, nobody, nobody can really understand it without understanding
(22:18):
how it originated. I do wantto just talk about how it started with
Chief La Monion in Wichita, Kansas. He in nineteen eighty one, he
went to a special Olympics event andhe was hooked. He saw the athletes.
He got to, you know,put metals on the athletes at the
end of their competition. And he'slike, this is something that we got
to get behind and we just gotto do something. And he didn't know
what he was even going to do, and he started a torch Run and
(22:41):
that for a year. That firstyear they made like a few hundred bucks.
It was hardly anything. And it'ssince then every year since then,
it's grown to where now you know, over two hundred agencies just in California,
Southern California participate in the Torch Run, just here locally and worldwide,
you know, I mean local.We've earned twenty two million dollars since the
(23:02):
eighties. Ooh, look at thatjust here in southern California. Commander,
how long does each officer run andeach leg of the torch Run? I
know it starts first part of June. Lead them to the Summer Games in
Long Beach and where you serve.But how long of a run does each
officer do? Do they volunteer becausethey can run, or just because they
want to do? You have tobe a skilled police officer runner. How
(23:26):
does that part work? Yeah?So, I mean Special Olympics, as
you know, is all about inclusion. So we're not going to stop any
officer or even professional staff that wantsto help out and be part of it.
Will make a way for them tobe successful and to be able to
participate. And you know, wedon't have to we get people. The
people volunteer they want to do thisbecause being a part of Special Olympics,
(23:47):
Yeah, and being a part ofsomething very good in the community. So
it starts in June, like yousaid, and we passed that torch what
we refer to it as the flameof Hope from agency to agency. We
cover eleven hundred miles with over twohundred agencies or unit law enforcement units running
and passing that torch along and eachleg It's just dependent on the individual agency
(24:08):
how far they want to run.But it's a way that we can just
show support, raise funds and bringawareness for some absolutely amazing athletes. And
I know we're going to mention thetip Acop restaurant events that you also do
to fundraise and get back to Specialin Big seven California. But how can
we help donate funds to support thetorch run that you all do that's going
to start first part of June.SOSC dot org is probably the best way
(24:30):
to start. But really, whatI would just encourage people to do is
do something, Do anything. Theseathletes are so deserving, they're so appreciative.
Everything about the Special Olympics program iscompletely free to every athlete, no
matter where they come from, whatcommunity they're representing when they're competing, It's
all free, and it really isan opportunity to include everybody. So whether
(24:53):
you're showing support and bringing awareness topeople with intellectual delays, or whether you
out there raising money donating money,all of it goes back to help encourage,
bring awareness and bring opportunities to theseamazing, awesome athletes. It all
matters so much. And also thetip a cop events coming up? Do
you have the list? Because Iwrote down a few from the website SOSC
(25:15):
dot org slash events. I seea couple of tip a Cop restaurant events
coming up, LAPD Rampart Division gusesdrive in OCSD and Ocfire, gonna wait
tables at Brio Tuscany Grill, alsoManhattan Beach PD. They'll be at Zinc
at the Shade Hotel. Soon TORRESPDwill be at the Lazy Dog and so
many more more ways to catch upwith these guys acting as waiters. These
(25:40):
cops helpout to raise money and youcan look at on SOSC dot org like
you already listed a handful, butevery week there's a tip of cop and
it's just an opportunity. Again similarto our our running with the Torch.
We get officers that want to comeout, that want to participate. I
mean, you think of what thisopportunity is and it's a chick for us
(26:00):
to engage in the community, butin a really unique way. Members of
the community also want to see lawenforcement. But it's kind of an untraditional
way and where we're serving tables,waiting tables, yeah, conversing, talking
with people and all we're doing,you know, is raising awareness for our
athletes for what Special Olympics is.But we're also encouraging people if they want
to donate a few dollars, itgoes right back into the local Southern California
(26:23):
program for our athletes and look,I mean I cover from a cops family,
but for anyone who's ever been pulledover, it might be kind of
fun to say, hey, morewater please over here? Can I get
more water? Hop on it?Get on it, sir, now,
then here's twenty bucks. Absolutely,I mean, we're part of the community,
right but sometimes, you know,we have a very important job to
(26:44):
do, and sometimes that job makesus take a role in the community where
it's difficult for people to see usas part of the community, meaning like
that we live there, that wethat we eat at the same restaurants,
that we sit down and talk overour meals just like you do, and
that gives us an opportunity to We'restill in uniform because we're representing something as
law enforcement for special Olympics, butwe're also in a position where we can
(27:07):
just converse and just talk and I'llshare stories about my family, about my
kids, about what it was like, you know, being a police officer
when I came on and today andwhat we do, and what does a
day look like in the life ofa law enforcement officer, and more importantly,
we're talking about and sharing the storiesthat we have with these amazing athletes
and all the opportunities in which wetry to help them, but in return,
(27:29):
they're actually uplifting and blessing our lives. So that's really what it's about.
Absolutely, And I know for mepersonally, my cousin Michael, I'm
going to be with a cousin Michaeland my family who has special needs.
I know you have a big familyand lots of kids, so this is
very near and dear to our hears. But just as a whole, as
a community, like you said,it's all about bringing people together, showing
that love and making a difference.With all these typicop events, the police
(27:55):
officers, Torch run and of courseSpecial Olympics, the Big Dream, Big
Raffle, all the info at SOSCdot org and also Soclarraffle dot com.
That's it. Yeah, Absolutely bea difference maker. That's all we all
want to do, right, whethera police officer, whether you're doing some
other job in the community, whetheryou're a parent, a teacher, somebody
(28:17):
that just is a stay at homemother or grandmother or father. We want
to make a difference, and thisis an opportunity to make a difference in
a unique way. For some verydeserving and wonderful people in our community that
live among us and bring awareness towhat Special Olympics offers them. I love
it. We're going to be inyour community. We're going to be raising
awareness and funds for these athletes,and anything you want to do to be
(28:37):
a part of it would be muchappreciated, and it would be our privilege
to serve your table. I loveto Commanda Ryan LeBaron with the Long BEACHPD,
Thank you so much for all thatyou guys are doing. We appreciate
you. We'll see you out thereat the Tipocop events and the Torch Run.
All the info to help Special Olympicson in California again at SOSC dot
org. Thank you awesome, Thankyou so much. Thank you. Listen,
(29:02):
this is wonderful
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