In November, Hermosa Beach announced that it has been selected as a host town for the 2015 Special Olympics this summer. Hermosa Beach, along with the Rotary Club of Hermosa Beach, will welcome athletes, coaches, staff, volunteers, families and spectators to the beachside community. The city and Rotary are now preparing for Hermosa’s host role and beginning fundraising efforts.
With 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches representing 177 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 spectators, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games –being staged in Los Angeles this year from July 25 to August 2 – 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.
Before the Special Olympics World Games begin in July, the 7,000 athletes will be welcomed to Southern California through the Host Town program. Up to 100 of those athletes will be assigned to Hermosa.
“They will touch your lives like you won’t believe,” said Joann Klonowski, vice president of the Special Olympics World Games Host Town program. “And you’ll touch theirs. It changes their lives.”
Hermosa Beach joined the growing list of officially proclaimed Host Towns, which includes Long Beach, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Studio City, Manhattan Beach, West Covina, Arcadia and Burbank.
“It was really Hermosa Beach that was the catalyst to create a whole South Bay host area,” said Hermosa Rotary Club president-elect Jody Leventhal. “Now Redondo Beach and El Segundo are on board. Our announcement garnered enough interest that the surrounding cities followed suit. The Rotary has stepped up in all of the cities. It’s daunting to host during the busy summer months but by dispersing the workload we have made it possible.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome the athletes, coaches, support staff and families to our vibrant beach community and provide them with the opportunity to call it ‘home’ during the 2015 Special Olympics World Games,” said Hermosa Mayor Peter Tucker. “People around the world envision palm trees and surf culture when they think of Southern California. We’re excited to deliver that experience to everyone that we host in Hermosa Beach this summer.”
Leventhal is organizing the Host City program in Hermosa Beach and helping the Rotary raise the $65,000 it needs to put the guests up in local hotels, provide transportation and feed them. The organization has already raised $9,000 through donations and a ponsettia fundraiser over Christmas. Friends of the Park made a matching donation of $4000.
“For the three days preceding the opening ceremony, July 21 to 24, for many of these athletes and coaches from around the world, this will be their first exposure to American soil, culture and lifestyle,” she said. “This is a huge opportunity to showcase Hermosa’s best and brightest spots.”
In addition to hosting the athletes, Leventhal wants to get the city’s residents involved with the visitors.
“On Thursday, July 23, I am proposing to council to have a cultural community event on Pier Plaza,” she said at a council meeting last week. “We can invite other host cities but it is for our community to meet the athletes. This event is all about acceptance, inclusion and generosity.”
Kimberlee MacMullen, President of Hermosa’s Chamber of Commerce, is getting local business involved in the project, too.
“We have been invited by Jody and the Planning Commission to become partners with the intention of encouraging chamber member businesses to participate through promotional programs, hospitality program,” she said. “We are motivating our members to participate to the best of their ability to make these athletes welcome in our city. It’s such an exciting thing for us.”
Leventhal said the city will also provide visiting athletes with shopping cards so they can visit local shops and bring home souvenirs.
The Rotary Club holds its first Host City fundraiser on February 14 with a Valentine’s Day jazz concert at the Hermosa Beach Community Center from 6 to 8 p.m. Northampton Big Band and Jazz Vocal Group headlines the show along with local groups Storeytime and Cole 2 the Max. Tickets are $20 and all proceeds go to the Host City program. For more information, email HostTownHermosaBeach@gmail.com. In addition to attending fundraisers, the Rotary is looking for local residents to help with social media, graphic design and communications. Leventhal hopes it will be a full-city effort to host and entertain the Special Olympics guests.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for residents to open their doors and show them the best our city has to offer,” she said.
