By Eliza PARTIKA

The 2024 Special Olympics Glendale is scheduled to be held April 20 at Glendale High School beginning with an opening ceremony and parade of athletes at 8 a.m., and athletic events that will run until 3 p.m. Athletes and city officials are expected to walk in the “Parade of Athletes” during the opening ceremonies.

This year, Special Olympics Glendale will host 400 athletes and mobilize 200 volunteers.

Kim Villa, a longtime coordinator of the Glendale event, said she is grateful for Glendale High School, which lent Special Olympics the space when Crescenta Vallry High School, the typical location, began construction. Some perks with the new location include shady spots, bleachers for families and fans to sit, and more parking.

“We have been really grateful for the help from Glendale High administrators. It’s difficult to change your location when we’ve been [somewhere] forever. We’ve had to make a lot of adjusrtments but we’re really grateful that we get to use that beautiful facility,” Villa said.

Special Olympics has been well supported in Southern California, and in Glendale, for over 20 years. Villa said she sees people with varying abilities find success with the Olympics, which has a positive impact on the community and on the athletes.

“The athletes [who] participate in the Special Olympics are more likely to get jobs. They are more social. We’ve seen and heard from people in their lives, how their communication has improved, how comfortable they feel around other people because of their experience of being part of a team. So it’s really life-changing for them. It’s like this ripple effect that’s life-changing for them. It’s also life-changing for their parents and their siblings, their teachers, extended family members and employers … [they all] see a difference,” she said.

Special Olympics Glendale doesn’t yet have a full list of dignitaries attending; however, local law enforcement, city officials and officials from Special Olympics Southern California typically attend the opening ceremony.

Montrose Church has been a sponsor of the event for 10 years and contributes many of the volunteers each year. Villa said she sends out a call for volunteers in January and receives an immediate response from the community.

“The City has embraced our athletes and the programs that we do [beginning when] we started in 2009. Glendale is the city that really respects people with intellectual disabilities. And that’s a really big thing to say. It’s such a big city, but it has a very small community feel to it, and our athletes feel that,” Villa said.

Special Olympics Glendale is in need of volunteers and athletes for next year. Villa and her staff hold recruiting events where athletes and their families can come check out the sports being offered.

For more information on how to become an athlete or how to volunteer, contact Alyssa Roundtree at roundtree@sosc.org or Kim Villa at kvilla@sosc.org.

The greatest support the Glendale community can express is to show up in the stands.

“That’s the thing that’s really fun for our athletes is to be celebrated and cheered for all their efforts,” said Villa.