Special Olympics

Their slogan is "Inspire greatness." The Orange County chapter of the Special Olympics of Southern California held a mid-week cocktail reception at the Marriott's Newport Coast Villas. The host committee comprised some of the most caring and philanthropic folks in the community. This was not an evening about fashion or social position, this was a cocktail party for people who care about other people. Other-abled people who want to participate in the full range of life's blessings and opportunities.

"We raised $100,000," cheered Peggy Goldwater Clay of Newport Beach. It was the inaugural fund-raiser for Olympians on Parade, a recent event for Special Olympics, Orange County. "This was our first event, and we really went for the gold," Goldwater- Clay said. More than 400 guests converged on Joe's Garage & Automotive Museum in Tustin to honor an impressive contingent of U.S. Olympians who had come to support their fellow athletes. Football star Vince Ferragamo served as master of ceremonies, greeting Rafer Johnson, Janet Evens, Susie Atwood, Paul Gonzales, Jenny Johnson Jordan, Sammy Lee, Pat McCormick, John Naber, Peter Vidmar and Louis Zamperini.

If you see a bunch of police running around the South Coast Plaza Claim Jumper panicked and confused Thursday, don’t be alarmed. Chances are many of them are just getting their first experience as servers and they’re hustling to deliver meals. On Thursday every Claim Jumper restaurant is teaming up with local law enforcement agencies for the annual “Tip-A-Cop” fundraiser benefiting the Law Enforcement Torch Run campaign. The fundraiser will benefit statewide Special Olympics chapters.

Deepa Bharath NEWPORT-MESA -- The cities' police officers traded their black boots for running shoes Thursday morning as they carried the Special Olympics torch through the area. Between them, 14 Costa Mesa and Newport Beach police officers ran 10 miles bearing the torch in their hands. The run is an annual event put together by Southern California law enforcement agencies. This year 23 agencies participated from San Diego and Orange counties.

Marisa O'Neil If you thought you saw what looked like a caravan of runners carrying the Olympic torch on Thursday, you weren't hallucinating. The next Olympic Games don't take place until 2006 in Turin, Italy. But the annual Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games take place in Long Beach next weekend and local law enforcement officers, including some from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, kicked off the celebration this week by carrying the torch -- called the Flame of Hope -- throughout Southern California.

Body that was found in ocean is identified A body found floating just off the shore of Santa Catalina Island on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as that of missing boater William Eugene Ott, 61, of Phoenix. Ott's 30-foot boat came crashing against the west jetty of the Newport Harbor inlet last week, prompting a 280-square mile search, Orange County Sheriff's officials said. Rescue workers identified Ott as the boat's owner through a plastic bag filled with prescription bottles found floating near the wreckage.

Elia Powers Elizabeth Lejsek, 15, just wouldn't let her friend get a word out of his mouth. As she stood next to La Serna High School classmate Jared Kozak, also 15, her excitement couldn't be contained. "We have a lot of fans here," said Lejsek, a point guard on the 20-person "Net Force" recreational team. "This is my favorite sport, because I can be with all the boys." Her team, comprising young athletes ages 8 to 18 from Whittier, competed Saturday afternoon in a three-game basketball exhibition at Corona del Mar High School.

COSTA MESA — When Jennifer Kuo set up a table for her nonprofit group at Costa Mesa High School on Monday, it almost took her back to her own high school days. Kuo, the program coordinator for the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, graduated from Costa Mesa High in 1995. On Monday, her group was one of four kicking off the school's second annual Service Learning Expo, in which more than a dozen organizations lay out publicity materials and invite students to volunteer.

Costa Mesa elementary and high school students are lending a couple of dozen helping hands to athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. In the special education pod at Estancia High School, the desks have been pulled together. Laying across them is a banner displaying the five Olympic rings. Closer inspection shows that these large blue, yellow, black, green and red rings have been made by overlapping paint-covered hands, both small and large. About 50 students, ages 7 to 21, from Estancia and Paularino Elementary School collaborated on three spirit banners that are being shipped to Vancouver and will be displayed in the team check-in area in the Olympic Village for the Olympic and Paralympics games.

Costa Mesa elementary and high school students are lending a couple of dozen helping hands to athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. In the special education pod at Estancia High School, the desks have been pulled together. Laying across them is a banner displaying the five Olympic rings. Closer inspection shows that these large blue, yellow, black, green and red rings have been made by overlapping paint-covered hands, both small and large. About 50 students, ages 7 to 21, from Estancia and Paularino Elementary School collaborated on three spirit banners that are being shipped to Vancouver and will be displayed in the team check-in area in the Olympic Village for the Olympic and Paralympics games.

Contributed by Sharon S. and Andy C. The annual Orange Coast District Elks Golf Tournament will take place at Jurupa Hills Golf Course this coming Monday. All proceeds from this event will go to fund the Elks Special Hoop Shoot held in conjunction with the Orange County Special Olympics scheduled to take place on Nov 20 in Anaheim CA. Elks Lodges in Fullerton, Garden Grove, Buena Park, Santa Ana, Mission Viejo, Westminster, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, La Habra, and Orange will all participate in the fund raiser.

Forty years ago Olympic athlete Rafer Johnson Rafer Johnson joined forces with one of Orange County’s most civic-minded men, TV anchor Ed Arnold , to help launch Special Olympics Orange County. Last week in Newport Beach some 70 residents dedicated to supporting the purpose of Special Olympics got together for dinner at the Newport Beach Sports Museum in Fashion Island to herald the upcoming 40th anniversary of the sports program that affects so many lives of special needs children, teenagers and young adults.

Costa Mesa City Council members and city staff rejoiced Friday when they finally unveiled two new soccer fields at the Fairview Developmental Center that were five years in the making. The fields were the product of a unique and laborious collaboration between city and state, but the most exciting thing about the fields was that they “don’t stink,” according to the dozens of soccer players who came out to christen them. “All the other fields are bumpy and stuff.

If you see a bunch of police running around the South Coast Plaza Claim Jumper panicked and confused Thursday, don’t be alarmed. Chances are many of them are just getting their first experience as servers and they’re hustling to deliver meals. On Thursday every Claim Jumper restaurant is teaming up with local law enforcement agencies for the annual “Tip-A-Cop” fundraiser benefiting the Law Enforcement Torch Run campaign. The fundraiser will benefit statewide Special Olympics chapters.

Chris Dubia’s eyes began to water and his voice took on a soft tone when he thought of all the generosity that has come for his son, Brian. Dubia is aware that everyone who knows Brian loves Brian, the 25-year-old grocery bagger who is respectful to everyone he meets and goes out of his way for most customers. Outside of work, Brian has a strong passion for golf, which is why Dubia was once again fascinated when another kindhearted act came Brian’s way recently.

More than 750 guests converged on the Anaheim Marriott Hotel raising $350,000 for the Special Olympics Southern California, Orange County Chapter. To say it was a huge success would be an understatement. As tradition demands, the Special Olympics gathering includes an honorary procession of Olympians on Parade. The spectacle delights the crowd as U.S. Olympians, professional athletes and Special Olympics athletes join in a march that brings the audience to its feet in joyous applause.

Body that was found in ocean is identified A body found floating just off the shore of Santa Catalina Island on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as that of missing boater William Eugene Ott, 61, of Phoenix. Ott's 30-foot boat came crashing against the west jetty of the Newport Harbor inlet last week, prompting a 280-square mile search, Orange County Sheriff's officials said. Rescue workers identified Ott as the boat's owner through a plastic bag filled with prescription bottles found floating near the wreckage.