WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with Mo Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>KFI AM six forty.

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<v Speaker 2>It's Later with Mo Kelly KFI AM six forty live

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<v Speaker 2>everywhere in the iHeartRadio app. We're live on YouTube, and

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<v Speaker 2>we're live on Instagram. Let me tell you about the

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<v Speaker 2>Special Olympics of Southern California. Well, they've announced the launch

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<v Speaker 2>of its twenty twenty five Dream Big Raffle, the organization's

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<v Speaker 2>largest annual fundraiser, featuring over twenty eight hundred prizes, including

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<v Speaker 2>luxury vehicles, cash vacations, and a grand prize choice between

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<v Speaker 2>a custom custom Southern California home or one million dollars

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<v Speaker 2>in cash. And if you didn't know, coming up on

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<v Speaker 2>June sixth at Long Beach, cal State Long Beach, they

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<v Speaker 2>have the Summer Games, the Southern California Special Olympic Summer

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<v Speaker 2>Games are coming in hot as they say, June six

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<v Speaker 2>at cal State Long Beach. And to talk about all

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<v Speaker 2>of this and even more is Kelly Pond, President and

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<v Speaker 2>CEO for the Special Olympics of Southern California.

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<v Speaker 3>Kelly's nice to meet you. It's good to see you.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you for coming out tonight.

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<v Speaker 4>Wonderful to be here.

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<v Speaker 5>Mo. Thank you so much for having me and I

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<v Speaker 5>love the intro music. It's getting me in the getting

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<v Speaker 5>me in the spirit, feeling great.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me ask you, did you choose this or did

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<v Speaker 2>this choose you?

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<v Speaker 4>What a beautiful question. I believe it chose me.

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<v Speaker 5>I started as a volunteer with Special Olympics twenty five

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<v Speaker 5>years ago, and I just fell in love with the

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<v Speaker 5>athletes and the mission. I've always been an includer in

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<v Speaker 5>my life growing up, but I never quite understood what

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<v Speaker 5>that meant or where it would take me in that

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<v Speaker 5>it would lead into a career passion. And I've been

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<v Speaker 5>either volunteering or working for Special Olympics ever since.

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<v Speaker 2>Since you began as a volunteer, you've probably no, you've

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<v Speaker 2>obviously seen the evolution of not only the organization but

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<v Speaker 2>the world around it in which we live. Because when

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<v Speaker 2>we talk about the Special Olympics of Southern California, you're

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<v Speaker 2>dealing with athletes with intellectual disabilities. Now that denotation and connotation,

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<v Speaker 2>what we think about that has probably changed over the years.

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<v Speaker 3>How has it changed from where you sit?

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<v Speaker 5>Yes, Well, what I will say is that so many

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<v Speaker 5>people think about Special Olympics because we have the Olympic

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<v Speaker 5>term in our name as this one big sporting event

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<v Speaker 5>a year for kids, right and Special Olympics is actually

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<v Speaker 5>providing year round training and competition and programming for children

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<v Speaker 5>and adults with intellectual disabilities. And our programs are changing

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<v Speaker 5>lives through the power of sport, and so much more

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<v Speaker 5>so when you talk about our participants with intellectual disabilities,

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<v Speaker 5>they through sports are gaining life skills. Our athletes are

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<v Speaker 5>twice as likely to live independently and be employed because

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<v Speaker 5>of the skills.

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<v Speaker 4>That they're learning through Special Olympics.

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<v Speaker 5>And then everyone that is participating their life our lives

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<v Speaker 5>are changed as well because what happens is when you're

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<v Speaker 5>playing or sharing or working alongside a Special Olympics athlete

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<v Speaker 5>and really seeing and celebrating their abilities. It opens hearts

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<v Speaker 5>and minds to people with intellectual disabilities what they actually

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<v Speaker 5>the value that they bring to the community, and it

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<v Speaker 5>creates more inclusive communities. And we have an incredible program

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<v Speaker 5>in the schools. It's a Unified Champion School program where

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<v Speaker 5>students with and without intellectual disabilities are playing or competing

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<v Speaker 5>together their unified clubs on campus and schools that put

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<v Speaker 5>on our Unified Champion School program see a ninety four

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<v Speaker 5>percent reduction in bullying because by general education and special

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<v Speaker 5>education students working together, they're building relationships and those as

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<v Speaker 5>students are sticking up for their teammates and unified sports.

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<v Speaker 2>Talk to me about some of these skills that they're learning,

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<v Speaker 2>some of the classes that they may be taking, some

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<v Speaker 2>of the experiences that they may be exposed to in

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<v Speaker 2>their development.

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<v Speaker 5>Absolutely well, a big part of the program, and this

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<v Speaker 5>is for any of us that play sports. If you

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<v Speaker 5>look at the sports part of our program, when you

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<v Speaker 5>join a team, you are automatically learning skills about building friendships,

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<v Speaker 5>about teamwork, about working with one another. You're learning from

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<v Speaker 5>your coach, so you're learning how to build strengths, where

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<v Speaker 5>to build on your weaknesses.

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<v Speaker 4>So all of these skills.

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<v Speaker 5>That we all learn in sports are incredibly valuable also

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<v Speaker 5>for our Special Olympics athletes. But it also is giving

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<v Speaker 5>them a space where they see they're in a safe space,

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<v Speaker 5>where they see other people that are excelling, are doing

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<v Speaker 5>more than they ever thought was possible, and this is

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<v Speaker 5>really pushing their teammates to do more and see what's

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<v Speaker 5>possible as well.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm just realizing this. Maybe I'm just on a late fray.

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<v Speaker 2>But this is year round though this is not seasonal

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<v Speaker 2>in any way, is it.

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<v Speaker 5>That's correct? It is seasonal, Like right now, we're in

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<v Speaker 5>our spring sports season and it'll culminate Our string sports

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<v Speaker 5>season will culminate with our summer games championships, which you mentioned.

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<v Speaker 5>We also have. Our summer sports season is bowling. We

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<v Speaker 5>have a fall sports season where we offer soccer, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf,

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<v Speaker 5>and then we have a winter season which is floor ball.

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<v Speaker 5>So we are year round, but we're in seasons.

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<v Speaker 2>Tell me more about this because as we dig down

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<v Speaker 2>and jill down, your deal with and nurturing children of

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<v Speaker 2>varying ages, varying intellectual capabilities, varying levels of comfort of

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<v Speaker 2>those children, dealing with people they may not know depending

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<v Speaker 2>on their particular situation, how do you go about trying

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<v Speaker 2>to have all of it come together? It seems like

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<v Speaker 2>you could be a tremendous undertaking.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah. One big kind of tagline or initiative that Special

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<v Speaker 5>Olympics had was Special Olympics is training for life, and

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<v Speaker 5>it's a multi layered meaning. And one of the meanings

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<v Speaker 5>is because we are there for children and adults with

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<v Speaker 5>intellectual disabilities. Our programs do span an entire lifetime, so

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<v Speaker 5>we welcome young athletes in our Young Athlete programs, So

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<v Speaker 5>that's two to seven year olds where we're teaching hand

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<v Speaker 5>eye coordinating, you know, basic just skills, and that's open

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<v Speaker 5>to all. And as a matter of fact, it summer

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<v Speaker 5>Games June sixth, seventh, and eighth, we'll have on Saturday

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<v Speaker 5>and Sunday morning Young a Young Athletes Festival, So anybody

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<v Speaker 5>out there who has a two to seven year old

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<v Speaker 5>you can come out and they can participate in the

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<v Speaker 5>Young Athletes activities. And it's for individuals with and without

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<v Speaker 5>intellectual disabilities, and that's.

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<v Speaker 4>Kind of the point of entry.

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<v Speaker 5>And then we have our school programs, which start in

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<v Speaker 5>elementary school, we're in middle schools and high schools. And

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<v Speaker 5>then on a parallel track, we have our community programs

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<v Speaker 5>where individuals as old as we have an eighty three

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<v Speaker 5>year old botchy ball player, So no a maximum here.

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<v Speaker 5>We have something for everyone at Special Olympics. And in

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<v Speaker 5>addition to the sports programs and the school programs, we

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<v Speaker 5>are actually the largest provider of healthcare for people with

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<v Speaker 5>intellectual disabilities. We partner with health practitioners with Kaiser Permanente.

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<v Speaker 5>We provide free health screenings for our athletes, so there's

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<v Speaker 5>many stories where our athletes may not have even realized

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<v Speaker 5>that they needed prescription glasses, and through volunteers and Lions

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<v Speaker 5>Club sponsorship, just last month, we sent over two hundred

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<v Speaker 5>free prescription goggles for the swimmers and glasses to athletes

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<v Speaker 5>that needed them. So the health program is another key

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<v Speaker 5>feature of our offerings.

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<v Speaker 3>My guest right now is Kelly Pond.

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<v Speaker 2>She is President and CEO Special Olympics of Southern California.

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<v Speaker 2>When we get back, we want to talk about their

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty five Dream Big Raffle to support athletes and

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<v Speaker 2>community initiatives. That's next on Later with Mo Kelly kfi

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<v Speaker 2>AM since forty. We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.

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<v Speaker 2>We're live on YouTube and Instagram at mister bo Kelly

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<v Speaker 2>our m OK E L L Y.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>kfi AM six forty.

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<v Speaker 3>It's Later with Mo Kelly.

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<v Speaker 2>We're live on YouTube, the iHeartRadio app and also Instagram

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<v Speaker 2>if youre just tuning in. My guest in studio is

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<v Speaker 2>Kelly Pond, who is the president and CEO for Special

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<v Speaker 2>Olympics of Southern California. They've launched their twenty twenty five

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<v Speaker 2>Dream Big Raffle to support their athletes and community initiatives.

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<v Speaker 3>And Kelly, let's pick up right there.

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<v Speaker 2>Tell me about the Dream Big Raffle in general and

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<v Speaker 2>how people can get involved this year.

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<v Speaker 4>Absolutely, thank you for asking.

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<v Speaker 5>And before I talk about the Dream Big Raffle, I

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<v Speaker 5>want to first say that all the programs that we

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<v Speaker 5>just talked about in the earlier segment were able to

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<v Speaker 5>provide all of those programs one hundred percent free to

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<v Speaker 5>the athletes and their families because of promotions like the

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<v Speaker 5>Dream Big Raffle. So we like to say the Dream

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<v Speaker 5>Big Raffles really a win win because anybody that participates,

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<v Speaker 5>not only do they have a one and a twenty

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<v Speaker 5>chance of winning a prize, but they also are contributing

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<v Speaker 5>to the Special Olympics mission to transform life through the

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<v Speaker 5>power of sport. And the Dream Big Raffle, we're giving

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<v Speaker 5>away thousands of prizes and a chance to win vacations, vehicles,

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<v Speaker 5>and a grand prize for a chance to win a

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<v Speaker 5>dream home or one million dollars.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, when you say one million, you're supposed to

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<v Speaker 2>put your pinkup like this like one million dollars.

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<v Speaker 4>Do that way better than me? I love it.

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<v Speaker 3>We talk about movies, so I had to throw it

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<v Speaker 3>about Austin Powers.

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<v Speaker 5>I think that's awesome and absolutely And actually this Friday

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<v Speaker 5>is the last chance we're closing ticket sales, so we

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<v Speaker 5>want everyone, we don't want anyone to miss an opportunity

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<v Speaker 5>to win all of these incredible prizes, including.

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<v Speaker 3>The one mone.

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<v Speaker 5>I love It. Tickets are one hundred and fifty dollars.

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<v Speaker 5>You can go to SOOSC dot org in order to

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<v Speaker 5>get all of the information. And yeah, we are excited

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<v Speaker 5>to have this be an incredible fundraiser to help us

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<v Speaker 5>raise funds to support our athletes and programs.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me talk some more with you about the athletes,

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<v Speaker 2>and they are those with intellectual disabilities. But that is

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<v Speaker 2>such a wide spectrum, no pun intended of people that

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<v Speaker 2>you're dealing with.

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<v Speaker 3>What are you seeing?

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<v Speaker 2>What types of disabilities are you being confronted with?

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, we, as we talked about, our athletes are all

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<v Speaker 5>ages with all different types of abilities. So, and we

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<v Speaker 5>also offer programs for people without intellectual disabilities with our

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<v Speaker 5>unified pro So we're bringing people with and without intellectual

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<v Speaker 5>disabilities together for Unified. So we like to say there's

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<v Speaker 5>something for everyone at Special Olympics. And one of the

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<v Speaker 5>things that when you ask the question about how our

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<v Speaker 5>athletes lives are changed, what types of things are learning.

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<v Speaker 5>Another program that we have is our Athlete Leadership program,

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<v Speaker 5>where athletes are really learning different skills on how to

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<v Speaker 5>talk about how Special Olympics has changed their lives out

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<v Speaker 5>in the community, and they also are stepping up to

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<v Speaker 5>work and be alongside us and delivering our programs. One

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<v Speaker 5>of our most popular athlete leadership activities now is our

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<v Speaker 5>athletes want to learn to be coaches. They want to

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<v Speaker 5>coach their fellow athletes, and so that's another part of

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<v Speaker 5>our athlete leadership program. So really what we're trying to

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<v Speaker 5>do is help provide the support and the tools everyone

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<v Speaker 5>our athletes, our Unified partners, can be the best that

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<v Speaker 5>they could be.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna throw you a curveball, yeah, And I was

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<v Speaker 2>just thinking about this in the moment. I suspect over

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<v Speaker 2>the many years in which you've been associated with the organization,

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<v Speaker 2>there are particular names, there are particular stories for particular

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<v Speaker 2>people who may come to mind. Whereas like I saw

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<v Speaker 2>how Special Olympics of Southern California transformed her.

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<v Speaker 3>Life and now she is dot dot do who comes

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<v Speaker 3>to mind?

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<v Speaker 5>Oh my gosh, Well, as you started asking that question,

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<v Speaker 5>my mind was flooded with stories. You know, One specific

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<v Speaker 5>story that stands out and hits a lot of the

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<v Speaker 5>different programs that we offer is my colleague, Dustin Plunkett.

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<v Speaker 5>And when I first started Special Olympics, Dustin just started

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<v Speaker 5>going through our athlete leadership training program. At that time,

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<v Speaker 5>it was called a global Messenger program, and that was

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<v Speaker 5>and we still have that, but being an athlete leader

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<v Speaker 5>involved so many other opportunities U twenty years later now,

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<v Speaker 5>but Dustin has built an incredible portfolio of experiences and

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<v Speaker 5>accomplishments since joining Special Olympics. And while he while I

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<v Speaker 5>saw him starting as a global messenger, he has since

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<v Speaker 5>become an ESPN commentator.

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<v Speaker 4>For our World Games.

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<v Speaker 5>He works at Special Olympics. He has served on the

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<v Speaker 5>board of Directors. He has worked at Special Olympics World Games.

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<v Speaker 5>He also has an incredible story. I mentioned the Healthy

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<v Speaker 5>Athletes program. The Healthy Athletes program saved his life. He

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<v Speaker 5>went through the dental screening program and nobody tells this

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<v Speaker 5>story better than him, but essentially, the dental practitioner that

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<v Speaker 5>did his check told him and his coach that he

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<v Speaker 5>needed to go see a dentist. They found cancer, they

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<v Speaker 5>were able to remove it, and thank goodness, he's able

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<v Speaker 5>to now talk to others about the importance of getting

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<v Speaker 5>the health screenings in order to not only help improve

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<v Speaker 5>health and wellness, but also it could be life saving.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the voice of Kelly Pond, President and CEO the

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<v Speaker 2>Special Olympics of Southern California. This Pond, Can I get

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<v Speaker 2>you to stay around for one more second? Because I

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<v Speaker 2>want to make sure that we reach as many people

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<v Speaker 2>as possible to inform them of what they need to

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<v Speaker 2>do when they need to do it by as in

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<v Speaker 2>this Friday, so we can get the biggest benefit and

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<v Speaker 2>turnout for this twenty twenty five dream big raffle.

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<v Speaker 3>Can you help me out?

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<v Speaker 4>Absolutely, we'd love to.

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<v Speaker 2>It's Later with Moe Kelly KFI AM six forty Live everywhere,

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<v Speaker 2>on YouTube, the iHeartRadio app, and Instagram.

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<v Speaker 3>Come join the conversation.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>KFI AM six forty Lay with.

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<v Speaker 3>Kelly on k.

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<v Speaker 1>And six.

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<v Speaker 2>Live everywhere on YouTube, the iHeartRadio app, and Instagram, and

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<v Speaker 2>if you're just tuning in, I'm continuing my conversation with

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<v Speaker 2>Kelly Pond, who's president and CEO with Special Olympics of

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<v Speaker 2>Southern California, and we're joined together because we're talking about

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty twenty five Dream Big Raffle to support athletes

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<v Speaker 2>and community initiatives, which closes this Friday, So people need

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<v Speaker 2>to hurry up and get on it, and do I

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<v Speaker 2>have this right? They can go to a excuse me,

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<v Speaker 2>SOSC dot org.

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<v Speaker 5>That's correct, SICC dot org to buy your tickets. Tickets

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<v Speaker 5>are one hundred and fifty dollars. You can buy a

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<v Speaker 5>multipack of tickets and it's a one in twenty five

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<v Speaker 5>chance of winning a prize. We're giving over two thousand,

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<v Speaker 5>eight hundred prizes away, including a chance at a Southern

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<v Speaker 5>California Dream.

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<v Speaker 4>Home or Okay, you're looking at.

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<v Speaker 5>You, that's right, So you go to so osc dot

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<v Speaker 5>org for all the details. This Friday is the deadline

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<v Speaker 5>to buy tickets and then we will do the grand

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<v Speaker 5>prize draw all the winners on June twelfth.

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<v Speaker 2>June twelfth, but also very quickly I started the conversation

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<v Speaker 2>talking about what was going to happen on June six

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<v Speaker 2>at cal State Long Beach. As far as the Summer Games,

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<v Speaker 2>can you tell me about that?

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<v Speaker 4>Absolutely?

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<v Speaker 5>So, our Special Olympics Summer Games Championships at cal State

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<v Speaker 5>Long Beach June sixth, seventh, and eighth O is our

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<v Speaker 5>championship competition for the athletes that have been training and

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<v Speaker 5>competing in our spring sports season. They'll be over twelve

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<v Speaker 5>hundred athletes competing and will be competing in basketball.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, that's not a small number.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, it's a great time. And you know, one hundred

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<v Speaker 5>percent free to come out and watch the athletes and

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<v Speaker 5>cheer them all.

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<v Speaker 2>Say that again, Stefan, She said, free is in free

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<v Speaker 2>ninety nine free.

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<v Speaker 4>Ooh, I like it. Okay, that's awesome.

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<v Speaker 5>We want to fill this dand so we have our

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<v Speaker 5>athletes competing in basketball, track and field, swimming, BATCHI ball.

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<v Speaker 5>So you come on out, you cheer on our athletes.

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<v Speaker 5>We also could still use some volunteers. You can go

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<v Speaker 5>to that same website SOOSC dot org and you can

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<v Speaker 5>look at volunteer opportunities. All of these programs are one

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<v Speaker 5>hundred percent free to the athletes and their families, So

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<v Speaker 5>buy a dream big raffle ticket, support our athletes, get

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<v Speaker 5>your own chance to win a twenty one and twenty

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<v Speaker 5>five chance of winning a prize all to support our athletes.

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<v Speaker 5>And then you can come and see your support in

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<v Speaker 5>action by watching our athletes at Summer Games.

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<v Speaker 2>When we began our conversation, I was asking you a

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<v Speaker 2>semi personal question as far as some of the personal

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<v Speaker 2>memories you have of an individual or individuals who've come

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<v Speaker 2>through the program and have gone on to do successful things.

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<v Speaker 3>I imagine, But tell me if I'm wrong.

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<v Speaker 2>I imagine when you get to watch the Summer Games,

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<v Speaker 2>or you get to watch these children turn into adults,

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<v Speaker 2>you might drop a tier every now and then.

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<v Speaker 5>It's hard to find someone that wouldn't. Yeah, it's absolutely correct.

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<v Speaker 5>The inspiration that our athletes show when they're out on

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<v Speaker 5>the field is inspiring. And most people say that when

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<v Speaker 5>they volunteer, they get so much more than they actually give.

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<v Speaker 5>And so you come out to the games and you

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<v Speaker 5>get hooked.

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<v Speaker 3>One more time.

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<v Speaker 2>For those who weren't listening or just may have joined

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<v Speaker 2>the conversation, how can they go about getting their raffle

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<v Speaker 2>ticket to support athletes and community initiatives for the Special

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<v Speaker 2>Elements of Southern California as part of the Dream Big Raffle.

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<v Speaker 5>Absolutely go to SOOSC dotorg for information on our Dream

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<v Speaker 5>Big Raffle. Tickets are one hundred and fifty dollars or

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<v Speaker 5>there's multi ticket packs. You have a one and twenty

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<v Speaker 5>five chance of winning a prize, including that grand prize

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<v Speaker 5>of a Dream Big Raffle or one million allion dollars.

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<v Speaker 2>Kelly Pom, this is the first time we had the

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<v Speaker 2>opportunity or the occasion to have a conversation, but can

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<v Speaker 2>we make this an annual conversational Whenever you have anything

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<v Speaker 2>that you would like to highlight with the Special Olympics

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<v Speaker 2>of Southern California, I'd be honored and please to have

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<v Speaker 2>you back anytime.

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<v Speaker 4>I would love it. Thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 3>Mo.

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<v Speaker 2>It's Later with Mo Kelly CAFI AM six forty. We're

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<v Speaker 2>live everywhere in the iHeartRadio app, We're still live on YouTube,

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<v Speaker 2>and we're still live on Instagram at mister Mo Kelly,

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<v Speaker 2>m R M O K E L L Y.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with Mo Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>KFI AM six forty