We Are Uniquely the Same: Everyone Gets the Love

Special Olympics Southern California provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Louisa Rocque is the Area Director of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention Greater Los Angeles and Central Coast Chapter.  She  holds her Master's in Public Administration, with an emphasis in Non-Profit Sector Management, and has over 12 years extensive fundraising and volunteer management experience. After losing a friend in high school to suicide and being closely connected to too many others who have experienced loss and/or their own struggles, she turned her experience and passion into action. Since 2015, she has trained thousands of professionals and community members in suicide prevention and awareness. She believes that everyone's life is valuable and has meaning and feels strongly in the importance of arming our communities, with the knowledge on how to support those who are struggling with thoughts of suicide. Matthew Magaña is a Chapter Board Member and Social Media Ambassador. Since first volunteering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Los Angeles in 2015, after losing two friends to suicide, he has been able to reignite his passion for activating social change via suicide prevention and mental health awareness. He has served as LA Marathon team co-captain since 2016 and is the longest current serving member of the Board of Directors. Meeting and witnessing so many people affected by suicide turn their loss into hope continues to be life changing for him and reaffirms an idea tat motivates him: that large, societal change originates from change within the individual.