Thousands Volunteer to Help at Largest Service Project in LDS Church’s History

Last week, seven thousand athletes from 117 countries gathered in Los Angeles to compete in the Special Olympics World Summer Games, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where there to help.

KSL reports that of the 30,000 volunteers in Southern California, more than one-third of them were Latter-day Saints, volunteering from 50 stakes—the largest service project in the history of the Church. Latter-day Saints were joined by many other volunteers of various faiths and community groups to help make the olympic experience special for the athletes.

Volunteers provided a warm-welcome for the athletes arriving in California and they held signs in the athletes’ native languages and cheered for the participants.

Larry Eastland, a member of the LDS Church’s Southern California Public Affairs Council, has worked on the Special Olympics for years. He explains that the initiative started out as a young single adult service project, but that the Church quickly adopted the effort as well.

Watch KSL’s coverage of the event in the video posted above.