The Special Olympics is a global movement that empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities through the transformative power of sport. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the organization provides athletic training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
More than just games, Special Olympics gives athletes opportunities to grow on and off the field. In New Mexico, that mission has been guided by Randy Mascorella, whose leadership has helped build a culture of courage, connection, and celebration across the state.
Mascorella has served as the Executive Director of Special Olympics New Mexico for 33 years. A former assistant women’s basketball coach at Iowa State University, Mascorella's first encounter with the Special Olympics came unexpectedly when asked to welcome 3,000 athletes to a stadium event. “I told them I would be happy to do that,” she says. “But what was a Special Olympic athlete?”
What began as a favor quickly turned into a life-altering experience. “I walked into the infield and I watched athletes challenged with intellectual disabilities,” she says. “I saw courage, celebration, and the purest form of sport I had seen for a long, long time—and I loved it.”
Today, she leads an organization that serves athletes across 110 communities in New Mexico, offering year-round training and competition in 12 Olympic-style sports. “We are a competitive sports organization,” she says. “Athletes train six to eight weeks, then compete locally and qualify for statewide competitions. They get to choose what they want to participate in.”
Mascorella’s passion extends beyond sport. She speaks a lot about community and the life-changing power of engagement. “We can't turn anybody away from this sports organization. They're turned away enough,” she says. “We have figured out how to make it possible for any athlete who wants to participate.”
But the need for support is constant. “You start over in a nonprofit organization financially every year,” she says. “We always want more… because the more we have, the more we can do.”
The organization counts on individual donors, corporate partners, estate gifts, and volunteers. And it watches donations carefully. “We go through an annual audit,” she points out, which means “we remain very accountable.” She knows that “people want to know where their money is going, and,” she adds, “we take that seriously.”
Mascorella urges the public not just to give, but to get involved. “Our athletes are a gift,” she says. She explains that engaging with her athletes means “you're going to see lives change right in front of your face, but don’t be surprised if the life that changes most is your own.”
