More than 140 Special Olympics World Games 2015 Los Angeles athletes and delegates from around the world were treated to a ceramic tile-painting party hosted by Color Me Mine Valencia, a local Bronze Sponsor of the Games.

Lodged in Host City Santa Clarita for their 10-day stay in the United States, the international visitors from El Salvador, Faroe Islands, Malaysia, the Philippines and Malawi gathered at the Westfield Valencia Town Center mall in Santa Clarita on Thursday, July 23.

Inside the Talbots Gallery on Town Center Drive, the athletes-turned-artists hand-painted 144 ceramic tiles, each with original artwork inspired by the Special Olympics World Games logo.

The tiles were then fired in the Color Me Mine Valencia kilns, and presented to the athlete-artists before they returned to their home countries following the World Games closing ceremonies.

“A volunteer group of 15 worked together for six months to plan the activities, meals, sports training, transportation and accommodations for the 150 athletes who called Santa Clarita home for 10 days,” said Jackie Hartmann, Special Olympics World Games Host Town chairperson and coordinator for Santa Clarita.

“All the Host Town Santa Clarita athletes and delegates stayed at The Master’s College, which was very welcoming and supportive,” Hartmann said.

The tile-painting party at Color Me Mine Valencia was one of the activities Hartman and her fellow Host Town chairs lined up for the visiting athletes, who arrived in Santa Clarita a few days before the Games began to get acclimated to the local weather and time zone.

Party sponsors included Logix Credit Union, Pay Forward, Westfield Valencia Town Center and staff from both Color Me Mine Valencia and Color Me Mine Porter Ranch.

Volunteers from local Girl Scout troops helped set up 18 tables of eight provided by Westfield with table coverings, blank tiles, paint and brushes for painting, and cleaned up afterward.

“As a Bronze Sponsor of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, we were honored and privileged to be a part of such a wonderful event,” said Larry Parsons, Color Me Mine Valencia owner. “The art of having fun and the idea of digital detox were in full swing.”

About Color Me Mine and Color Me Mine Valencia

Color Me Mine is the leader in the paint-it-yourself ceramics industry, with 140 studios franchised throughout the world. Like Color Me Mine Valencia in Valencia, California, each location is an upscale art-as-entertainment studio offering unfinished ceramics and other craft media. Customers enter a relaxing environment, choose one of more than 350 unfinished ceramic pieces, and spend an hour or two painting it to explore their own artistic vision. For more information about Color Me Mine Valencia, how it works, promotions, classes, programs, or to book a party, visit www.valencia.colormemine.com.

About the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015

More than 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches representing 177 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and some 500,000 spectators, participated in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. It was the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games. The Special Olympics featured 25 Olympic-style sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region. Opening Ceremonies were held on Saturday, July 25, with Closing Ceremonies on Sunday, Aug. 2, both in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. For more information, visit www.LA2015.org and on social media check out #ReachUpLA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.