My name is Joe Connolly; since I was a little boy, I always wanted to be part of the Olympics. As I am getting into my 70's I did not ever give up hope that this would happen, other than knowing that in July of 2028 the Olympics would be in Los Angeles and I figured that I would try to attend a few events. However, there is now, because of the absolutely devastating 1-7-25 wildfires in Southern California, a path to possibly being a torchbearer-one of my lifelong ambitions, in the lead up to the Games by joining a large contingent of private entities that now want to clean up and restore the communities that were effected by those wildfires.

For 32 years-while I held various paying jobs, have run programs that are considered the most successful in the history of Los Angeles and with now precious, and limited resources within the City of Los Angeles, private citizens are organizing to assist with whatever their expertise is to get the City of Los Angeles, prepared for the Games.

I want to start by getting funding for a group I will call C.A.N. (Clean Areas Now), and it should take about 120 days to be up and running and then 'merge' it into larger entities so that the city is ready for the games. My expertise is in solving areas of chaos and making sense out of areas whereby many moving variables have to be placed into cohesive movements that are extremely efficient with making investments of money to get the best results in the fastest time. For example, in 32 years I have only raised $42,000 & saved over $150M in city and county funding!

I believe in God, I believe in the generosity of others, and I believe that YOU can assist me. Just know that I have spent my entire life giving back to others. The picture that accompanies this story is of me with then Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa when he was awarding me the True Angel award for the citizen of Los Angeles who did more than any other citizen in our city for generosity, community, and selflessness. It was considered the single largest contribution by any non-paid private citizen in the history of the City of Los Angeles. I am very proud of that and am hoping that my lifetime of serving the community, and way beyond Southern California, will now warrant your support.

Thank you and God bless. I deeply appreciate anything that you can do, but also in spreading the assistance that I so desperately need with others that you know who may be interested in my story and in helping. The Olympic movement doesn't just benefit the City of Los Angeles, but the every country that participates in the event and throughout the USA!