SPECIAL OLYMPICS BIGGER THAN SPORTS.

Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY 

Odds and ends from around the Valley:

It's much bigger than just sports, Jan Maseda says of the Tri-Valley Special Olympics slated for Glendale High School on April 13.

It's the culmination of a lot of hard work and determination by more than 700 great kids and young adults, who were once considered outcasts because of their disabilities.

Not that long ago, really - less than 20 years ago, when kids like her daughter, Theresa, was born severely mentally retarded, says the Granada Hills woman.

``We have come so far in changing people's thoughts about mental retardation, and I think the Special Olympics has played a major role in that,'' said Maseda, area director for the Tri-Valley Special Olympics.

``When my daughter was born 19 years ago, it was immediately, 'Let's put her in an institution,' but people don't think that way anymore,'' she said.

Theresa, who functions at about the level of a 4-year-old, will be one of the athletes competing in a new event this year, bocce ball.

The 700 athletes - one of the biggest turnouts ever - also will be competing in track-and-field events, basketball, tennis and swimming. About 350 volunteers will be helping, and the stands will be filled with cheering friends and relatives.

But Jan wants to add one more element this year - an important one for the future of these young athletes who have worked so hard to get to the Special Olympics.

The public.

``We'd love to have some huggers at the finish lines,'' she said.

What a great touch. Show these kids they're loved, wanted and appreciated, because it wasn't all that long ago we were treating them as outcasts.

Call Maseda at [phone] if you're interested in signing up as a hugger for the Special Olympics. A pancake breakfast sponsored by the Kiwanis Club will precede the opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. April 13 at Glendale High, 1440 E. Broadway.

Kaley Zeitouni of Woodland Hills is setting big goals for the YAMS - Youth Against Multiple Sclerosis - in the MS Walk that starts at 7:30 a.m. April 14 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

I wrote last year about the courage of this special 15-year-old girl with MS - rallying support from kids from all over the San Fernando Valley to take part in this important walk that raises money for MS research.

Kaley is the youngest team captain in the walk, and her team of 250 kids last year - the YAMS - was the top fund-raising team, gathering more than $17,000.

This year they're shooting to raise $30,000, and are already well on their way, says Kaley's mom, Jo Zeitouni.

``These kids are amazing - holding bake sales and spaghetti dinners, going door-to-door to raise funds, and even enlisting corporate sponsors,'' Jo said.

If you want to help the YAMS reach their goal for the walk this year, checks can be made out to ``National Multiple Sclerosis Society,'' with Kaley Zeitouni's name put in the memo section.

They can be mailed to the Zeitounis' home - 23058 Canzonet St., Woodland Hills, 91367.

Or if you feel like walking, stop by the YAMS team table at 8 a.m. the day of the MS Walk.

And finally, if you're looking to instill a little American history and tradition in your kids, you might want to start thinking about entering the All-American Soap Box Derby being staged by the Kiwanis Club of La Canada on Memorial Day, May 27.

The event invites boys and girls, who will be 9 to 16 by Aug. 1, to compete in three class races on Michigan Hill, near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge.

Soap Box Derby racing - no engines, just a steep hill and gravity - have been part of the American landscape since 1934, encouraging families to work together to build the cars driven by the kids.

For more information on the derby, call the Los Angeles Foothills Soap Box Derby office at [phone].