Mary Roberts has been a Phoenix Police Officer for 33 years and currently serves as Assistant Chief of her department. According to Mary, her greatest accomplishment is raising her son as a single parent with a demanding job. Her son, Ryan, now 26 years old is also a Phoenix Police Officer. She shares that she is also proud that she has "been involved with Special Olympics Arizona Law Enforcement Torch Run for more than 25 years." She enjoys volunteering at Special Olympics events, cheering on athletes and helping with fundraising efforts. She also rappels 27 stories from a city skyscraper every year to help raise awareness and money for our Special Olympic Arizona athletes despite her fear of heights. She has been coaching the Games-bound Unified basketball team for about 18 months and is very proud of them and their selection to represent the USA on the world stage, stating, "We have come a long way since tryouts where most of us first met each other. We practice weekly and everyone plays their heart out! They have truly developed into a team where we support, encourage and push each other. I am still in disbelief about attending World Games, this is absolutely a tremendous honor and chance of a lifetime. The greatest part of going to Abu Dhabi is going with this group of incredible individuals, I really love this team!"
