Hello Fellow Athletes!
We soon will be celebrating the
4th Annual Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day on September 28, 2013! This is an
annual celebration of her life and an invitation to celebrate the theme of
"Play Unified to Live Unified." I want to share a little
history about Eunice and Special Olympics with you, so you will understand why
it is so important to commemorate this amazing woman!
In June of 1962, Eunice started a day camp for children with
intellectual disabilities called "Camp Shriver" in the backyard of
her home in Potomac, Maryland. She had an older sister named Rosemary who
had an intellectual disability, and in the late 1950's and early 60's, Eunice
saw little justice in the way people with ID were treated. As an athlete
in college, she saw that sports could be a common ground to unite folks from
all walks of life. The idea behind that first Camp Shriver began to grow,
as Anne McGlone, a physical education teacher and recipient of a Kennedy
Foundation grant, also had an idea for a one-time Olympic-style athletic
competition for people with special needs. Burke approached Shriver to
fund the event, and Shriver encouraged Burke to expand on the idea. At
the 1968 games held in Chicago, Illinois, Shriver announced the formation of
the Special Olympics, and over 1,000 athletes from across the U.S. and Canada
participated.
A few Special Olympics milestones to note:
December 1971: The U.S. Olympic Committee gave the Special
Olympics official approval to use the name "Olympics."
February 1988: The International Olympic Committee signs a
historic agreement with Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver officially endorsing
and recognizing Special Olympics.
July 1988: Special Olympics Unified Sports is launched at the
annual SO Conference in Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe, California. Bowling,
volleyball and softball are the first sports included. Special Olympics
Unified Sports offers the opportunity for people with and without intellectual
disabilites to play on the same team.
July 1995: For the first time, people with ID serve as
certified officials.
July 2008: SO celebrates its 40th anniversary with nearly 3
million athletes in over 180 countries.
May 2009: The U.S. National Portrait Gallery unveils a
historic portrait of Eunice, which is the first portrait the Gallery has ever
commissioned of an individual who has not served as a U.S. president or First
Lady.
August 2009: The founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, passed away at her family home in Massachusetts.
September 2010: The first global Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day
is held in more than 100 countries to celebrate the vision of the founder of
the Special Olympics movement.
I think it is important to celebrate the life of Eunice Kennedy
Shriver because of her courage and determination in championing the cause that
was not popular or easy given the realities of the day, especially during the
1960's. She spoke and acted for people who were often not able to speak
for themselves, as they did not have the opportunities that we have today.
We have come so far in that we can speak for ourselves, have greater
opportunities and rights, especially the right to be included in education and
other realms, thanks to people like Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Special
Olympics is in the process of more growth and changes, as we become more
athlete-centric and athlete-driven. Athletes will have more meaningful
roles as we increase the level of education to further the Special Olympics
athlete-driven mission.
Join me in spreading the word to celebrate Eunice Kennedy
Shriver's life and in remembrance of her on Saturday, September 28th, please
take this day to honor the importance of the Special Olympics in your life by
celebrating the theme of "Play Unified to Live Unified."
Jessie Salness
Athlete Representative of Lebanon County Special Olympics PA
** Lebanon County will be attending Lebanon Valley College's soccer game on September 21st as part
of our EKS plan. Our team will be ball chasers, then at half time will play.
There will be a mens and ladies game that day so we will hang out with the
teams. **
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