Many of my classmates know that Eunice Kennedy Shriver is my hero. I admire her commitment to advocating for children with special needs. She opened up her back yard every summer to children with varying abilities; they enjoyed swimming, horse back riding, baseball, soccer and many other athletic events to support gross motor development and self-esteem. In 1968 she organized the first Special Olympics with about 1000 athletes participating. The speech Eunice Kennedy Shriver provided during the first Special Olympics in 1968 included this quote,
"Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
With fewer than 100 in attendance to watch the Special Olympics there was not much hope that this would be a successful annual event. Today, thanks to Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her son Timothy Shriver's dedication and hard work there are about 3 million athletes training year round to participate in this event, an event that is life changing for so many families.
http://www.eunicekennedyshriver.org/bios/si
While I was aware of Eunice Kennedy Shriver's contributions to Special Olympics, I did not fully realize the history. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate the passion that you share with her. The quote is fabulous. I think I may have to print that up and place in a frame for my daughter--she's very good at many things but she's unwilling to try something if there's a chance she won't win. It's perfect!
ReplyDelete~Shawn