Project Unify Colorado Leads the Way in Transforming School and Community Climate

During my trip to Colorado last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with the Special Olympics Colorado Youth Activation Committee. These young leaders shared wonderful insights with me on the importance of creating school and community environments that are characterized by authentic acceptance and inclusion. I hope you will enjoy this slide show and I hope it will encourage you to continue to enact change in your own schools and communities!

The Sie Foundation: Eliminating Health Disparities for People With Down Syndrome

Last weekend, I was thrilled to be honored by the Global Down Syndrome Foundation at their annual gala in Denver, Colorado. The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a fantastic organization, founded by Anna and John Sie and family, that supports the Linda Cynic Institute for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado, which is dedicated to leading research, education and clinical care for people with Down syndrome.

The event was spearheaded by Michelle Sie, the dynamic and visionary Executive Director of the Foundation. Michelle is an incredible advocate for her daughter Sophia, who has Down syndrome, and the millions of others with Down syndrome around the world that their research benefits. Over 1,200 people turned out for a spectacular event -- Jamie Foxx and his sister Diondra Dixon (who has Down syndrome) stole the show, as did Quincy Jones, who presented me with an award in recognition of our work at Special Olympics.

I wasn’t worthy of either receiving the award (the credit belongs to our staff, athletes, volunteers, sponsors and countless others who make our movement happen) or having it be presented by a living legend like Quincy, who has been a pioneer not only in music but also in his support of people with intellectual disabilities!! Here’s a clip of some of the event footage…

Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day Media Highlights

Editor's Note: Tim is in the midst of a very hectic travel schedule right now but wanted to make sure we shared with you a select few of the media highlights from the first EKS Day! So check out the great stories from around the world below!


EKS Day Media Highlights:

27 Sept – Irish Times (Ireland) - Special Olympics founder honoured
On Saturday, Ms. Davis celebrated the memory of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver at Farmleigh House in Dublin. It was one of a number of events held worldwide to mark the inaugural Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day. Ms Kennedy Shriver’s son Mark also attended the Dublin event.

26 Sept – NJ.com (New Jersey, USA) - Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day
Special Olympics, the organization Eunice Kennedy Shriver began 42 years ago to provide athletic and other opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, paid tribute to its founder in celebrations here and around the world yesterday. The local ceremony hosted by Special Olympics New Jersey featured placement of a time capsule in a memorial brick wall in front of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Sports & Training Center on Princess Road.

26 Sept – New Sabah Times (Malaysia) – Over 100 nations celebrate Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day
Over 100 countries worldwide celebrated the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day (EKS) yesterday, and in Malaysia, the Special Olympics Sabah (SOS) was given the honour to organise a Camp Shriver at Taman Awan Teluk Likas.

26 Sept – Namibia Sport (Namibia) – Football for Hope Centre inaugurated
The Katutura Football for Hope Centre was officially inaugurated on Saturday, September 25 with a high powered guest list in attendance including Namibian Prime Minister Nahas Angula, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, Dr John Dow Junior of Special Olympics Africa, Jan Coetzee of Street Football World and Inge Zaamwani Kamwi of Special Olympics Namibia.

25 Sept – The Hindu (India) - World remembers Eunice Kennedy Shriver today
Special Olympics Bharat will celebrate founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver on Saturday, by organizing a host of activities and special runs.

25 Sept - Special Olympics and Michelle Kwan Skating Clinic
Fox 25 News (Boston, Mass, USA)
Michelle Kwan: “We're getting a bunch of Special Olympians, parents, volunteers getting the community together, getting on the ice, and this is happening all over the world”

25 Sept - Stadium Renamed for Eunice Kennedy Shriver
News 10 NBC (Rochester, NY, USA)
"The stadium formerly known as the Special Olympics stadium was re-named today in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver”

25 Sept - Eunice Kennedy Shriver Legacy Lives On
NBC News 4 Today (Wash. D.C., USA)
She may be gone but Eunice Kennedy Shriver's legacy lives on. Today her memory is being honored with the declaration of the first-ever Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day.

Rosa's Law is a Good First Step

Over the past two years, youth activists within the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign have secured nearly 140,000 online pledges from schools and communities across the country, setting off a national conversation about humiliating speech and the language of discrimination. It is not hard to see the fingerprints of thousands of youth activists, so athletes, and the families and communities on the passage of Rosa's Law this week, which is now on its way to the President for his signature.

I know I join millions of Americans in hoping for a quick signature by the President, and I also join them in recognizing that changing statutory language is not the end. The debate over language is only an opening to a discussion about attitude change and authentic inclusion. Our part at Special Olympics is promoting unity on the playing field and in communities through sport. We're committed to engaging millions more in the U.S. and around the world.

Critics who say that changing words can not solve problems are right. But it's a good start.

Congratulations to Senators Barbara Mikulski and Michael Enzi, and all the 72 co-sponsors across party lines, on this important accomplishment. Rosa's law is an historic triumph of self-advocacy and youth advocacy on behalf of our country's most vulnerable. This may be a first, but it won't be the last!

Happy Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day!

I want to share with all of you a joint message from my brother Anthony and I that went out to the Special Olympics movement and Best Buddies International.

 Dear Friends,

On behalf of Special Olympics and Best Buddies, thank you for joining us today in celebrating Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day. We are thrilled about the countless ways athletes and buddies, volunteers, and friends of Special Olympics and Best Buddies have joined together to perform "Acts" of unity and inclusion around the world in honor of our mother. This day is more than just a tribute to her, it is a tribute to the difference you are making in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, and to the future you are building where all people are accepted, regardless of ability.

As we celebrate today, we thought these words from her would be a special inspiration to you:

“There is no joy like the joy of unleashing the human spirit. There is no laughter like the laughter of those who are happy with others. There is no purpose more noble than to build communities of acceptance for all. This is our glory.” 

Thank you again for your contribution. We hope you will visit our website www.eksday.org and view the "Acts" of unity that so many have performed around the world today.

Sincerely,

In One Athlete, Lay a Movement's Story

I had a chance to meet an extraordinary athlete today at the table tennis venue at the China National Games from Hu He Hao Te, Mongolia. He is a shining example of our future. Everyone could see his high level of skill, and his mother told me a story of change and passion in her son. Guo Kun Fu started playing table tennis at 12 after having to quit soccer due to many injuries (he is now 22). It was very apparent to me that he has the first and most important ingredient for success: passion for the game.

When left school at 18, Kun Fu's mother was prepared to quit her job to create a place where he could live and work; to her enormous joy, this was not necessary. As part of the legacy of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, the government opened a sunshine center in her neighborhood; complete with job training, skill development, and table tennis, making it possible for Kun Fu to take his game to the next level. At the sunshine center, he practices 1-2 hours day and up to 4 hours on the weekends. It is no surprise that his health is good, confidence has exploded, and his table tennis is first rate.

He has won two silver medals at the China National Games. His mother explained to me that he has started to understand the difference between the gold silver and bronze medals and is now determined to get a gold! His mother said the gold has provided extra motivation and she has seen improvement in her son even at these games.

Kun Fu's story has all the ingredients of our future, focus on rigorous and daily training, a powerful advocate in his mother, and an inclusive and supportive community.

Some day, every Special Olympics athlete will have this same story!

Continuing to Harvest New Opportunities in China

Last night, I attended the “Mid-Autumn Festival” with Special Olympics athletes competing in the 5th annual China National Games. This celebration, a national holiday in China, takes place on the autumnal equinox, the night of the year when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. It is a celebration of harvest time and an occasion for feasting, and I cannot think of a more fitting time to celebrate all of the accomplishments of the Special Olympics Program in China and the “harvest” of new programs and facilities that have been created for our athletes here.

In Fuzhou alone, the number of Special Olympics athletes has increased ten-fold from 2,000 to 20,000 in the past two years, thanks in large part to the construction the Fujian Sports Management Center for the Disabled. Another enduring legacy of these games is the construction of over 130 “sunshine homes” in the Fujian Province, which provide education and employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. The changing perceptions of people within Chinese society is also evident in the recent creation of “Special Love,” a feature length film created in honor of the China National Games, which challenges traditional stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities by portraying the transformational relationship of a young Chinese professional and a boy with intellectual disabilities and their mutual interest in basketball.

Throughout China, these games have undoubtedly encouraged greater acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, and this year alone, Special Olympics China is slated to reach over 1 million athletes. And yet, I am reminded of how much more work there is to be done in improving the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities in China and achieving their full inclusion and empowerment in education, employment, and society. Our movement is characterized by a restless dissatisfaction with the status quo, and while we applaud SO China for the tremendous strides in the past few years, and we look forward to the continued progress toward greater acceptance and inclusion.