From Nice to Important

When we speak of the urgency of our work at Special Olympics--of the suffering, injustice, and neglect facing our population--I think sometimes we are not taken seriously. When we argue that sport can change lives by reversing a horrific stigma and creating community will for inclusion, I think some people think we're exaggerating. When we challenge humiliating speech because we believe it leads to degrading and humiliating treatment, I think some people believe we should relax.

I hope skeptics will read this article and realize that for millions of people with intellectual disabilities, these conditions, as disgusting as they are, are normal. And let us all remember that when we ask, give, or go the extra distance to fight for our athletes, we are fighting for life itself. The stakes are high and if anyone doesn't believe us, ask them to spend a few days in these institutions, half naked, filthy, at risk of rape or lobotomy or worse. Maybe then, they'll understand that a soccer ball isn't about a nice event for "them" but rather about an urgent movement designed to save lives and offer hope and dignity to all of us.

Welcome, Ambassadors!

Check out FIFA's Joseph Blatter and CONMEBOL's Dr. Nicolas Leoz and others attending the South American Women’s Championship in Ecuador. They are wearing the Special Olympics armbands that the Special Olympics Ecuador's National Team Captain wears during matches! Also pictured are Special Olympics Ecuador President Hector Cuevas, Ecuador Football Federation President Luis Chiriboga, and Special Olympics athletes.

Chiriaboga, Leoz and Blatter were named Special Olympics Ecuador Ambassadors before the final match of the South American Women's Championship between Brasil and Chile on November 21 in Quito!

Inspiration from Nepal

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim got an email with some photos from Special Olympics Nepal recently that he wanted to make sure we share. Below is a note from their Chairman, and the photos. Enjoy!

Please enjoy some of our recent various competitions and programs photographs where dignitories from the Minister to various government and social high level personalities were present. This year alone, despite political, economical and social problems and crisis in Nepal we have done more than three dozen various levels of competiton and programs! With best regards.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jyoti Sherchan
Chairman, SO Nepal

President Obama Signs Rosa's Law!

Today, I attended a reception at the White House with Special Olympics athletes to celebrate the enactment of Rosa’s Law. The bill’s passage is a huge victory for everyone, not just people with intellectual disabilities, as it acknowledges the power of words to separate, alienate, and ultimately dehumanize people when they are categorized as ‘other.’ While we still have so far to go in eliminating the use of the r-word in society and in showing others the extent to which demeaning language can hurt, we celebrate this tremendous milestone.

While some might scoff at this change as mere political correctness, I wish you could have been at the reception with these Special Olympics athletes and have heard their many stories of pain and isolation that resulted from the use of demeaning language. Although you couldn’t be there today to hear it from the athletes themselves, so many others have articulated the hurt and isolation they have experienced, including Special Olympics Global Messenger Frank Stephens:

"So, what's wrong with "retard"? I can only tell you what it means to me and people like me when we hear it. It means that the rest of you are excluding us from your group. We are something that is not like you and something that none of you would ever want to be. We are something outside the "in" group. We are someone that is not your kind."

Today is one victory in an ongoing battle and we ask you to join us March 2, 2011 to Spread the Word to End the Word.

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.

A New Paradigm is Emerging

Meeting President Lech Walesa in Poland these week was like touching history. His presence at the Games was an unmistakable message for our athletes that they are the vanguard of a new, powerful social movement.

During my visit to the Polish Parliament buildings in Warsaw today with our youth summit, I saw the 22 points the shipyard workers submitted to the communist government to protest its rule. They were painted by hand on salvaged plywood from the shipyard. There was no sophisticated PR roll-out, no elaborate graphics, just raw determination and a relentless passion for, and a deep belief in, the quality of the human spirit. Those were the ingredients Walesa used to topple one of the most powerful regimes the world has seen. Needless to say, these are the same gifts our athletes use to topple age-old barriers and stubborn indifference.

But what was equally important was Mr. Walesa's comments at a Games event, "The age of blocks and ideologies is over." He went on to suggest a new paradigm is emerging, but it is our athletes that most understand this paradigm - our athletes understand that relationships are central to social justice. The new paradigm puts unity and community at the top of the world's agenda.

I can feel the spirit of Walesa as the baton of leadership is handed off to the athletes of Special Olympics. And they may be able to slim down the 22 points to 2: Get in the Game and Play United!

Thanks to former President of Poland, and the 
hero of 'Solidarity' Mr. Lech Walesa for your support!

A Healthy Partnership

What a thrill it was to sign an agreement this morning with the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (IFAPA). We are so excited for this new partnership with 30 of Europe's leading experts on physical education, who have spent their careers understanding the health of Special Olympics athletes. They will be a tremendous help to us as we consider new ways to develop the abilities of our athletes through the creation of a new sports training program.

The best suggestion that came out of this session was to turn off the elevators of our 32 story hotel. Even though the person making this suggestion was on the sixth floor, it was a great reminder of the countless, simple opportunities we have every day to improve our fitness. I am thrilled that these experts and health practitioners will be partnering with us to advance sports training and competition for our athletes!

There's No Give Up in Haiti

We left Haiti this morning with a last image of frustration. We visited the compound of "Rebuild Haiti," a joint venture of multiple reconstruction entities focused on clearing and rebuilding. There, on the lot stood lines of bulldozers, heavy earth movers, and massive dump trucks. And they're not being used despite miles of debris and hundreds of thousands in desperate need. And there's no good answer for why not, just the same old--bureaucracy, competing turf, politics, control. Despite the massive scale of the problem, the very resources needed for action sit idle.

Outrageous.

Needless to say, we asked for help with our future sites for Special Olympics Camp Shriver sites and they're going to respond. Hopefully, the barriers to action will fall for others too. The need is just so great that I can't believe people won't find a way.

At the end of our short visit, Rose and I leave with one overriding feeling: admiration for the people of Haiti. Never once did we hear anyone complain; they are a people unbowed, strong, unflinching. Everywhere we went, we saw thousands of people busy, trying, working, surviving.

There's no give up in Haiti. They left us in awe.

Haiti will be a great Special Olympics program soon. We don't yet know how we'll overcome the lack of schools, fields, health, and equipment. But I know it will happen somehow. There's just too much need and too much potential in those athletes. Somehow, together, we're going to find a way.

We'll post more pictures when we get home tonight. And we'll try to get a message out soon about how everyone can help. For now, donations can be sent to Special Olympics Haiti Fund at 1133 19th St, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Thanks always for everyone who works and prays for a Unified Haiti.

Meet David Rosenthal

Special Olympics Haiti athlete David Rosenthal with Tim Shriver

The surprises continue in Haiti. Last night, the most pleasant surprise was meeting David Rosenthal, a star athlete in every way. Sitting between David and his mother at dinner last night was an honor. David's mom told her story of trying to raise a son with challenges-- of David's seizures during childhood and of her feeling totally lost and rejected. Her word's echoed the ones I heard as a child when my mother spoke of her sister: "There was nothing for David and nothing for me. It was so difficult. There was nothing."

You wouldn't know it talking to David. He's all grown up now, 31, handsome, funny, and incredibly athletic. His mother has done a fantastic job and his smiles are biggest when he talks of his two medals won in Shanghai. "I'm ready to play other sports as soon as Special Olympics calls me," David said. "I'm ready."

Needless to say, there are over 30,000 other potential athletes like David in this struggling country. Our challenge is to call them. We start next month with 300 at our summer camps. But that is only a start. We have so much more to do to help create a unified Haiti. Thank goodness we have David who will help lead the way.

More Pictures from Haiti - Meetings

We have a pretty tight schedule of meetings in Haiti. Here are a handful of the photos from most of those meetings. The folks we met with included:

• Haitian First Lady Mrs. Elizabeth Preval
• Dr. Pean, Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities
• Mr. Jean E. Baker, President of Haitian Olympic Committee
• Mrs. Marie M. Rey, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Mr. Gwenael Apollon, Secretary General of the YMCA
• Special Olympics Haiti HQ Staff, Volunteers and Regional Delegates

Time to 'Stop Pretending'

We had a great meeting with our new coaches and camp managers this morning. The Special Olympics Haiti office, though full of cracks in walls and ceilings, is still standing. And that's where we introduced our new team to the goal of standing up for people with intellectual disabilities this summer and beyond.

We were also honored to meet First Lady Elizabeth Preval. She was totally committed to our work and wants to come to our summer camps and then convene a national meeting to put our athletes on the agenda for the future of the country. And then Haiti's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marie-Michele Rey, said something so powerful: "in Haiti, we must stop pretending...stop pretending that people with intellectual disabilities don't exist, stop pretending that what we are doing as a government is working. Special Olympics can help us build a new Haiti where we face the reality that everyone has a right to a decent life. Everyone!"

If today is any indication, we're going to have a lot of support for our announcement of the relaunch of SO Haiti tomorrow!

Stay tuned.

Hope Amidst the Rubble

We've all heard it before: you can't believe it unless you see it with your own eyes. Well that's Haiti--the miles of destruction, the breathtakingly beautiful land beyond the rubble, the resolute faces of minute to minute perseverance, the goats..

Our first day in Haiti was all that and more. Led by Jean Chevalier, Special Olympics Haiti is coming to life. For Jean, SO is a pathway to rehabilitation-of rebuilding broken spirits but also for rebuilding Haitian society to be about the inclusion of all. We met with USAID and OAS leaders who challenged us to think about social change, about sustainability, about engaging government leaders. And most excitingly, we met with the leader of the YMCA which will open a new center and wants every Special Olympics athlete to become a member and have a year round fitness and sport development plan.

I must admit that Rose and I are a little in shock with it all. But when we met this morning with 30 new trainers and managers who are ready to help us open 5 Special Olympics Camp Shrivers this summer, we felt at home again: people offering to help, wanting to fight discrimination, ready to give the gift of skill, the joy of a smile, the power of an example for others to follow. I hope during the rest of the trip we find the leaders and the money to empower them to success.

Off to Haiti...

I'm off to Haiti today with my daughter Rose and I'm not sure what to expect. Special Olympics has long worked in Haiti but needless to say, everything is different now. My colleagues Beth Alldridge and Bob Gobrecht have been working tirelessly with Maureen Weber to get our movement back up and running and it can't come soon enough.

So I can't wait to open 5 Camp Shrivers this summer. It may be a small help to an island in pain but the smiles will be worth all the effort. And they will be a healing all their own--a symbol of a more hopeful way of life. May it come soon and very soon.

We're off. Stay tuned.

Tim and Rose