Eunice Kennedy Shriver - The Human Spirit Initiative

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The Backyard Games “Nothing’s going to be easy. Let’s have fun along the way” Bill Veeck (owner of major league baseball teams; Hall of Famer) As with many major undertakings, Special Olympics began casually – almost by accident. The Shrivers-Eunice, Sargent, and their five children-lived at Timberlawn, a spacious estate in Rockville, Maryland with 25 acres of lawn plus easy access to another 250 acres of hills, woods and farmland. They frequently hosted an amazing range of guests including professional athletes, members of Congress and the Supreme Court, academic and literary celebrities, foreign dignitaries, religious leaders, and, of course, the President of the United States. Their guests enjoyed many activities. There were tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a stable full of horses. Timberlawn’s hospitable setting would soon offer its delights to children with intellectual disabilities, the “special friends” of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The Kennedys were an athletic and competitive family. Touch football was a traditional free-for-all when the Kennedys were at home in Hyannis, Massachusetts. To EKS, who was an avid athlete herself, fun and games seemed the natural way for all children to grow and flourish. When the mother of a child with intellectual disabilities asked her help in finding a summer camp for her child, EKS willingly took on the task. But in trying to find athletic facilities for such children – children who were often physically unfit and overweight Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Special Olympics – she discovered that none existed. So, in typical EKS fashion, she took action and started a camp in her own backyard. There was nothing half-hearted about Camp Shriver, as it was called. A typical day began with the arrival of busloads of children from local institutions. They played soccer and basketball, swam, rode horses, and jumped on trampolines. The children were never left without support and supervision. Diverse groups of volunteers, including teenagers from nearby high schools and all five of the Shriver children, worked with them all day long. It was indeed chaos, but organized chaos. Eunice Kennedy Shriver giving swimming lessons at Camp Shriver in her backyard, 1962. She started her life’s work in her own backyard by hosting Camp Shriver, an inclusive summer sports camp for people with intellectual disabilities.
Sprinkled amidst the eager amateur volunteers were highly qualified professionals in the fields of sports, physical education, health care, mental health, and education. Sandy Eiler, a former Olympic swimmer from Canada, was hired as camp director. Questions were asked about supports and services for children with intellectual disabilities that had never been asked before. Where do you go to find a soccer instructor? The British Embassy, of course. Were the children interested in dance? How about a volunteer from the Philippine Embassy to show them forms of Asian dance? EKS believed that the camp would be a success, and she was right. Her own children, who had grown up with their Aunt Rosemary, the other young volunteers, and campers with intellectual disabilities all played together. Sargent Shriver was an active and avid cheerleader for Camp Shriver and eventually the President and CEO of Special Olympics. There were soon five more camps around the country, and by 1968, 40 camps nationwide. Eunice Kennedy Shriver was to expand her reach far beyond Camp Shriver. It was but a trailhead that would lead to Special Olympics. Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Special Olympics
Page 1: Eunice Kennedy Shriver Special Olym
Page 4 and 5: Dedicated in 2005 to the spirit of
Page 6 and 7: v Acknowledgements This monograph w
Page 8 and 9: v Contents Eunice Kennedy Shriver a
Page 10 and 11: Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Page 12 and 13: The Fearless Warr or “She was, qu
Page 16 and 17: Spec al Olymp cs Beg ns “Let me w
Page 18 and 19: In the 9 0s “One can never consen
Page 20 and 21: In the 9 0s “Special Olympics has
Page 22 and 23: Around the World “Every child com
Page 24 and 25: All K nds of Games “Our deepest c
Page 26 and 27: Some Spec al Olymp cs Athletes “.
Page 28 and 29: Not Just Fun and Games “Whatever
Page 30 and 31: We’ll Help Too “The spirit of v
Page 32 and 33: Pass ng the Torch “To work is to
Page 34 and 35: EKS also received the Legion of Hon
Page 36 and 37: Eun ce Kennedy Shr ver’s Legacy t
Page 38 and 39: Chronology 1962 Camp Shriver, a day
Page 40 and 41: 0 Chronology from around the world,
Page 42 and 43: Special Olympics Middle East North
Page 44 and 45: Looking ahead, we hope that the wor
Page 46 and 47: Estonia Faroe Islands Finland Franc
Page 48 and 49: America’s Third Great Sector Over
Page 50 and 51: ing the best minds we could to this
Page 52 and 53: • The sector became large enough,
Page 54 and 55: I have spoken or represented the Un
Page 56 and 57: Access Numbers to Nat onal Organ za
Page 58 and 59: Gathering Insights and Understandin
Page 60 and 61: Echoes of Past: Parallels n Today
Page 62 and 63: • Cross-sector partnerships begin
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III. Business and Industry - Govern
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Conclus ons, Major Themes, and Gu d
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Legacy and Impact Data In the field
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Econom c Cond t ons 9 0- 990 The 70
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service economy which created part
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On April 22, 1970, the first Earth
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• Critics labeled Reagan’s fore
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Resources Cited Stossel, Scott. Sar
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For more Information The Human Spir
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© The Human Spirit Initiative The
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