Brief Story Of Eunice's Divided

The children were able to swim, kick soccer balls, shoot baskets, and ride horses, all with the help of their counselor. Eunice says, “Perhaps most importantly, the young counselors, wary at first, began to see, that these children were not "difficult," "unteachable," "belligerent" and all those other stereotypes that had been ascribed to them. They merely wanted to have fun ... just like every other kid.” (Eunice Kennedy Shriver Staff) This is exactly what Eunice’s mission was, she wanted to show America that people with disabilities were capable of much of the same things that the “normal” person was. With the first Camp Shriver over and a huge success Shriver knew she would have another. This time she would open the camp up to the public

As the driving force behind John F. Kennedy’s White House panel on people with intellectual disabilities and director of the Joseph P Kennedy Jr. Foundation her vision and plan to hold a Special Olympics began to take shape. In 1968 with help from The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice and her husband would hold the first ever Special Olympic World Games. July 20, 1968, that was the day the world would forever be changed. With full support from Chicago’s mayor, Richard Daley, the first World Games would be held at Soldier Field. 1,000 handicap people from 26 states and Canada gathered to compete in track and field, swimming, and floor hockey. Shriver created the Special Olympics Oath for the first games, she wanted this to be something for the athletes to live by as an inspiration and motivation. “Let me win, but if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt.” (McCallum) The oath was recited before the start of every event at the first games. By December of 1968, the Special Olympics became an official nonprofit organization, and a Special Olympics chapter was organized in every U.S. state as well as in Canada and France. In December of 1971 the “U.S. Olympic Committee gives Special Olympics official approval as one of only two organizations authorized to use the name “Olympics” in the United

"The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community." This statement is still used today and is something that Special Olympians live by. The world has opened their eyes to people with disabilities, they’ve come to accept them and appreciate them for who they are. From the very first Special Olympics in 1968 to present day there has been a tremendous growth, from 1,000 participants to over three million today, the organization continues to grow. At the first games there were three events the athletes could participate in, today there are over thirty, something for every person to learn to do. For 8th grader at Pine Valley Middle School, Rufus, is using his experience at the Special Olympics to help him start a broadcasting page on Youtube. “Rufus is everyone’s friend, I think the Special Olympics has opened him up to be more sociable at school, it’s taught him how to accept losing, but most of all how to be a great winner.” (Hussey) says Mr. Dunn the principle at Rufus’s middle school. Olivia Quigley is