Eunice Kennedy Shriver won the Laureus Sport for Good Award at our inaugural Awards ceremony in 2000. Prince Albert of Monaco and World Sports Academy Chairman, Edwin Moses, presented the award to Mrs Kennedy Shriver for her tremendous contribution to society through sport as founder of the Special Olympics.
Here follows a fitting tribute from our friends at the Special Olympics:
Dear Special Olympics Family & Fans,
It is with great sadness that we report that Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, passed away in the morning of August 11, 2009, surrounded by her family. She was 88 years old. Near her at the time of her death were her husband, R. Sargent Shriver; her five children: Robert “Bobby” Sargent Shriver III, Maria Owings Shriver, Timothy Perry Shriver, Mark Kennedy Shriver and Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver, as well as their spouses and all of her nineteen grandchildren.
The younger sister of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Mrs. Shriver was the founder and honorary chairperson of Special Olympics, and executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation. She has been a leader in the worldwide movement to improve and to enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities for more than six decades. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts on July 10th, 1921, she was the fifth of nine children of Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University along with numerous other honors and awards. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed upon her the title of Dame of the papal Order of St. Gregory the Great.
“We are tremendously grateful for the extreme outpouring of support and prayer from the public as we honor our beloved founder,” said Special Olympics President and COO Brady Lum. “Today we celebrate the life of a woman who had the vision to create our movement. It is an enormous loss, but I know we can rest assured that her legacy will live on through her family, friends, and the millions of people around the world who she touched and transformed. In her memory, we will continue to work to bring her powerful vision to life to change the lives of those with intellectual disabilities, their families and communities, using sports as the catalyst for respect, acceptance and inclusion.”
Today is a time to reflect on the powerful vision of Mrs. Shriver and the positive change it has brought to the lives of millions of people with intellectual disabilities around the world. And in the days and months ahead, we look forward to your continuing support to Special Olympics movement.
Please kindly post your tributes on the Eunice Kennedy Shriver website (www.eunicekennedyshriver.org ) that was recently established to honor her life’s work .
Thanks and best regards,
Special Olympics East Asia
Nod on 12.08.2009 22:08
A truely remarkable woman with the vision to go against the norm and stand up for young and excluded children – letting the world know who they were and what they were capable of and bring confidence and a sense of true worth to those who otherwise would find themselves on the scrap heap of life. RIP.