I'm sad to hear that Eunice Kennedy Shriver has passed away. Whatever your politics may be, please join me in celebrating the life of an amazing woman who founded something that has had great meaning to someone close to me: The Special Olympics. Because of her work, my sister Becky, who has intellectual disabilities, has competed with athletes from around the state she lives in, and from around the world. She proudly shows off her medals, and her swim strokes, to anyone who asks, beaming all the while with the pride of accomplishment. That is priceless.
From the Boston Globe:
"[Mrs. Shriver] believed that people with intellectual disabilities could -- individually and collectively -- achieve more than anyone thought possible," her son, Timothy P. Shriver, chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics, said in a statement. "This much she knew with unbridled faith and certainty. And this faith in turn gave her hope that their future might be radically different."
From Mrs. Shriver at the 1987 Special Olympics World Games, South Bend, Ind.:
"The right to play on any playing field? You have earned it. The right to study in any school. You have earned it. The right to hold a job? You have earned it. The right to be anyone’s neighbor? You have earned it."
Thank you, Mrs. Shriver. May you rest in peace. You have earned it.