Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s Contribution to Worcester

Courtesy of NECN.com

If you do not have a family member or friend that has some form of mental or physical disability it may be hard to grasp Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s legacy of the Special Olympics.  I admit I was not that informed about it.  The Worcester area hosted the Winter Games this year.

I ran across this NECN story about a family in Auburn’s personal story on how the Special Olympics affected their lives and I have to say that the young woman Lauren Hopper paints a clear picture of how it has positively impacted her life.

Since Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away yesterday morning there have been many news stories and interviews about her and her work with the Special Olympics.  One of the segments that I remember is where she talked about the role that sports play in the formation of friendships in youth.  We take that for granted but community, independence, competition and friendships are big parts of participating in organized sports.  You can see that on the soccer fields on the weekends.  The Special Olympics that Eunice Kennedy Shriver started in 1968 brought that to individuals and families that for a long time were left out of the experience.

Not only did she spawn the Special Olympics she inspired her son Anthony to start the Best Buddies program.  The Best Buddies program brings opportunities for friendships and jobs to the same community.  It has gotten more publicity here in Massachusetts because the New England Patriot’s  Tom Brady has acted as their Honorary Chair.

Enjoy the video: