[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15471-15472]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 17, 2008

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Special Olympics. 
Special Olympics began through the dreams, work, and dedication of 
Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Mrs. Shriver, along with her son Timothy 
Shriver, and countless volunteers have made the dream of the Special 
Olympics a reality for 40 years now.
  The Special Olympics embody the real American Dream--a world where 
everybody matters, where everybody counts and everybody gives their 
all. For four decades, Special Olympics has brought us closer to that 
idea by encouraging excellence, sharing and courage

[[Page 15472]]

through year-round sports training and athletic competition for 
children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics 
improves health and physical well-being. It builds confidence and self-
esteem. And perhaps most importantly, it gives athletes a voice, so 
that they can become active and productive members of their 
communities.
  We sometimes forget what life was like for the intellectually 
disabled before the Special Olympics--a time when people were shuttered 
away in institutions, sentenced to lives of solitude, emptiness and 
sadness. But today that has all changed, largely because of the Special 
Olympics. Today, 2.5 million Special Olympians train and compete in 30 
sports in over 180 countries. The Special Olympics has become a 
platform for breaking down social barriers--for raising the standard of 
public health, for helping intellectually disabled people overcome a 
prejudice that, for all our advances, plagues us to this day in some 
corners of society.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with me to celebrate and honor the 
Special Olympics on the 40th anniversary of this remarkable, 
inspirational organization.

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