[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[July 26, 2007]
[Pages 1021-1023]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Special Olympics Global Law Enforcement Torch Run Ceremony
July 26, 2007
Thank you all. Welcome to the Rose Garden. Thanks for that touching
introduction, Laura. [Laughter] I am proud to
salute an outstanding group of athletes, the men and women of Team USA.
And I'm pleased to announce today that Secretary of Education Margaret
Spellings, who is with us today, will
lead the impressive delegation to the World Games in Shanghai.
[[Page 1022]]
Thank you, Madam Secretary. Appreciate your service.
I'd also like to extend our greetings to the representatives from
Team China. You're welcome here in the Rose Garden, and I appreciate you
bringing this warm weather with you. I thank Secretary Mike
Leavitt for joining us. Michael, it's
good to see you. Thanks for being here. We are really proud that Eunice
Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the
Special Olympics, took time to be here in the Rose Garden. Welcome back
to the White House. Great to see you. And I'm glad you brought your
boy with you--[laughter]--the chairman of
the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver. Thanks for being here, Tim. These are
good people.
I'm proud to be here, as well, with Liu Peng--
he's the Chinese Minister of Sports--and other members of the Chinese
delegation. We welcome you here. Thank you for coming, Mr. Minister. And
I appreciate very much your bringing President Hu's
letter on the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai. It's
very kind for you to have brought his letter to me, and I'm glad to have
received it.
I want to thank Hans Hickler, the CEO of
DHL, who has joined us. I thank Chief LaMunyon, who Laura just talked about.
He's the founder of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, and he's here with
his wife Sharron. Chief, appreciate you
coming. Thanks for being a visionary. Glad you brought Sharron.
I thank the Special Olympic athletes, the final leg runners, and the
law enforcement officials that have joined us today. Proud of your
service, and proud of your compassion.
I remember when I was the Governor of the great State of Texas being
a hugger. That was during the Special Olympic games. If you've never
been a hugger, I strongly advise you to be one. [Laughter] That means
you stand at the end of the finish line of a race and you hug the people
coming across the line. It meant a lot to me to be a hugger. It
introduced me to the Special Olympics, and I have been a big backer of
the Special Olympics, primarily because then, and since then, I have
been inspired by the determination and the courage of our athletes.
And so we welcome you, and we welcome your families, and we welcome
your coaches and your supporters. And to the family members and coaches
and supporters, I thank you for helping our fellow citizens understand
that the promise of this country belongs to every citizen. Over four
decades, the Special Olympics has changed the lives of millions of
people across the world. And we're proud to note that this noble mission
began right here in America. And let me just say, I believe it is a
fitting testimony to this country, that was based upon ideals of
inclusion and acceptance and hope, that the games we honor today began
right here in our country.
And ours is a country that constantly needs to strive to realize
that vision. Interestingly enough, it was 17 years ago today that the
Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law at the White House.
I know some folks here witnessed that signature. And I know a man who
played a major role in getting that done, and that was the 41st
President. You call him President; I call
him dad. I am proud it was my dad that signed that law into being. I
firmly believe millions of disabled Americans have found more
opportunities to work and to contribute to our society because of that
law.
There's more work to be done, and that's why my administration is
building on progress through what we have called the New Freedom
Initiative. It's a good initiative, and it's an important initiative,
and it's an initiative that will help all Americans realize the great
blessings of this country.
That's why the message of Special Olympics is important. That's why
millions have joined this cause, Eunice. It started off as an idea, and now it's a worldwide
movement. And that's why we look proudly upon
[[Page 1023]]
the ``Flame of Hope,'' which symbolizes the dreams of millions.
One of the athletes who is going to carry the torch today is Karen
Dickerson. Karen is a tireless advocate for
her fellow athletes. She's what we'd call a fierce competitor. In the
2003 World Games in Ireland, Karen was told that she had a stress
fracture in her leg. Yet through sheer willpower, she won the bronze
medal. She has since run two Marine Corps Marathons. In the Boston
Marathon this April, she finished in the top 10 percent of all women.
I want to thank you for being here. Karen should serve as an inspiration for a lot of folks in
our country. You're a true champ, just like every other Special Olympian
that has joined us today and the millions who will be in Shanghai later
on. Your success is best measured not by the medals you win but the kind
of courage you show. You follow your dreams, you never gave up, and
you've shown us what the Olympic spirit is all about.
And so we send you to the World Games with our love and our prayers.
We ask that you carry the greetings of the American people with you when
you go to Shanghai and our wish for a world--and that you remind the
people that our wish for our world is a more welcoming, more hopeful,
and more peaceful place.
God bless you all, and good luck.
Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Hu Jintao of China. The
transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary included the
remarks of the First Lady, who introduced the President.