"That was a good 40 years ago, and I can't think of a positive
experience really for our special friends in those days.
They had no special education, they had no special sports."
~Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Development
Camp Shriver
In the 1960's, Eunice got a call from a woman who told her she was having a hard time finding a summer camp for her child with intellectual disabilities. Eunice wasn't very happy when she heard this, so she decided to take action. Thus was born Camp Shriver. At the first Camp Shriver, there were thirty-four young children with intellectual disabilities and twenty-six high school and college students who served as the children's counselors. The kids swam, played soccer, shot baskets, and rode horses under the hot, summer sun. The counselors began to notice that these children were not difficult to work with. All these kids wanted was to have fun like any kid. Camp Shriver was an immediate success. People from the community came to watch the kids have fun and enjoy the activities ("Camp Shriver").
In the 1960's, Eunice got a call from a woman who told her she was having a hard time finding a summer camp for her child with intellectual disabilities. Eunice wasn't very happy when she heard this, so she decided to take action. Thus was born Camp Shriver. At the first Camp Shriver, there were thirty-four young children with intellectual disabilities and twenty-six high school and college students who served as the children's counselors. The kids swam, played soccer, shot baskets, and rode horses under the hot, summer sun. The counselors began to notice that these children were not difficult to work with. All these kids wanted was to have fun like any kid. Camp Shriver was an immediate success. People from the community came to watch the kids have fun and enjoy the activities ("Camp Shriver").
"When my mom started in Camp Shriver, there were 100 counselors, 100 kids with special needs, and the world's view of people with mental disabilities was vastly different than it is today."
~Maria Shriver ("A Tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver")
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"But if you could go with that same person out on a field and could play a sport, our special friend will excel." ~Eunice Kennedy Shriver ("A Tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver")
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Anne Burke ("Illinois Supreme Court Justice")
Anne Burke
In the early 1960's, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation held workshops explaining that everyone, even those with an intellectual disability, should have recreation. Anne Burke, an instructor with the Chicago Parks District, was inspired by these workshops. She sent a proposal to the Kennedy Foundation to hold a one-time citywide track meet for persons with intellectual disabilities in Chicago, something like the Olympics. Eunice saw potential with this thought. The Foundation asked Anne to expand this idea into more sports and athletes from across the United States. Burke and some Foundation staffers soon began to plan an event ("1968 Games").
In the early 1960's, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation held workshops explaining that everyone, even those with an intellectual disability, should have recreation. Anne Burke, an instructor with the Chicago Parks District, was inspired by these workshops. She sent a proposal to the Kennedy Foundation to hold a one-time citywide track meet for persons with intellectual disabilities in Chicago, something like the Olympics. Eunice saw potential with this thought. The Foundation asked Anne to expand this idea into more sports and athletes from across the United States. Burke and some Foundation staffers soon began to plan an event ("1968 Games").