Movement to name SoCal Special Olympics HQ for Eunice Shriver gains momentum
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and mother of California first lady Maria Shriver, changed David Gauthier’s life.
Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics and later supported Best Buddies, a program that helps people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
It was through Best Buddies that Gauthier, a 42-year-old with cerebral palsy, got a job working in Mayor Bob Foster’s office.
Now, Gauthier wants to honor Kennedy Shriver by naming the Special Olympics Southern California headquarters in Long Beach after her. His idea has worked its way around City Hall, and 5th District City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske announced last week that she is supporting the proposal.
“It’s all about her message of inclusion,” Gauthier said of Kennedy Shriver. “It’s thanks to her, and really the whole Kennedy-Shriver family, that all of this came to pass — Special Olympics, Best Buddies.”
Read more here: Movement to name SoCal Special Olympics HQ for Eunice Shriver gains momentum – ContraCostaTimes.com.
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About The Author
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is founder of Support for Special Needs and has been a regular contributor since its inception in May 2010. A mom to two kids with special needs, she didn't want other parents to feel what is the often isolating world of raising a child (or two!) with disabilities. Her kids had kidney transplants at the age of eight and will need liver transplants in the future as a result of ARPKD/CHF. They both have vision disorders and learning disabilities.