Tag Archives: Special Olympics

Spread the Word to End the Word

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No more use of the R word, no more using the word ”Retard.” I agree 110 percent. I have signed up. I would hope you will all help spread the word. Click here to see this special bulletin from Special Olympics.

Please don’t send me emails calling me a “retard” when I do something you don’t agree with for the Capitals. I take great offense to that term. I am deeply involved with Best Buddies and with the Shriver family. One of my best friends suffers from an intellectual disability and I see the fallout from when he is called a “retard” at school or work.Don’t do it. Rise above it all. Be politically correct and nice in this instance. Get involved with Best Buddies and with Special Olympics. Befriend these special people. Delete the R word from your vocabulary. It is the right thing to do.

Special Olympics and Best Buddies

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The Shriver family is very special. Mr. and Mrs. Shriver have helped more people via founding the Special Olympics and the Peace Corps than perhaps any other couple in US history. Their son, Anthony Shriver, founded and still leads Best Buddies, a charity we have supported for a long time. I also have a long standing relationship with Big Ken Holden, my e-Buddy. We email and talk every single day courtesy of Best Buddies.

Tim Shriver runs Special Olympics. Bobby Shriver founded RED with Bono.

Maria Shriver is the first lady of California and a best-selling author and journalist. We were classmates at Georgetown University together. I remain friendly with the entire family. There is no family I respect more than the Shriver’s.

You can imagine the collective groan we all made when our President made a joke – at the expense of people with special needs - last week on the Jay Leno show.

I know the President called the Shriver family afterwards to offer his apologies and to also re-commit to spending stimulus dollars to help drive better educational programs in public schools for families with these one of a kind needs. For all of that, we are grateful.

Words matter. Words can hurt and I bet any one of a dozen Special Olympians could beat our President at bowling to boot. :-)  Check out how you can help Special Olympics today. Click this link.