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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Approximately 6.5 million people in the United
3States and 1% of the global population have an intellectual
4disability; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In the 1950s and early 1960s, Eunice Kennedy
6Shriver saw how unjustly and unfairly people with intellectual
7disabilities were treated and saw that many children with
8intellectual disabilities didn't even have a place to play;
9deciding to take action, she held a summer day camp for young
10people with intellectual disabilities in her backyard in order
11to learn what these children could do in sports and other
12activities and not dwell on what they could not do; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Throughout the 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver
14continued her pioneering work, both as the driving force behind
15President John F. Kennedy's White House panel on people with
16intellectual disabilities and as the director of the Joseph P.
17Kennedy, Jr. Foundation; her vision and drive for justice
18eventually grew into the Special Olympics movement; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Special Olympics strives to create a better
20world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people;
21through the power of sports, people with intellectual
22disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and

 

 

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1success and find joy, confidence and fulfillment on the playing
2field and in life; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Special Olympics hosts a wide range of
4training sessions, competitions, health screenings, and
5fund-raising events for those with intellectual disabilities;
6the organization also creates opportunities for families,
7community members, local leaders, businesses, law enforcement,
8celebrities, dignitaries, and others to band together to change
9attitudes and support athletes; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Anne McGlone Burke, then a Chicago Park District
11instructor at West Pullman Park, received support from Mayor
12Richard J. Daley to pursue her vision to organize an event
13showcasing the abilities of her athletes; and
 
14    WHEREAS, On July 19-20, 1968, the first International
15Special Olympics Summer Games were held at Soldier Field in
16Chicago; a thousand people with intellectual disabilities from
1726 U.S. states and Canada competed in track and field and
18swimming; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Special Olympics mission of empowering those
20with intellectual disabilities though sport remains as vital
21today as it did when the movement was founded; the athletes,
22administration, and countless volunteers of the Special

 

 

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1Olympics are worthy of the greatest respect; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
4designate July of 2015 as Special Olympics Month in the State
5of Illinois in honor of this great organization and its goals;
6and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to the Special Olympics as a symbol of our esteem and
9respect.