mossystate
flicks a booger on conrad
1921 - 2009
" Shriver saw that just as political roles were limited for her, many more opportunities were limited for people with mental retardation. Shorter says she rejected the role of society woman and took over the family foundation.
"She had the genius to see that she, in fact, was capable of major achievements helping these kids, and that's what she did. She dedicated her life to it," says Shorter.
She also opened her home. In 1962, an exhausted mother got Shriver on the phone. The woman wanted to know what to do because no summer camp would accept her child with mental retardation.
"I said, 'You don't have to talk about it anymore. You come here a month from today. I'll start my own camp. No charge to go into the camp, but you have to get your kid here, and you have to come and pick your kid up.' said, 'Thanks very much,' and I hung up the phone."
For years, Eunice Shriver ran that summer camp — for no charge — at Timberlawn, the family estate in Maryland. She would get in the pool and teach kids to swim. Her own children — Robert, Maria, Tim, Mark and Anthony — were just little kids in those days.
"Talk to Timmy," says Shriver, "[He'll] tell you horror stories about how they were left in the house and nobody to play with because was out teaching swimming."
There were scores of noisy campers, counselors, horses, soccer games and obstacle courses. Lyndon Johnson came once. Robert McNamara, too.
Tim Shriver says Camp Shriver—for all its chaos—is a big reason all his siblings stay involved in the issue.
"The great gift that we had as kids," Tim Shriver says, "was never to be introduced to disability or intellectual disability as a cause but more as an activity. Never as a burden, but rather as a joy. Our introduction to people with special needs was to swim or to play kickball or to go horseback riding. Part of her genius [has] always been to create things that are appealing, create opportunities that are joyful that people want to join, that make things fun." "
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9136962
http://www.eunicekennedyshriver.org/storywall/gallery/10#18
" Shriver saw that just as political roles were limited for her, many more opportunities were limited for people with mental retardation. Shorter says she rejected the role of society woman and took over the family foundation.
"She had the genius to see that she, in fact, was capable of major achievements helping these kids, and that's what she did. She dedicated her life to it," says Shorter.
She also opened her home. In 1962, an exhausted mother got Shriver on the phone. The woman wanted to know what to do because no summer camp would accept her child with mental retardation.
"I said, 'You don't have to talk about it anymore. You come here a month from today. I'll start my own camp. No charge to go into the camp, but you have to get your kid here, and you have to come and pick your kid up.' said, 'Thanks very much,' and I hung up the phone."
For years, Eunice Shriver ran that summer camp — for no charge — at Timberlawn, the family estate in Maryland. She would get in the pool and teach kids to swim. Her own children — Robert, Maria, Tim, Mark and Anthony — were just little kids in those days.
"Talk to Timmy," says Shriver, "[He'll] tell you horror stories about how they were left in the house and nobody to play with because was out teaching swimming."
There were scores of noisy campers, counselors, horses, soccer games and obstacle courses. Lyndon Johnson came once. Robert McNamara, too.
Tim Shriver says Camp Shriver—for all its chaos—is a big reason all his siblings stay involved in the issue.
"The great gift that we had as kids," Tim Shriver says, "was never to be introduced to disability or intellectual disability as a cause but more as an activity. Never as a burden, but rather as a joy. Our introduction to people with special needs was to swim or to play kickball or to go horseback riding. Part of her genius [has] always been to create things that are appealing, create opportunities that are joyful that people want to join, that make things fun." "
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9136962
http://www.eunicekennedyshriver.org/storywall/gallery/10#18
