Invitation to a Bush White House Dinner in 2001 is white with the gold presidential seal in the center. The inside reads, "The President and Mrs. Laura Bush welcome you to the White House for a dinner celebrating the spirit of Special Olympics."
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Black short sleeve t-shirt worn by co-founder of Action Sports Alliance, Mimi Knoop, when participating in the Women's vert contest at the 2006 X-games. The Action Sports Alliance worked to level the playing field for women in skateboarding, providing competitive prize money and TV time for the pro women skaters.Knoop, an east coast native, hence the “Virginia is For Lovers” sticker on her board, turned pro in 2003 after moving to California. Since that time she has one five X-Games medals and many pool competitions. Knoop is a strong advocate for women skaters and is the co-founder of the Action Sports Alliance. The Alliance worked to level the playing field for women in skateboarding, providing competitive prize money and TV time for the pro women skaters at the 2009 X-Games. Her ‘hoopla skateboard’ brand is geared toward girls and women continuing Knoop’s philosophy of strengthening skateboarding for future generations of girl skaters.
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”