On Saturday, September 22, a Unified Golf Tournament in Granger will celebrate the the third annual global EKS Day, a worldwide celebration in memory of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics movement and a leading international advocate for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. EKS Day is a global call challenging everyone to “Play Unified to Live Unified” because Mrs. Shriver taught us that on the playing field, we forget about our differences and recognize our mutual humanity. Across the globe, people are demonstrating Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s enduring vision by calling upon athletes, families and friends to come together in a day of inclusive sport and play.
In proclaiming EKS Day throughout the world Timothy Shriver, CEO and President of Special Olympics said, “Today, on the annual global Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day, our movement comes together on playing fields all around the world and we invite everyone to join in by playing unified. Just as my mother tackled injustice with sport, community and friendship, so too are we using these tools to spread a powerful message about the dignity that belongs to every person, regardless of her or his ability.”
EKS Day will be celebrated with a number of sports-related activities involving both people with and without intellectual disabilities. In the Des Moines area this includes the nine-hole alternate shot Unified Golf tournament which provides the opportunity for SOIA athletes and their Unified Sports Partners to develop a better understanding and respect for one another's abilities.
The event features 84 golfers, 42 Special Olympics Iowa athletes partnering with 42 athletes without intellectual disabilities. Principal Financial Group is the corporate sponsor. The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. at Jester Park Golf Course
For more information, call 515-986-5520 or visit www.eksday.org
About Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day is an annual celebration of her life and a global call challenging everyone to “Play Unified to Live Unified” because she taught us that on the playing field, we forget about our differences and recognize our mutual humanity. On EKS Day, we invite you to join us in playing unified and teaching the world to live unified. As founder and honorary chairperson of Special Olympics and executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a leader in the worldwide struggle to improve and enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities for more than five decades. Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s actions helped open the minds of all people to the gifts and talents of individuals with intellectual disabilities. She believed in their possibilities, which fuel hope in all of us to make a difference. Eunice Kennedy Shriver demonstrated an unrelenting indomitable spirit in action that one person could make a difference and change the world. Her lasting legacy must be our continued commitment to improve and transform the lives of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual disabilities that still live with diminished opportunities and social disrespect, and are often neglected and hidden away. To learn more, visit www.eksday.org and www.eunicekennedyshirver.org
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives through the power of sport by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to nearly four million athletes in over 170 countries in all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programs. Special Olympics now takes place every day, changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities all over the world, from community playgrounds and ball fields in every small neighborhood’s backyard to World Games.
Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship. Special Olympics continues to grow thanks in part to the support of global corporate sponsors including The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, Hilton Worldwide, Mattel and Lions Club International. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org. Engage with us on: Twitter @specialolympics; fb.com/specialolympics; youtube.com/specialolympicshq, and specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com
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