OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM SPECIAL OLYMPICS CHAIRMAN

“President Obama called last night and expressed his regret and he apologized. He said that he did not intend to humiliate Special Olympics athletes or people with intellectual disabilities. He was sincere and heartfelt, and said that he is a fan of our movement and is ready to work with our athletes to make the United States a more accepting and welcoming country for all people with special needs.
“Words hurt and words matter. Words can cause pain and result in stereotypes that are unfair and damaging to people with intellectual disabilities. And using 'Special Olympics' in a negative or derogatory context can be a humiliating put-down to people with special needs.
“This is a teachable moment for our country. We are asking young people, parents and leaders from all walks of life to engage in conversation and help dispel negative caricatures about people with intellectual disabilities. We believe that it’s only through open conversation and dialogue about how stereotypes can cause pain that we can begin to work together to create communities of acceptance and inclusion for all.
“Special Olympics is not a program, but a worldwide movement operating 30,000 events a year in more than 180 countries. Every one of them is a chance for people of all ages to get involved, to think differently about attitudes and perceptions they may have about people with intellectual disabilities, and to make a difference.
“And so we challenge people to join our 'Spread the Word to End the Word' campaign, a youth-led national awareness effort that will launch on March 31, where we are asking people to pledge their respect for people with special needs. We’re asking people to sign our 'R-word' pledge, to join in our Unified Sports programs, to volunteer, and to be fans of our athletes and our movement.
“Additionally, we challenge policy leaders at all levels to commit to improving the support and resources for people with intellectual disabilities in areas such as healthcare, education, housing and recreation.
“Finally, we invite the President to take the lead and consider hiring a Special Olympics athlete to work in the White House. In so doing, he could help end misperceptions about the talents and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities, and demonstrate their dignity and value to the world."

Go to:
http://www.specialolympics.org/official_statement.aspx

From a forgotten rescuer, a simple tribute makes its way to JFK's gravesite

In a small, private ceremony in November at Arlington Cemetery, members of the Kennedy family watched as an unusual but heartfelt item was placed on President John F. Kennedy's grave: a simple, bracelet-size ring made of cream-colored shell, sent by an elderly man who lives on a remote island halfway across the world.

Why the fuss? Because without Eroni Kumana, the man who asked that the item be placed on the grave, Jack Kennedy, the young PT boat captain, might have not made it back from World War II.
Kumana was one of two Solomon Islanders who helped rescue Kennedy and his crew after his boat, PT-109, had been rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer.
When the destroyer smashed into the small boat in the early morning hours of Aug. 2, 1943, two crewmen died. Kennedy, then 26, led his remaining 10 crew members in a weeklong fight for survival, swimming to a series of tiny, deserted islands.
Kumana and another native, Biuku Gasa, found the men, who had been surviving on coconuts. They took a message from Kennedy written on a coconut husk (an item currently on display in Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston) to the nearest Allied base 35 miles away. A rescue was launched.
Fast-forward more than 60 years. Mark Roche, an investment banker whose hobby is World War II history, traveled to the Solomon Islands in March and, on a whim, looked up Kumana, now 83, who lives on Ranongga Island. After they talked for about an hour, Roche said, he asked if Kumana would like him to place some of the flowers from his yard on Kennedy's grave.
At that point, Roche said in an e-mail to the Kennedy Library, Kumana went into his hut and pulled out the ring of shell, which was a piece of custom money or shell money. The money, carved from a fossilized giant clam shell, could once be used to pay for a bride, buy land, and apply to other purposes in the Solomon Islands.
Kumana's son explained that another traditional use of the custom money was to lay it on a chief's grave.
Roche, 52, of Houston, agreed to lay it on Kennedy's grave for Kumana. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he was able to get in touch with the Kennedy family and the ceremony was arranged.
The Kennedys treated Roche with "incredible graciousness," he said. "I was raised in a Nixon household. Honestly, we were raised, sort of, 'We don't like Kennedys.' . . . I take offense against anybody who says a bad thing about a Kennedy now."
The ceremony took place Nov. 1. Those attending included President Kennedy's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver; his nephew Tim Shriver; and his niece Sydney Lawford McKelvy.
The item is now part of the museum's collection and will one day be displayed next to the coconut husk bearing Kennedy's message, museum officials said.

Go to:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/02/20/from_a_forgotten_rescuer_a_simple_tribute_makes_its_way_to_jfks_gravesite/

A fashionable Kennedy connection

Kennedy cousin and Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver gave the ravishing Roberta Armani, niece of designer Giorgio Armani and PR director of the fashion house, the grand tour of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum during her first trip to the city.
They later repaired to the Armani store on Newbury Street for another event. Word is, the fashionista met Tim when she attended the Special Olympics World Games in Ireland where Roberta, on behalf of her uncle, hosted the World Games’ opening night kickoff party. Seems awful Special, doesn’t it???

Go to:

http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1119131