This Backyard Camp Became A Global Movement

Eunice Kennedy Shriver started something wonderful in her own backyard in 1962. She invited children and adults with intellectual disabilities to a summer day camp at her Maryland home, giving them a chance to swim, run, and play games together. She believed every person deserved the joy of sport, no matter their ability. That small gathering became the seed of what we now know as the Special Olympics.

Just six years later, in 1968, the first official Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago, drawing about a thousand athletes from the United States and Canada. Today the organization reaches more than five million athletes in over 190 countries. Eunice Kennedy Shriver kept working on behalf of athletes for the rest of her life, insisting they be treated as champions, not charity cases. Her backyard idea grew into a movement built on dignity, joy, and genuine competition. Every torch relay, every medal ceremony, and every proud family in the stands today traces back to a summer afternoon when one determined woman decided everyone deserved to play.