what dreams are made of.....

In my last blog I spoke about a child being put down at a grocery store by her mother. How words were said that hurt and probably left an internal scar. Today I will speak of a young girl named Megan from St Cloud Cathedral high school. It was Megan's dream to be on the dance line team. Last week she had her dream come true. She danced during halftime of a football game in which her brother played. Her face was lit up and although her timing was just a bit off, who could fault that sweet girl whose smile would light a nation?

Who indeed?

Her parents shared her dream as did her brother. There were happy smiles, warm hugs and even on Facebook the cheers could be felt. The news media were also involved, everyone wanted to make sure that the world knew about this one girl's dream come true.

Megan has Down's syndrome. The support and care she has received thus far has been extremely instrumental in giving her opportunities that fifty plus years ago would have seemed insurmountable. Remember Rosemary Kennedy? She had a lobotomy to "cure" her retardation that sadly only hastened her passing. Her sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver made certain that children such as these would not be lost or forgotten and was active with Special Olympics until her death in 2009, proving that when given a chance, against all odds, kids DO have dreams and like the rest of us, wish to show those dreams off.

After visiting institutions for people with intellectual disabilities across United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, she was appalled by their treatment. She believed that, given the same opportunities and experiences as others, they were far more capable than commonly believed.

Shriver put that vision into action in 1962 by inviting children with intellectual disabilities to Camp Shriver, a summer day camp in her backyard, to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities. The Camp Shriver concept – that through sports people with intellectual disabilities can realize their potential for growth – began to spread, and in July 1968, the first International Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

“The Chicago Special Olympics prove a very fundamental fact,” Shriver said in her Opening Ceremony address at those Games, “the fact that exceptional children — children with mental retardation — can be exceptional athletes, the fact that through sports they can realize their potential for growth.” Shriver also announced a new national program — Special Olympics — to offer people with intellectual disabilities everywhere “the chance to play, the chance to compete and the chance to grow.”

What began as one woman's vision evolved into Special Olympics - a global movement that today serves 3 million people with intellectual disabilities in nearly 200 nations around the world. 

When given a chance, ALL of us can jump any hurdle life offers us. When GIVEN A CHANCE! Who among any of us, can take that chance away by our words or actions? Who, among any of us can GIVE that chance with words or actions? Which category do YOU fall into?