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Special Olympics Founder Recognized with Top Collegiate Award for
Service and Dedication to People with Intellectual Disabilities Worldwide
WASHINGTON D.C., Eunice Kennedy Shriver was honored as the first recipient of the McAuley Medal from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland, in recognition of her outstanding and inspirational work establishing Special Olympics. Professor Peadar Cremin, President of Mary Immaculate College, traveled from Ireland to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, to personally present the award to Mrs. Shriver at her home.
The McAuley Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by Mary Immaculate College. Named in memory of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Catholic Sisters of Mercy, the award was created to recognize people who have made an exceptional personal contribution to advancing the welfare of the community.
“The College is deeply honored that Eunice Kennedy Shriver has agreed to be the inaugural recipient of the McAuley Medal,” said Professor Cremin. “She has succeeded not only in changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in every part of the globe, but she has also changed how others perceive those people.”
Under Mrs. Shriver’s leadership, Special Olympics and the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation have helped to advance international understanding of intellectual disability and have championed the rights and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities as citizens. Mrs. Shriver’s work has carried throughout the world and she has dedicated her life to ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone.
During the award presentation, Mrs. Shriver thanked everyone for their support and took a moment to recognize the work of others.
“I think we must remember the lay people, the nuns and the Church. So many of them give their lives to people with special needs. They do so much, with so much kindness, and, we don’t thank them enough,” she said.
Although she did not attend Mary Immaculate College, Mrs. Shriver’s family is connected to Limerick, Ireland. The Fitzgeralds, the maternal side of her family, originated from that region in Ireland. In June, a statue of President John F. Kennedy was unveiled in the town center of New Ross, Wexford County in Ireland..
“We at Mary Immaculate College have been inspired by Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s life’s work and her extraordinary capacity for making a difference,” Cremin added at the end of the presentation. “In celebrating people with intellectual disabilities, she has challenged societies all around the world to recognize the value and potential of these members of our community.”
Several members of Mrs. Shriver’s family attended the award ceremony which took place at her home in Cape Cod, including U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife Vicki; Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late Bobby Kennedy; and three of Mrs. Shriver’s children – Maria, Mark and Tim Shriver.
About Mary Immaculate College, Ireland
Founded in 1898 by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick and the Sisters of Mercy, Mary Immaculate College was Limerick’s first third level institution. Today, it educates approximately 40% of Ireland’s primary level school-teachers and has a thriving Liberal Arts programme. The College community has expanded dramatically over the past 16 years with almost 3000 students enrolled in 30 different academic programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels. With a legacy rooted in the Mercy tradition, the College has a particular commitment to social justice and equity in society and has a long history of championing initiatives aimed at making a difference for the better in the wider community. This ethos permeates all activities at the College, from teaching and learning to academic research. Mary Immaculate is actively engaged with the local community, particularly in its own urban hinterland where socio-economic disadvantage is pronounced and it is recognised nationally and internationally as an innovator and a vital partner in the effort to tackle educational disadvantage. Its expertise in the area of global development through education is also widely acknowledged and the College has a leading involvement in educational projects in the developing world. The College is also a leader in efforts to include those traditionally under-represented at third level, offering a range of unique and tailored supports for those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, for members of minority ethnic groups and for those with disabilities, whether intellectual or physical.
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