An inspiring exemplar of public service, Timothy P. Shriver to speak at Fairfield University on Nov. 16 | Press Releases

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (November 9, 2016 ) — To say that Dr. Timothy Shriver has dedicated his life to championing people living with special needs wouldn’t be an exaggeration. In 1962, exasperated with the lack of activities available for people living with disabilities in the United States, Eunice Kennedy Shriver started Camp Shriver in her Maryland back yard. Just six years later, in 1968, she launched the first ever Special Olympics in Chicago. Her son Timothy was nine years old.

Today the Special Olympics is an international non-profit that invests over $125-million into health and athletic programs for people with special needs, holding 108,000 competitions in almost 170 countries, according to the organization’s 2015 Annual Report.

Dr. Shriver, Chairman of the Special Olympics, will present Overcoming the Fear of Difference at the Quick Center for the Arts. Part of the Open VISIONS Forum series, he will discuss his life’s work with what is now one of the largest non-profits focused on people with special needs in the world. The talk falls just a few months before more than 3,000 athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities representing over 100 countries descend on the slopes and ice rinks of Austria for the 2017 Winter Special Olympics.

In an exemplary life of public service inspired by his parents, Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Timothy Shriver has promoted the gifts of marginalized individuals by advocating for inclusionary dignity for all. As an activist, educator, author, and film producer, his work has impacted over 4.5 million Special Olympics athletes around the world. Dr. Shriver has noted that this is a “cause that affects everyone – it is about strengthening community through acceptance and inclusion.”

Timothy P. Shriver will speak on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. To order tickets, visit quickcenter.com or call the Box Office at 203-254-4010. Tickets are $35, $27 for Quick Center members. This lecture is made possible through the generosity of David and Debby Zieff, Delamar & Spa, TV Eyes and Moffly Media.