His lifelong passion for helping people with special needs is why Fairfield University invited him to speak about his humanitarian work on Nov. 16 at the school.
As part of the 19th annual Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lectureship at Fairfield, Shriver plans to make a presentation titled Overcoming the Fear of Difference. His lecture takes place at 8 p.m., Nov. 16, at the school's Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road, Fairfield.
Shriver's talk, part of the Open Visions Forum series, focused on his work with one of the largest non-profits in the world for people with special needs. Special Olympics is an international organization that invests more than $125 million into health and athletic programs, holding 108,000 competitions in nearly 170 countries.
It all started with Shriver's mother, frustrated with a lack of activities for people with disabilities, started Camp Shriver in her Maryland backyard in 1962, officials said.
Shriver's talk comes just months before more than 3,000 athletes with disabilities compete in Austria for the 2017 Winter Special Olympics.
To order tickets, visit the Quick Center website or call the box office at (203)-254-4010. Tickets are $35, or $27 for Quick Center members.
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