Mrs. Obama to posthumously honor Eunice Kennedy Shriver
WASHINGTON — ESPN has chosen Michelle Obama to help posthumously honor Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
The former first lady is presenting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Shriver’s son, Timothy Shriver, during ABC’s broadcast of the ESPYS awards in Los Angeles Wednesday night.
Timothy Shriver chairs the Special Olympics, a sporting event his mother founded in the late 1960s to help empower people with intellectual disabilities.
Mrs. Obama says in a statement that Eunice Shriver’s work to promote their inclusion and acceptance was inspiring and changed the lives of countless young athletes.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver died in 2009. Her sister, Rosemary, was intellectually disabled.
The courage award is given annually to someone who embodies the spirit of its namesake, tennis legend and longtime human rights campaigner Arthur Ashe.