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Legislative Hall turns red to celebrate Special Olympics 50th anniversary

Delaware Public Media
Delaware’s State Capitol Building - Legislative Hall - will turn red this weekend, to mark Special Olympics’ 50th anniversary celebration.";s:

Delaware’s State Capitol Building will turn red this weekend.

 

 

Legislative Hallis one of several hundred buildings and landmarks across the country that will be lit up in red this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics.

“What they tried to do is, they tried to get each of the states that have some significant buildings lit up and then of course some of the landmarks around the world. And they’ve had a big response for it, so it’s going to be kind of neat - things lit up in red. All to celebrate the 50 years of Special Olympics.” said Jon Buzby, Director of Media Relations and Program Innovations for Special Olympics Delaware.

 

Special Olympics was founded by the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968 and has grown to include more than five million athletes and unified partners participating in 170 countries.

 

“A lot of people don’t know that the Kennedys had a sister with a disability. And that was one of the reasons that she (Eunice Kennedy) felt very strongly that it was an opportunity to celebrate people with disabilities and doing that through sport. The Kennedy’s were a very, very athletic family, as a lot of people know. And a lot of people said that Eunice Kennedy Shriver might have been the best athlete of that entire family.”

 
Over the course of the past half century, Special Olympics' mission has been to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities and create inclusive communities.  

Buzby says some of the landmarks turning bright red across the country for the occasion, include Niagra Falls and the Empire State Building.

Here in Delaware,  Legislative Hall will be lit up Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

 

Kelli Steele has over 30 years of experience covering news in Delaware, Baltimore, Winchester, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California.