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Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Day - Sunday 29 September 2013
MEDIA RELEASE 23 September
2013
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
(EKS) Day - Sunday 29 September 2013
From a
backyard summer camp for people with intellectual
disabilities to a global movement, Special Olympics has been
changing lives and attitudes for 45 years.
Special Olympics Wellington and Mornington Golf Club are celebrating EKS Day on Sunday 29 September by inviting our local community to come along between 2pm and 5pm and try out the newly refurbished Bocce Courts and Bowling Green at the Berhampore Community Sports Venue in Stanley Street, Berhampore, Wellington. Mayor Celia-Wade Brown will officially open the Courts.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Day is an annual celebration of Mrs Shriver’s life, and an invitation for everyone to "Play Unified to Live Unified!” This global call to action stems from Mrs. Shriver's teaching that on the playing field, we forget about our differences and recognise our mutual humanity.
When Berhampore Bowling Club closed down in 2012, Special Olympics Wellington were faced with the challenge of finding a new home for intellectually disabled athletes to play bocce, the Italian form of Petanque. Luckily, our immediate neighbours, Mornington Golf Club, wanted to revitalise their Club and improve their member facilities. We got together and agreed to renovate the Bocce courts, re-open Lawn Bowls and upgrade the two club rooms.
After six months hard work and lots of fundraising, the Bocce Courts have been re-surfaced, the bowling green is looking really smooth, the Golf Club has introduced First Tee (a junior golf programme) and the Club rooms have been refurbished from top to bottom.
The Golf Club is no longer simply a golf club – it’s a community sports venue where people from a wide variety of backgrounds within the community come together to play sport - disadvantaged young people, people with intellectual disabilities, tradespeople, small business owners and many others.
This community will come together on EKS Day to play together in the continuing spirit of inclusive sport and play.
ENDS
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