Maria Shriver

May 25, 2012

Announcements

A Race Against Time to Stop Alzheimer's

By Maria Shriver

In December of 2010, Sandra Day O'Connor and I co-authored an OpEd in the Washington Post - Our new national goal: Defeating Alzheimer's in 10 years - that called on our country's leaders to make fighting Alzheimer's a national priority by setting a deadline for defeating this devastating disease.

That call to action was heard and our country has responded. We now have our first National Alzheimer's Plan. Recently announced by the Department of Health and Human Services, the plan commits the United States to stopping Alzheimer's by 2025.

This is an important moment in our fight against Alzheimer’s. We are entering an extraordinary era of hope -- hope for a world without Alzheimer's.

To mark this moment and spur momentum as our leaders work to implement the plan, Sandra Day O'Connor and I teamed up on a new column for USAToday.com, A race against time to stop Alzheimer's.

Read Full Post | Comments

March 6, 2012

Announcements

Spread the Word to End the Word: It All Starts With Us

By Susan Senator

Follow @EndTheWord

It's nice to know that after over 27 years of marriage, my husband still has the power to surprise me.

Ned is in many ways my complete opposite, a math guy, science type, non-talker. Refers to himself as a nerd. I, on the other hand, inhabit entirely the right side of my brain.

I talk enough for the two of us -- and probably for our three sons as well. I have to admit that I have often felt like talking things out is simply not a guy thing.

Don't get me wrong; Ned is as quietly passionate about our life and sons as I am noisy and exuberant. Our family system works very well. Ned and I often "divide and conquer," for instance, when it comes to raising our sons.

Our oldest son Nat has autism and some pretty challenging intellectual disabilities, and he is the one who taught us first how to be parents. But of course, we have evolved some pretty different roles when it comes to the boys, and especially Nat.

Read Full Post | Comments

February 8, 2012

Announcements

Things I Learned While Making a Movie About Happiness

By Roko Belic

Follow @TheHappyMovie

A dirt poor rickshaw puller in a slum in India once told me that he was the luckiest person alive. His hut was made out of bamboo sticks and plastic tarps, with raw sewage trickling out front, but still, Manoj Singh said he was happy, very happy, in fact. Though sometimes he only had only a few bowls of rice to feed his family, he said "I feel that I am not poor, but I am the richest person in the world."

How could this be? I have friends who can become unhappy by bad cell phone reception or a delayed flight.

For the past six years I have been making a documentary film called HAPPY, exploring the true sources and causes of happiness. My crew and I traveled to 14 countries and talked to people from many different cultures. Old and young, rich and poor, they taught us about happiness. We also spoke with many of the leaders in the field of positive psychology, the scientific study of happiness.

What I learned changed my life.

Read Full Post | Comments

February 2, 2012

Announcements

Make It Fair for All Kids

By Julianne Moore

Follow @_juliannemoore

I grew up traveling all over the United States, Central America, and Europe. My father was in the U.S. Army, so we never stayed any place for very long. For the most part, I didn’t mind it -- changing environments and schools was simply a fact of life for us.

I learned not to depend on environment for consistency. Instead, I found it in my family, in my interests, and most of all in literature, my most constant of companions.

The one place I absolutely did not rely on consistency was in my public school education. It was evident to me very early on that my educational experience in the U.S. was directly related to the tax bracket of the county in which we were living. I was growing up in a culture and an educational system that preached fairness and equal opportunity and yet my personal experience within it was wildly erratic.

And so what if I was in a bad school for a year or two – I’d move. But what about the kids that were stuck there? They’d never even know that the education they were receiving was not equal to the one that more affluent children were receiving. And the thought that I was left with was that it was NOT FAIR.

Read Full Post | Comments

December 16, 2011

Announcements

Giving Peace of Mind to Parents and Empowering Young Adults

By Kathleen Sebelius

Photo caption above: Secretary Sebelius’ husband Gary and her two sons

We all want our children to be safe, happy, and protected from harm. We want to see them pursue new opportunities in life without any barriers.

While raising our two sons with my husband in Kansas, we did everything we could to enable them to follow their dreams. When they graduated from college, one decided to go to grad school, while the other took time to develop his interests.

We were so proud of our sons, but there was one thing that was on all of our minds: college graduation ended their health insurance. Thankfully, my husband and I had some resources to help them get coverage. But not everyone in this country has that option.

Read Full Post | Comments

October 11, 2011

Announcements

Help Designate March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day - Sign the Petition!

By Timothy P. Shriver

Dear Friends of Special Olympics:

It is with pride and joy that I write on behalf of the global Special Olympics movement to request your support for the United Nations to declare March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day. I can think of no other population on earth more deserving of a day to celebrate their gifts, their needs, and their value to communities and countries the world over.

As you know so well, people with Down Syndrome have long been discriminated against, often violently all over the world. A diagnosis of Down Syndrome even today is often perceived as a curse, a burden, or a tragedy. Too often governments fail the test of human dignity by denying citizens with Down Syndrome access to health care, to education, and to human rights.

Read Full Post | Comments

September 6, 2011

Announcements

Be Heroic on 9/11: Honor Those Lost, with Service to Those in Need

By Jay Winuk

Somehow, 10 years have come and gone since my brave younger brother was murdered by terrorists on September 11, 2001. The shock goes away, I guess, and some of the pain, perhaps, but not so much, really. Especially now, as this historic milestone approaches.

Read Full Post | Comments

September 6, 2011

Announcements

Katherine Schwarzenegger Hosting "Fashion's Night Out" Event at DVF Los Angeles to Benefit Best Buddies

By MariaShriver.com

Join us this Thursday evening, September 8, as Diane von Furstenberg & Katherine Schwarzenegger host an event at DVF Los Angeles in celebration of Fashion’s Night Out.

A percentage of the night’s sales will go to benefit Best Buddies International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Read Full Post | Comments

July 8, 2011

Announcements

Statement from Maria Shriver on the Passing of Betty Ford

By Maria Shriver

"Mrs. Ford was a courageous pioneer, a groundbreaking First Lady, and a forceful advocate for anyone suffering from addiction or breast cancer. America fought her struggles with her and learned alongside her. She was brave, outspoken and kind. As a journalist, I had the opportunity to interview her several times and she was just fascinating. She was a wonderful woman who stood up for any human being struggling in the shadows of their personal pain. One of my highlights as First Lady of California was to honor her with a Minerva Award in 2005. My heart goes out to her entire family. Her daughter Susan is a dear friend of mine and continues to carry on Mrs. Ford's work in such a powerful way."

- Maria Shriver

Read Full Post | Comments

June 26, 2011

Announcements

Maria Shriver Speaks at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Park Dedication Ceremony in Athens, Greece

By MariaShriver.com

Earlier today, Maria Shriver was joined by dignitaries, family, and Special Olympics athletes and fans for the unveiling of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Park in the Maroussi municipality of Athens as part of the 2011 World Summer Games.

The peaceful park that honors her legacy is in the shadow of the OAKA stadium, which was built for the 2004 Olympics and is now home to many World Summer Games sporting events. The park is marked by a marble monument inscribed with the Greek word for Eunice, “EYNIKH” (ef-ni-ki), which translated means “Good Victory” –- a phrase that sums up so precisely Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s lifelong commitment to human achievement.

Read Full Post | Comments

May 23, 2011

Announcements

Tune In Tip: "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular" with Maria Shriver Airing Today & Tomorrow

By MariaShriver.com

Last week, Maria Shriver participated in the two-hour "Surprise Oprah!

Read Full Post | Comments

November 3, 2010

Announcements

Join Me on A Whole New Journey

By Maria Shriver

IT’S TIME – the theme of this year's Women's Conference – means different things to each of us. For me, IT'S TIME… to move on and embark on a whole new journey.

The job of First Lady has transformed me from the outside in. Today, I think of myself first and foremost as a woman – standing on her own two feet – trying to live a life that's both authentic and meaningful. These last seven years have helped me come into my own, to find my own way, to recognize and grow into my own voice. At long last, I realize I don’t have to try to fill anyone else's shoes. I have to fill my own shoes.

Read Full Post | Comments