The Special Olympics were created in 1968 in a joint venture between the Kennedy Foundation and the Chicago Park District.  The first was held at Soldier’s Field with about 1400 athletes from the US and Canada.  Since then, it has grown to over 4 million participants from 170 countries.  This “You are the Stars…” quote was taken from a speech that Eunice Kennedy Shriver gave at the 1987 International Summer Special Olympics.  If you’re in Connecticut you can learn more about how you can support Special Olympics by visiting SOCT.  Outside of Connecticut, you can go to the main Special Olympics site.