Her name is Loretta Claiborne, a Special Olympics Pennsylvania athlete, but she’s so much more than that. She’s a woman who has run 26 marathons, a spokesperson to people and dignitaries around the world, and someone you would be very proud to call friend. Loretta is kind, humble, and approachable. When she speaks, it is from the heart and with purpose. Her voice has taken her across the globe as the Chief Inspirational Officer for Special Olympics on a mission much like Martin Luther King Jr. and Eunice Kennedy Shriver: to bring people together.
The first time I met Loretta was at a Health Messenger Training in Washington, DC in 2017. She gave a speech encouraging us to be bold in our new roles as health messengers for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and to promote inclusive health to medical professionals in our states. She impressed upon us how important it is to be our own self-advocates, especially when it came to our own health. It was her passion as she spoke that really drew me into her story about her own health and the health disparities that people with IDD face. When she said, “Your health is your wealth”, I was so motivated. I knew I needed to spread the message about inclusive health and health self-advocacy to as many people as I could.
The next time I met Loretta was at the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019. I was invited to attend Loretta Claiborne’s majlis (an Arabic word meaning ‘council’) with my fellow Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers (SSIGM). As I watched her speaking on women’s rights and the roles they have, I was amazed at her confidence on the stage. She knows what she wants to tell you and what she wants you to know. She’s not afraid to speak on behalf of those of us with IDD, our struggles with inclusion, and the issues we face. She’s not afraid to speak boldly for women’s roles. She’s not afraid to be open about her own struggles. I remember thinking: she’s fearless. She made me feel fearless, too.
But I think it was the last time we were together where I felt the most inspired.
I had the opportunity to share a weekend with her in Hyannis Port last year to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, an Inclusion Revolution. We shared a bus ride out to the Kennedy compound. Before we shared the stage, she told me, “I didn’t always have a voice. That is how I used to feel until I joined Special Olympics.”
It was hard to imagine her ever feeling that way after hearing her speak so confidently. To hear her say that was encouraging to me because that is just how I felt until I joined Special Olympics. I didn’t think or know I could have a voice, either. Listening to her, I felt determined and I realized I too could make an impact in spreading the message of inclusion.
Anyone who has ever met Loretta would feel inspired to do more. So, even though I am a little scared to try new things, I always hold on to my faith and trust that the Lord has brought me here for a reason and I remember:
Eunice was fearless.
Loretta is fearless.
I hope I will be fearless.
Thank you Loretta for paving the way for athletes, like me, to find their voices and to become strong self-advocates.
I want to close with a quote from Loretta that I believe with all my heart: “God is my strength and Special Olympics is my joy” — Loretta Claiborne
Happiest of birthdays, Loretta!
I hope you’ll consider making a donation in honor of Loretta’s birthday.
Click here to watch me sing Happy Birthday to Loretta!
