Special Olympics and People with Disabilities
Over the past 40 years, the Knights of Columbus has raised and donated more than $382 million to programs for people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Among the larger gifts of time and money the Order makes annually is to Special Olympics and other programs for people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities.
In 2005, the Knights of Columbus announced a partnership with Special Olympics. It committed $1 million over the next four years to grow the programs of Special Olympics in North America and pledged more volunteers for state and local games. The Order will also work with Special Olympics North America to expand its programs to countries currently underserved by it.
This partnership includes a direct investment in the growth of Special Olympics Mexico. At the Mexico Knights’ centennial convention in April, 2005, a $50,000 grant from the Knights of Columbus was given to Special Olympics officials and athletes.
The grant is earmarked for uniforms, sports equipment and to cover some of the costs of organizing games. Knights are working with Special Olympics to establish similar programs in other jurisdictions of the Order in the Caribbean and the Philippines.
In 2005, Jean Vanier, founder of l’Arche, received the Order’s highest honor, the Gaudium et Spes Award.
The Knights’commitment to Special Olympics and to hundreds of grassroots programs for people with intellectual and physical disabilities is an expression of its belief in the intrinsic worth of every human being.
In April, 2005, the Order gave its highest honor, the Gaudium et Spes Award, to Jean Vanier, the founder of l’Arche, a network of faith-based communities that care for people with developmental disabilities in a community setting.
Jean Vanier founded the first l’Arche community in Toronto in 1969, and today there are 26 communities throughout Canada, serving nearly 500 people with disabilities. It has also expanded around the world, and there are now more than 120 l’Arche communities in 30 countries on six continents. Jean exemplifies the call to self-giving and Christ-centered community involvement that is a central theme in Gaudium et Spes, and his life and dedication are an inspiration to all.