Anthony Kennedy Shriver
 
Anthony Shriver, 35, founded and was named President of Best Buddies International, Inc., in January 1989. The mission of Best Buddies, a non-profit organization, is to enhance the lives of people with mental retardation by providing opportunities for socialization and employment.

The great need for Best Buddies is perhaps demonstrated by the awards Shriver has accepted on behalf of the organization. Some of these awards include: The Jewish Association for Retarded Citizens Humanitarian Award; the St. Coletta Award; Washingtonian of the Year Award; The Rock Creek Foundation Business Award; The St. John Child Development Center Volunteer Service Award; the Kiwanis International Award; the Adrian Dominican Leadership Award from Barry University; and an Honorary Degree from Loyola College in Maryland.

Independent of Best Buddies, Shriver is an Associate Trustee of The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1965. A graduate of Georgetown University, he holds a Bachelor's degree with a double major in Theology and History. Shriver is married to Alina Shriver, and they have three children, Teddy, Eunice, and Francesca.
 
 

Anthony K. Shriver
Founder and Chairman, Best Buddies International, Inc., Miami, Florida

"People might stare, but if you’re doing the right thing, you should just keep doing it."
—Anthony Shriver

Without the red cape or a telephone booth, far from the Hall of Justice, Anthony Shriver is a Superfriend. Shriver, founder and chairman of Best Buddies International, Inc., has dedicated the past ten years to providing friends and occupational support to people with mental retardation.

Shriver began Best Buddies in 1987 as a volunteer activity while he was a student at Georgetown University. He realized that people with disabilities often have trouble adjusting to the mainstream community. "I knew they had a void in their social lives," he says. He set out to fill that void with Best Buddies.

Shriver's initial program matched college students with mentally retarded individuals of similar ages for friendship and social outings. The organization now includes similar programs for adults and secondary school students, and has expanded to communities and campuses all over the world. Buddies correspond by mail or telephone once a week, meet at least once every other week, and participate in group activities with other sets of Buddies.

"Best Buddies works to defeat stereotypes," says Alex Hernandez-Dessauer, a volunteer since the organization moved its headquarters to Miami in 1992. "We have as much to learn from people with disabilities as they do from us."

Shriver—the son of Eunice Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, and Sargent Shriver, founder of the Peace Corps—inherited an altruistic spirit and a sensitivity to the needs and abilities of special populations. "My parents inspired us by example," he says. "I saw two happy people who loved what they did and led rewarding lives. I wanted to know what drove them, and I discovered that social service creates a great life."

Shriver’s friendship with his Aunt Rosemary, who is severely retarded, also influenced him. "I remember going to church with my Aunt Rosemary, and people would stare. But my mom stood tall, and walked down the aisle, and took communion with her," recalls Shriver. "People might stare, but if you’re doing the right thing, you should just keep doing it."

Best Buddies constantly demonstrates to Shriver exactly what he wants society to recognize about people with mental retardation—that everyone has a special talent. "It’s up to us," he says, "to create opportunities for individuals to develop and share their skills."

Shriver established Best Buddies Jobs to create just those opportunities. Best Buddies Jobs provides extra support and training to help mentally retarded individuals get professional jobs, not just the janitor or food service jobs that have traditionally been available to them. Best Buddies Jobs has placed people in law firms and even at MTV.

Shriver’s innovations extend beyond social services to funding. "Lots of people ask for funds," Shriver says, "so you have to bring something original to the table to be successful."

Best Buddies Fine Art demonstrates Shriver’s creative approach. In 1989, artist Keith Haring designed the Best Buddies logo; the organization decided to sell serigraphs of the logo for $8,000 each. Best Buddies has gone on to commission images of friendship from artists such as Roy Lichtenstein (sold out), William Wegman ($2,250), and Julian Schnabel ($1,500). Revenue from the Fine Arts Program has enabled Best Buddies to support more than 100 college chapters. Another fundraising program, Best Buddies' Designer T-Shirt Collection, galvanizes support from the fashion community: Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Gianni Versace, among others, have designed T-shirts for the organization to sell.

Hernandez-Dessauer believes Shriver has been successful at generating support for Best Buddies because he brings youthful enthusiasm and energy to his work as well as an innovative approach and commitment to sustainable growth. "He takes an existing program," Hernandez-Dessauer says, "and gives it a hip spin." It’s a spin that has allowed Shriver to provide pals to those who need them most.

—Betsy J. Rosenblatt
Betsy J. Rosenblatt is the managing editor of Board Member, the periodical for members of the National Center for Nonprofit Boards.

article source: "Social Entrepreneurs of the Year Who Cares Salutes the Vanguard of Social Change"
Rachel Hartigan, Betsy J. Rosenblatt, Samantha Stainburn, K.C. Swanson, "Social Entrepreneurs of the Year," Who Cares: the toolkit for social change, Winter 1998, 22-7.
http://www.communitywealth.org/news/whocares_entrepreneuroftheyear.htm