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Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy, Special Olympics now exists in more than 150 countries, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories.
2.25 million athletes worldwide (552,499 in North America) train year-round for competitions that are styled after Olympic Games. Each year more than 15,000 competitions in both summer and winter sports are held in communities throughout the world and there are more than 700,000 Special Olympics volunteers worldwide.
In a Chronicle of Philanthropy poll in 1994, "Special Olympics, which promotes athletic competition for the intellectually disabled, was widely viewed as the most credible charity (in the United States.)"
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