The Tribune

FOR the fifth consecutive year, the US Embassy in Nassau partnered with Special Olympics Bahamas to host the annual Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day celebration.

The event took place at the US ambassador’s residence on Saturday.

The front lawn of the residence was transformed into a “mini Camp Shriver” where hundreds of Special Olympics Bahamas athletes and volunteers enjoyed a morning of fun, food and games.

The event served as an opportunity to honour the legacy of the founder of the Special Olympics organisation, the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who spent her life committed to people with intellectual disabilities.

With the theme ‘Play Unified to Live Unified,’ US Embassy volunteers led by Charg� d’Affaires Lisa Johnson joined with Special Olympics Bahamas volunteers, family members and representatives from partner organisations to promote social inclusion and the spirit of volunteerism.

The day’s activities included bocce, soccer, tennis, egg and spoon competitions, sack races, face-painting, dancing and the always popular dunk tank where athletes enthusiastically took turns for a chance to “dunk” US Embassy volunteers into a large water tank.

On hand to participate in the EKS Day celebration were Minister of State for Transport and Aviation Hope Strachan, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Carl Smith, Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Roderick Bowe and Marketing Manager Yolanda Pawar-Bain at Marco’s Pizza, a proud sponsor of EKS Day.