Accomplishments

ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Special Olympics participant since 1970; still participates today
• Has run 26 marathons thus far in her life
  • In 1981 was the first Special Olympics athlete to run the Boston Marathon - her time, 3:09
  • Her personal best time 3:03 in the 1982 Boston Marathon
  • In 1988 was one of the top 25 female finishers of the Pittsburgh Marathon
• Competed in over 100 local and state Special Olympics events in Pennsylvania
• Competed in 6 Special Olympics World Games and medaled in the following events:
  • GOLD - 1 mile run ('83); Baton Rouge, LA
  • GOLD - half-marathon; SILVER -5,000m run('91); Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
  • Two (2) GOLDS - bowling ('95); New Haven, CT
  • GOLD - half-marathon & SILVER - 3,000m run ('99), Raleigh-Durham, NC
  • GOLD - 3000m run & BRONZE - 1500m run ('03), - Dublin, Ireland
  • SILVER - figure skating ('05) -Nagano, Japan
• Holds a 4th degree black belt in Karate
• Continues to train in Special Olympics York County Pennsylvania in the following sports: alpine skiing, aquatics, athletics, basketball, bowling, figure skating, golf, soccer, softball, and tennis.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

• Current Board of Directors Member of Special Olympics - Washington, DC
  • Executive Committee; World Games Committee
• Former Board of Directors Member for Special Olympics Pennsylvania
• Global Messenger for Special Olympics

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

• Recipient of the Spirit of Special Olympics Award from Vice President George HW Bush; 1981
• Recipient of the Special Olympics Pennsylvania - Female Athlete of the Year; 1988
• Recipient of the Special Olympics - Athlete of the Year; 1990
• Honored as the "Special Olympics Athlete of the Quarter Century" by the magazine Runner's World; 1991
• Is inducted into the following Hall of Fame Organizations
  • York County, PA - William Penn High School Alumni Hall of Fame (1992)
  • National Girls and Women in Sports Hall of Fame (1993)
  • Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame (1996)
  • Women in Sports Hall of Fame (2000)
• World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame: Founder's Award Recipient; Boise, ID; June 2007
• Bestowed two Honorary Doctorate Degrees
  • 1995: Honorary Doctorate Degree from Quinnipiac College - first Special Olympics athlete to receive such an award
  • 2003: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Villanova University
• 1996 Recipient of an ESPY Award - Arthur Ashe Award for Courage
• 1996 Recipient of the NCAS-Giant Steps Award; Northeastern University Center for Sports in Society
• Subject of the 1999 full-length Disney movie, "The Loretta Claiborne Story," that aired on ABC-TV on January 16,2000. Multiple airings on Lifetime and PAX
• Named to the Partnership Board of Special Olympics, Inc. and Sesame Street / CT Workshop
• Addressed the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on "Disparities in Health Care for the Mentally Disabled," Anchorage, Alaska; March 2001
• The Loretta Claiborne Building, a medical and educational facility in York, PA, dedicated April,2001 named in her honor by her community
• Billie Jean King Pioneer Award, New England Women's Fund; November 2004
• Biography In Her Stride, a Worldscapes biography for Grades 3-6; May 2005
• Special Lifetime Achievement Award, Institute for Community Living, Inc; October 2006

MEDIA & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Testified before U.S. Congress on three occasions as well as hundreds of other groups and organizations on Health Issues for the Disabled
• Introduced President Bill Clinton at the 1995 Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremonies
• Appeared 3 times on The Oprah Winfrey Show: in 1981, again in 1998 to promote the 30th Anniversary of Special Olympics and again in 2000 to promote her movie
• Featured on ESPN, Nickelodeon, "CBS This Morning", and ABC's "Wide World of Sports"
• Interviewed by and featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, and numerous other newspapers and magazines across the Country
• Invited to The White House by Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush.
• In 2001, accompanied Arnold Schwarzenegger to Light the Flame of Hope 2001 in Capetown, South Africa. This opened a campaign to increase the number of athletes in South Africa and was co-chaired by Nelson Mandela and Timothy Shriver
• Interviewed by Derek Watts for Carte Blanche, in South Africa and aired as a news and documentary program viewed in Europe, Asia, and Africa; July 2001
• Featured in a Lifetime Television series Real Women; 2001-2002
• Filmed a special video about Special Olympics with Big Bird and Maria Shriver on Sesame Street
• Testified at the Special Senate Hearing on Health Care for the Disabled, Anchorage, Alaska; March 2001
• Introduced B.B. King and spoke at The White House - "A Very Special Evening with Special Olympics" - Guest of President and Mrs. G.W. Bush, Christmas Dinner event; 2001
• Invited to World Bank Conference as speaker for the Kennedy Foundation to bring attention to the state of Health Care for the Disabled worldwide; 2002
• Guest of Surgeon-General David Satcher to present at Senate Hearing, Capitol Hill, on Health Care of Persons with Mental Disabilities, Washington DC; May 2002
• Attended Global Athlete Congress planning session for World Games 2003 initiatives for Athlete Leadership Programs, Dublin, Ireland; July 2002
• Returned to South Africa as guest of Nelson Mandela and accompanied Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver while attending the Children's Sports Event, Johannesburg, South Africa; July 2002
• Welcomed Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis professional, as a new spokesperson for Special Olympics and the importance of inclusion in Sport, at the US Open Tennis Championship Event, New York City; 2002
• Helped to launch the "Special Olympics - Get into it!" program with the Secretary of Education Rod Paige; 2002
• Attended and served as Keynote Speaker for the International Torch Run Conference; a meeting of law enforcement officers from throughout the world who are dedicated to Special Olympics Torch Run; Honolulu Hawaii; 2002
• Spoke at Early Intervention Conference, Special Education Department of Texas, Lubbock, Texas; April 2003. (Visited boyhood home of President George W. Bush.)
• Spoke in Richmond, Virginia, to launch Urban Athlete Programs for Special Olympics; 2003
• Rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange to launch the "Invest in a Life" campaign for Special Olympics, NYC; 2003
• Spoke at Commencement Ceremonies, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA; 2003
• Appeared on "Visions" - a community news program; ABC affiliate, Philadelphia PA; 2003
• Motivated Harley-Davidson Motorcycle dealers to "Go Full Throttle!" at the annual "Harley Davidson University" Winter Conference, Kissimmee, Florida; January 2004
• Prescott, Arizona Keynote Address for the State Torch Run Annual Conference; 2004
• Wells, Maine Keynote Address New England Torch Run Annual Conference; 2004
• New York City Christie's Auction House; Fund Raiser for 2005 World Winter Games; 2004
• Capitol Hill - Congressional office visits promoting awareness of 2005 World Winter Games, Nagano, Japan; 2004
• Is featured in the tribute book SuperWomen: 100 Women, 100 Sports; 2004
• New Zealand - US Embassy Wellington address and Keynote Address Special Olympics New Zealand 21st Anniversary Celebration, TV, radio and news interviews; June 2004
• Manassas, VA, Prince William County Public Schools, Keynote speaker, "Multicultural Awareness" Statewide School District Conference; June 2004
• Atlanta, GA - Keynote Speaker - NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program; February 2005
• Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, New Zealand-SONZ Events and book tour In Her Stride-April 2005, a Worldscapes Biography for Grades 3-6; May 2005
• San Antonio, Texas - Presentation at International Reading Teachers Conference - with appearances on local TV: KENS-News and Bridget's Beat; 2005. Launch of US version of the biographical children's book: In Her Stride
• Panama City, Panama - Chaired SO Global Athlete Congress; June 2005
• Anchorage, Alaska - Attends SOAK Summer Games/ALPS Conference; June 2005
• New York, NY - Appeared on Christopher 2005 Close-up Television program; August 2005
• Minneapolis, MN - Keynote Speaker - International Torch Run Conference; October 2005
• Hot Springs, AR- Keynote Police Officer's Torch Run Conference; January 2006
• Los Angeles, CA- Presentation to Univ. of Southern California student athletes; January 2006
• Oxford, OH - Presentation to Miami University of Ohio student athletes; 2006
• Warwick, RI - Presentation to Rhode Island University student athletes; 2006
• Rockford, IL - United Way Keynote Speaker; April 2006
• Atlanta, GA - School Book Fair with ETA/Cuisenaire; May 2006
• Ames, IA - National Games Special Olympics; July 2006
• Rome, NY - Cooperative initiative with YUSA, Arc & Special Olympics; 2006
• New York City, NY - Institute for Community Living; Presentation to Mental Health clients - Black History Month; February 2007
• York, PA Middle School Fair -Keynote Address; March2007
• Elmira NY - Arc Annual Dinner - Keynote Address; May 2007
• Bethlehem, PA - Arc Annual Dinner - Keynote Address; May 2007
• New Haven, CT - Graduate Course for Educators - Lecture; July 2007
• Invited Guest as an African American Pioneer attendee to Althea Gibson Tribute US Open - New York City, NY; August 2007
• Shanghai, China - Special Olympics World Games; October 2007
• Long Beach, CA - California Governor's Women's Conference; Introduced Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her daughter, the Governor's wife, Mrs. Maria Shriver; October 2007
• Fredonia, NY - SUNY Fredonia Guest Lecturer; November 2007
• Rome, NY - YMCA Awards Banquet and Festival Honoree; April 2008
• Teaneck, NJ - Guest speaker - Diversity Day Activities two middle schools; May 2008
• Boise, ID - Breakfast for Champions Keynote Speaker; June 2008
• Chicago, IL - Keynote speaker MTM Recognition annual sales conference; June 2008
• Columbus, OH - Diversify Conference attendee; July 2008
• New Haven, CT - Southern Connecticut University - Graduate Student Lecture; July 2008
• Wrote a letter for the One Woman's Vision - Letters to Eunice Kennedy Shriver

ALSO:

• Presented hundreds of student lectures and school assemblies all across the USA on topics:
• Overcoming Obstacles
• Tolerance
• Setting and Achieving Goals
• Kids and Bullying
• Living with Challenges
• Courage
• Opportunities Gained through Sports, and many more.
• Arc and ACHIEVA Keynotes throughout the United States over the past several years