Her first Special Olympics Games, at West Chester State College (now West Chester University) in Pennsylvania. She competed in Standing Long Jump and 300-Yard Dash.

Participated in her first Special Olympics World Games, previously called the International Special Olympics Summer Games, at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. It is just the third International Games for Special Olympics. Loretta met Eunice Kennedy Shriver for the first time at these games.

First Special Olympics athlete to run the Boston Marathon. She ran without a chaperone or special accommodation. She fulfilled all the requirements that every other runner had to satisfy. She also posted a personal best time of 3:03:26.

Received the Spirit of Special Olympics Award from then–Vice President George H.W. Bush.

Won gold medals in the 1-Mile Run and Standing Long Jump at the Special Olympics World Games in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Received the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Female Athlete of the Year Award.

Honored with the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year Award.

Won gold medals in the Half Marathon and the 3000-Meter Run at Special Olympics World Games in Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota.

Named to Special Olympics International, Board of Directors — the first Special Olympics athlete to earn such an honor.

Selected by Runner's World magazine as Special Olympics Athlete of the Quarter Century.

Inducted into the York Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Inducted into the William Penn High School Alumni Hall of Fame. (Unfortunately, she never got a chance to compete for her alma mater, even after she worked to set up a girls track team. See Chapter 5, "My Dream is Your Reality.")

Inducted into the National Girls and Women in Sports (precursor to the modern-day Women's Sports Foundation) Hall of Fame at its national symposium held at Slippery Rock State College in Western Pennsylvania. Other notable honorees that year included Lyn St. James, Jan Felshin, Nell Jackson, Donna Lopiano, and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — made famous in the movie A League of Their Own.

Received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Connecticut, becoming the first person with an intellectual disability to receive an honorary doctorate. Coincidentally, this honor came exactly thirty years to the day Loretta was taken to Laurelton State School and Hospital for people with ID where she would have been institutionalized had Rita not intervened.

Introduced President Bill Clinton at the Opening Ceremony of Special Olympics World Games in New Haven, Connecticut.

Won two gold medals in Bowling at Special Olympics World Games in New Haven, Connecticut.

Recognized with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPY Awards. She was the fourth recipient and the first woman to receive the Award. Other notable recipients include Jim Valvano, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Nelson Mandela, and Loretta's dear friends, Robin Roberts and Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Inducted into Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame as part of the Inaugural Class.

Won a gold medal in the Half Marathon and silver in the 3000-Meter Run at Special Olympics World Games in Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina.

Walt Disney Television produces and debuts The Loretta Claiborne Story on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.

The Loretta Claiborne Building, which houses healthcare services for underserved community members, was named in her honor by the City of York and the community-based nonprofit organization, Crispus Attucks York. The building is located at 605 South George Street, at the corner of West Boundary Avenue, in York, Pennsylvania.

Filmed a Special Olympics video with the Muppet character Big Bird on Sesame Street.

Addressed a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on "Disparities in Health Care for the Mentally Disabled," in Anchorage, Alaska.

Accompanied Tim Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Light the Flame of Hope 2001 in Cape Town, South Africa, and traveled with South African President Nelson Mandela to Robben Island.

Invited by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush to introduce B.B. King at "A Very Special Evening with Special Olympics" at the White House.

As a guest of Surgeon General David Satcher, spoke on Health Care of Persons with Mental Disabilities at a Senate Hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

Keynote Speaker for the International Law Enforcement Torch Run Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Received her second honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

Rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange to launch the "Invest in a Life" campaign for Special Olympics New York City.

Won a gold medal in the 3000-Meter Run and bronze medal in the 1500-Meter Run at Special Olympics World Games in Dublin, Ireland.

Spoke at the John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences Commencement Ceremonies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Visited members of Congress in Washington, D.C., to promote awareness of the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

In Her Stride, a short biography of Loretta published by WorldScapes for children in grades 3 to 6, was released.

Won a silver medal in Figure Skating at Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Chaired Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress in Panama City, Panama.

Spoke at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Leadership Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Her likeness is included in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver portrait that was unveiled in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Received the Founders Award from the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

Honored by the Billie Jean King Foundation as an African American Female Pioneers Award.

Won two medals in Figure Skating, a gold for Ice Dance and a bronze for Individual performance at Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho.

Met with billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett to discuss the "R-word."

The National Inclusion Project named her a Champions of Change Honoree.

Gave a TEDx Talk, "Let's Talk About Intellectual Disabilities" at TEDxMidAtlantic.

Spoke about the value of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® program at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on disability and development.

Invited to a White House Dinner Celebration and recognized by President Barack Obama.

Shared Keynote Address with Susan Saint James Ebersol at the 29th Annual Business Women's Forum in Hartford, Connecticut.

Spoke at Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.

Featured in a mural in downtown Los Angeles, California, alongside Olympic Champion Rafer Johnson.

Appointed Chief Inspiration Officer for Special Olympics, Inc., the first Special Olympics athlete invited to serve in this role for the global movement. As of this writing, she continues in this role.

Featured as part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History exhibit "Special Olympics at 50."

A speaker at the First Global Conference of Faith and Sport at the Vatican, in Rome, invited by His Holiness Pope Francis.

Honored by the local minor league baseball team, the York Revolution, with a Loretta Claiborne Bobblehead Night.

Inducted into the National Black Marathoners Association Hall of Fame, the country's oldest and largest not-for-profit organization of Black American distance runners.

Hosted Second Lady Karen Pence as an honored guest at Special Olympics World Winter Games in Schladming, Austria.

Guest of the UAE Royal Family serving as an ambassador in preparation for the 2019 Special Olympics World Games, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Represented Special Olympics athletes at the ESPYS Ceremony when they honored Eunice Kennedy Shriver with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.

ESPN aired a feature on Loretta as part of their Special Olympics 50 Game Changers series.

Chosen to light the Eternal Flame of Hope at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Special Olympics.

Received her third honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from York College in Pennsylvania.

Selected as one of USA Today's Women of the Year.

Won a gold medal in Singles Tennis and a bronze in Doubles at Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany — at the age of 69!

July 7 was declared Loretta Claiborne Day in York, Pennsylvania.

Received the Governor's Keystone Award given by Governor Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

Loretta's image was included in a mural developed by the city of York, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the more than 250 years of the city's history and honor its most impactful residents.