Child advocate, author and philanthropist Mark Kennedy Shriver will deliver the keynote address at Hopelink’s 18th annual Reaching Out Benefit Luncheon on Monday, Oct. 21 at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center.
The Reaching Out luncheon is the Redmond-based social services agency’s largest fundraising event of the year. Last year’s luncheon raised more than $1 million to provide food, shelter, family development, transportation and job readiness skills for homeless and low-income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities in north and east King County.
Shriver has made a career of fighting for social justice. Passionate about the right of every child in America to a safe and vibrant childhood, Shriver leads Save the Children’s U.S. Programs, which is working to ensure a fair start for all children in America – including the nearly one in four living in poverty.
Shriver was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2002, and is the son of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Shriver’s best-selling memoir, “A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver,” was published in June 2012.
During a 2012 HuffPost interview with Maria Menendez, Shriver said, “People have this image of America that if you work hard and play by the rules you’re going to succeed. But unfortunately there are barriers that keep many families from achieving the American dream.
“There are so many families that were middle class or lower-middle class that are on the precipice of falling into poverty, and there are many families that are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet.”
Shriver developed Save the Children’s early childhood development, literacy and health programs in the United States. Through partnerships with over 200 schools in some of the most impoverished regions of the country, the programs benefit more than 76,000 children.
He also created Save the Children’s domestic emergency response programs in 2005 to ensure that children are protected when disaster strikes and are provided safe haven and reunion with their families during a disaster’s aftermath.
Shriver’s father, Sargent Shriver, started community action organizations in the 1960s, which paved the way for organizations such as Hopelink. Sargent Shriver also founded Head Start and Job Corps and was the driving force behind creation of the Peace Corps. His mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics.
The Hopelink Reaching Out benefit luncheon will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21 at the Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE Sixth St. in Bellevue. There is no charge to attend the luncheon, but during the program guests will be asked to make a donation in support of Hopelink’s services. Presenting sponsor for the luncheon is Comcast.
For more information about the luncheon contact Justin Williams at jwilliams@hope-link.org.
