Maria Menounos: Global Ambassador for Special Olympics
Maria Menounos: Global Ambassador for Special Olympics
Special Olympics announced Monday that author and television personality Maria Menounos of E! is joining the Special Olympics family as the newest Global Ambassador.
Menounos will support Special Olympics by leading a celebrity engagement campaign for the upcoming Special Olympics World Games and by promoting acceptance, inclusion and respect for people with intellectual disabilities.
She will also serve as a co-captain on the just announced Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America presented by Bank of America that will kick off on May 26th.
“I am honored and proud to raise awareness for Special Olympics as a Global Ambassador,” said Maria Menounos.
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One of Menounos’ first actions will be leading a route of the Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America where the nation will be able to carry the torch and help deliver the Flame of Hope to the Special Olympics World Games.
For 46 days, from May 26 to July 10, in the first known torch relay to cross all 50 states, over 20,000 participants will run, walk or bike over 10,000 segments of the relay.
The Unified Relay is a team and individual fundraising event. Three simultaneous relay routes will cover almost 21,000 miles of the US, starting their individual journeys in Augusta, Maine, Miami, Florida and Washington, DC and unifying in Los Angeles.
This summer’s World Games will be Menounos’s second time joining Special Olympics for their flagship event. Menounos participated in the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece where she was a part of the Opening Ceremony and a thought leader with the speaker series held during the nine-day event.
