-MARIA SHRIVER
Maria Shriver believes "It's All About WE" and in the transformative power of working together to achieve a positive legacy for California. Through her innovative WE programs and initiatives, Shriver has issued calls to action that have resounded across the state, enlisting Californians to solve critical issues together. “It’s All About WE” represents Shriver’s boldly creative, nurturant and entrepreneurial vision to build a California in which WE Connect working poor families to money and opportunities, WE Support our heroic military families, WE Serve each other through CaliforniaVolunteers, WE Build playgrounds and green spaces for children, WE Include those living with disabilities, WE Prepare responsibly for natural disasters, WE Inspire future generations at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, WE Dream with others at the California Hall of Fame, WE Empower each other at The Women’s Conference and WE Honor the most remarkable women with The Minerva Awards.
WE Serve – As Honorary Chair of CaliforniaVolunteers, Shriver believes California is a state powered by WE and that WE can be 38 million strong in serving our communities. By launching the largest statewide volunteer matching network at CaliforniaVolunteers.org, Californians can find thousands of volunteer opportunities across the state. Additional partnerships with CaliforniaVolunteers include: WE Prepare – a disaster preparedness campaign encouraging Californians to “Be Ready” so that they will be empowered and educated in the event of a disaster; WE Build – a children’s playground-building initiative in communities across the state in celebration of Cesar Chavez Day; WE Garden – for every play space that’s built, a garden is also planted for California communities.
WE Empower – Shriver has transformed The Women’s Conference into the nation’s premier forum for women, empowering thousands of women to be architects of change. Past speakers have included Oprah Winfrey, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Programs of The Women’s Conference include: WE Honor – Created by Shriver in 2004, the annual Minerva Awards honor California’s most remarkable women of the year; WE Lead – the Minerva Leadership Program seeks to fuel the souls of young women and inspire them to become leaders in their homes, schools and communities; WE Care – works to provide aid to help improve maternal health in the developing countries of Zambia and Nicaragua; WE Support – an initiative to support military families “who serve too” by connecting them to services and resources and, in partnership with The Women’s Conference, providing prepaid calling cards to deployed military so they can communicate with their families back home. Women can connect to one another through the conference online at CaliforniaWomen.org.
WE Connect – Shriver is passionate about connecting California’s working families to vital financial programs and resources. In 2006, she connected families across the state with the Earned Income Tax Credit, money that often goes unclaimed each year -- and as a result, more than $160,000 was returned to California families who need it most. This year, Shriver launched an even larger WE Connect campaign in partnership with major corporations, community organizations and statewide programs to reach working families where they shop, eat, work, live and learn and connect them to “Money, Opportunities and Dreams.”
WE Inspire – Through The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts (CaliforniaMuseum.org), Shriver works to showcase California’s rich history and to inspire all Californians to make their own mark. WE Dream -- Shriver inspired the creation of the California Hall of Fame, which is housed in The California Museum and includes legendary Californians such as Clint Eastwood, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Ronald Reagan, John Steinbeck, Rita Moreno and Earl Warren.
WE Include – Shriver remains a dedicated supporter of Special Olympics, serving on the organization’s International Board. She is deeply involved with Best Buddies, a one-to-one friendship program for people with disabilities, and at the State Capitol, gives individuals with intellectual disabilities a chance to excel in jobs that give them satisfaction and purpose through the California Developmentally Disabled Opportunity Initiative. Shriver also continues to be a vocal advocate on behalf of families struggling with Alzheimer’s disease.
With a career in journalism spanning more than two decades, Shriver has served as a reporter, correspondent and anchor for world news organizations such as CBS and NBC. She has been honored with a Peabody and Emmy Award, and is the author of five New York Times best-selling books. Already a best seller, Shriver’s new book, Just Who Will You Be? hit bookstores in April 2008. A graduate of Georgetown University, with a degree in American Studies, she and her husband have four children - Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher. To learn more about Maria Shriver and “It’s All About WE,” please visit www.FirstLady.ca.gov.