“California women are trailblazers in everything they do. They’ve made history by doing things their way. They didn’t wait to be asked. They didn’t wait to be invited. And they didn’t wait to be told. They just did! I love people who just do.” ~ Maria Shriver
Maria Shriver is a trailblazer herself. An award-winning journalist, best-selling author and mother of four, Shriver has transformed the office of First Lady by approaching it not simply as a role, but as a job with real purpose and a platform to make a difference.
Shriver became California’s First Lady when her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, became the 38th Governor of California on November 17, 2003.
From day one, she made the position her own by combining her journalist’s eye for the needs of real people, with a deeply-ingrained passion for service and activism, and a creative entrepreneurial spirit and vision that embraces bold ideas.
Shriver has used her voice to advocate on behalf of women, the working poor, the intellectually disabled and families struggling with Alzheimer’s.
She has created groundbreaking programs and initiatives that educate, enlist, empower, connect, and honor people who are what she calls “Architects of Change” in their own lives and in the lives of others.
Shriver has organized these initiatives under a banner called WE. The WE programs have been successful in motivating people to get involved and unite across gender, economic, and party lines. Shriver’s message to all Californians is to look within and find out what “WE can do together when WE come together.”
WE Serve
From the moment Shriver became First Lady, she called upon all Californians to join her in service to their communities and state. As Honorary Chair of CaliforniaVolunteers, Shriver conceived of and launched the largest statewide volunteer matching network at CaliforniaVolunteers.org. Its goal is to make service convenient and accessible to anyone seeking a volunteer opportunity. Through this innovative web-based tool, Californians can explore a database of more than 45,000 rewarding service opportunities and find one matched to their own specific location, skills, and interests. In addition, Shriver was instrumental in inspiring Governor Schwarzenegger to establish the nation’s first state cabinet-level Department of Service and Volunteering. She also has pioneered and promoted a statewide disaster preparedness program called WE Prepare that encourages and educates Californians to “Be Ready” for an emergency or natural disaster. In addition, Shriver established WE Build and WE Garden, a children’s playground and community garden-building initiative. To date, she and CaliforniaVolunteers have built 31 playgrounds with gardens in lower-income communities around the state.
WE Empower
Under Shriver’s leadership, The California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women has grown into the nation’s premier forum for women, with more than 14,000 attendees every year since 2004. The conference encourages women to become Architects of Change in their own lives, in their communities, and in the country – and teaches them how. Hundreds of world opinion leaders and newsmakers have spoken at the conference, including Oprah Winfrey, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright, Barbara Walters, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bono, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The success of The Women’s Conference has enabled it to form partnerships with established and respected organizations to develop five far-reaching women’s empowerment programs. WE Educate provides ten $2,500 Minerva Scholarships to college-aged young women and encourages other organizations to do the same. WE Invest invests in women entrepreneurs by helping them with microloans and business training, mentoring, and a support network to start or expand their own businesses. WE Connect connects poor working families to government services and tax-saving programs they may be eligible for but unaware of – such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the Food Stamp Program and others. For more information, visit www.WEConnect.net. WE Care helps women who are victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and encourages others to support domestic violence shelters and programs that help women in life-threatening situations. And WE Honor honors remarkable women who have stepped forward and changed the world with their courage, wisdom, and strength with the prestigious Minerva Awards. The awards were created by Shriver and named after the Roman goddess, Minerva, who graces the California state seal. The Minerva Award winners also receive grants from the conference to further their work. To extend the reach of the conference, Shriver also launched a vibrant online community for women at www.CaliforniaWomen.org. The goal of the website is to provide a gathering place for women everywhere to be inspired and empowered to be who they are – Architects of Change.
WE Inspire
As Honorary Co-Chair of The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, Shriver re-imagined and revitalized the state museum, turning it into a must-see destination for people who want to learn about and be inspired by California’s rich history. To further that goal, Shriver also created the California Hall of Fame at the Museum to honor legendary Californians, such as Cesar Chavez, Clint Eastwood, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Ronald Reagan, John Steinbeck, Rita Moreno, Earl Warren, Julia Morgan, Leland Stanford, and Dorothea Lange, to name a few. In November, 2008, Shriver launched the Museum’s California Legacy Trails, a first-of-its-kind Internet experience that leverages cutting-edge software and multimedia technology to bring the State’s diverse history and extraordinary culture to life online.
WE Include
Shriver has been a lifelong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. Shriver has worked hard to foster understanding and increase opportunities for employment and friendship. She is an active member of the International Board of Special Olympics, the organization her mother founded in 1968. She is also on the advisory board of Best Buddies, a one-to-one friendship and jobs program for people with intellectual disabilities. In addition, Shriver serves as Chair of the Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle, a bike ride that raises millions of dollars for programs supporting people with intellectual disabilities. Shriver has been instrumental in the hiring of individuals with intellectual disabilities in the capitol and in various state offices. Shriver has invited cabinet officers, legislators, and the state’s mayors to join her in the effort.
Beyond her role as California’s First Lady, Shriver continues to be a vocal advocate on behalf of families like hers struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. She is Executive Producer of The Alzheimer’s Project, a groundbreaking four-part documentary series airing this May on HBO. The series will take a close look at cutting-edge work being done in the country’s leading Alzheimer’s laboratories. It will also examine the effects of this disease on patients and families. One of the films, “Grandpa, Do you Know Who I Am?” is based on Shriver’s best-selling children’s book dealing with Alzheimer’s. Shriver also executive-produced the critically acclaimed “American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver.” The documentary aired on PBS and chronicled the life, accomplishments, and vision of her father, Sargent Shriver.
Shriver serves on the advisory board of the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, which raises public awareness of her father’s legacy as a peacebuilder and offers educational and training programs grounded in the principles of public service that motivate the many programs he created, including the Peace Corps, Job Corps, Head Start, and Legal Services for the Poor. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, a new institute that will serve a national resource for the most current research and scientific information for the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington 's diseases.
Shriver was recently presented with the Shinnyo-en Foundation’s 2009 Pathfinders to Peace Award, which is bestowed annually to a person who exemplifies the ideals of compassion, harmony and peace. At the presentation ceremony honoring Shriver, the foundation’s chief executive said, “Maria Shriver sees the best in other people – their innate goodness – and inspires them to become their own 'Architects of Change'. In a world that glorifies ambition at any cost, Maria instead teaches character. She is a woman of quiet strength who role-models kindness and charity, and has used her celebrity to help create peace in the world.”
In April 2009, Shriver announced a new multi-faceted project called "A Woman's Nation" in partnership with the Center for American Progress and the University of of Southern California's Annenberg Center of Communication Leadership and Policy. The project will seek to capture an accurate and up to date portrait of the American woman, who, for the first time, will make up half of the nation's workforce. The preliminary survey, called “The Shriver Report,” will be released in the Fall.
With a career in journalism spanning more than two decades, Shriver has been a network news correspondent and anchor for CBS and NBC, winning Peabody and Emmy Awards. She is the author of six New York Times best-selling books.
Shriver is also a small business owner. In February of 2008, she launched an ice cream company called Lovin’ Scoopful in supermarkets around the country. A portion of the proceeds from Lovin’ Scoopful benefits the Special Olympics and other charities.
Shriver is a graduate of Georgetown University, with a degree in American Studies. She and Governor Schwarzenegger have four children – Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher. Shriver says, “When all is said and done, my main goal in life is to raise children who feel they are deeply loved…children who are kind, compassionate and aware of the world around them. If I can do that, I will consider myself a success.”
To learn more about Maria Shriver, visit www.FirstLady.ca.gov.