The Greatest Investments

By Tim Shriver

I was honored to have the opportunity to see our very own Ray Lane, Vice Chairman of Special Olympics’ board, noted Silicon Valley investor, and chairman of one of America’s renowned tech companies, Hewlett Packard, receive the TechAmerica’s David Packard Medal of Achievement Tuesday night.

The award speaks not only to Ray’s incredible impact on Silicon Valley and the high-tech world, but also to his work in education and entrepreneurship around the world.

Ray has spent his career identifying and nurturing great ideas. He believes strongly that investments in education can yield big results — not just financially but for the country and world as a whole. He may be known for his savvy investments in technology but he fundamentally believes that investing in human beings yields the greatest returns.

And so Special Olympics is incredibly lucky to have both Ray and his wife, Stephanie, nurturing great ideas within our movement and making “savvy investments.” They are helping to develop the 3.75 million children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Special Olympics today, so that our athletes may reach their full potential — ultimately benefiting the world as a whole.

Specifically, they have been phenomenal champions of Special Olympics for more than a decade and steadfast fans of our youth education and activation efforts. The next time you see Special Olympics athletes and young people leading together in Project UNIFY, or teachers and students rallying to the end the use of the r-word, or organizing “Fans in the Stands” at the next Special Olympics competition, know that Ray and Stephanie have helped to nurture the best bet on the playing field: The education of all young people, including those with intellectual disabilities.