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Kim Simplis (center); Iris Xioamara de Zelaya, First Lady of Honduras (left); and Ana Ligia de Saca, First Lady of El Salvador, play with a young girl during a Young Athletes demonstration at the 8th Central American First Ladies Summit in Panama City, Panama, on Friday, 25 July 2008. Young Athletes is a Special Olympics program for children ages 2-7. Photo by Arnulfo Franco/AP |
Kim Simplis, fiancée of Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow, has been appointed a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics. She joins a select list of international Special Olympics supporters including NBA basketball star Yao Ming, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Olympian Nadia Comaneci, and performers Bono, Vanessa Williams and Jon Bon Jovi. Special Olympics Global Ambassadors work to promote the movement and its athletes throughout the world and help the organization to change attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities.
“It is a tremendous privilege for me to have been selected as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics," said Simplis. "I know that it is an honor usually reserved for well-known international figures and persons far worthier than I. I thank you for the trust and confidence which the appointment signifies, and I assure you that I will do my very best to promote the movement and the more than 2.5 million Special Olympics athletes around the world that the movement represents.”
Simplis' appointment took place on 25 September 2008 at a summit for First Ladies in Panama. In attendance to witness the occasion were Belize Prime Minister Barrow, Minister of Sports Hon. Marcel Cardona, and Minister of Education Hon. Patrick Faber, as well as the Special Olympics Caribbean Board of Directors, members of the Diplomatic Corps and Special Olympics athletes.
Simplis is the founder and director of one of Belize’s most acclaimed NGOs, the Lifeline Foundation. Her work as a community activist and advocate for the rights of children is shown by her strong commitment and dedication to the Lifeline Foundation, which raises thousands of dollars annually to aid disenfranchised children. Lifeline Foundation has championed many causes, but its primary focus has been on children infected with HIV/AIDS, support for orphans and nutrition programs for children. Beyond her humanitarian work, Simplis recently co-sponsored a Leadership Conference for Youths, in conjunction with the Petter’s Research Institute directed by Duke University Professor Dr. Arlie Petters, to help develop a new generation of Belizean leaders. Simplis is also a Director for the Liberty Children’s Home, an advisor to the Voices for Life Foundation, an active member of the Belize Humane Society and has served on the Development Committee for the Hand in Hand Ministries. |
