Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Paralympic athlete Jean Driscoll to speak at UIS

Paralympic athlete Jean Driscoll (left) will be presenting "Dream Big and Work Hard" on Thursday, November 6, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program, part of the Girl 2 Girl DreamSpeakers series, will be held in the Student Life Building gym on the east side of the UIS campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Driscoll, a 1991 graduate of the University of Illinois, is recognized by Sports Illustrated for Women as one of the top 25 female athletes of the twentieth century. She won silver medals in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games and served as a Presidential delegation member to the 2008 Olympics. She holds the world record in the 10,000 meter track event and marathon road racing distances and is the only person ever to win the Boston Marathon eight times.

The presentation is sponsored by the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center, Athletics, and Office of Disability Services.

Girl 2 Girl DreamSpeakers is a mentoring program for girls in grades 8, 9, and 10 in Springfield School District 186 and is made possible through a grant from the Sangamon County Community Foundation and its Women for Women Fund.

For more information, call 217/206-7716, e-mail volunteer@uis.edu or go online to www.jeandriscoll.com.