‘Best Buddies’: Getting Into Spirit of Special Olympics

Anthony Shriver wanted to do something special for the Special Olympics and start his soap opera-addicted classmates at Georgetown University on the path to something more fulfilling.

He did both by starting Best Buddies, an offshoot of the Special Olympics (started by Anthony’s parents, Eunice and Sargent Shriver), which pairs mentally retarded youths with college students for group and one-on-one activities.

So far chapters have started at Georgetown and Catholic universities, and now the 23-year-old Shriver has graduated from school and headed West to drum up grass-roots support in Los Angeles. A party at Santa Monica’s Q gallery last week kicked off his efforts, and artist Nancy Frey donated all proceeds from sales of her paintings to Best Buddies.

Frey, Shriver and friend Jimmy Shay organized the event, which drew Maria Shriver, Maryam D’Abo, Jacqueline Stallone (Sly’s mom) and Bruce Jenner.