Miss Pennsylvania USA and Miss Teen Pennsylvania USA join Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh for awareness-raising event in the South Side.

On April 26th, Miss Pennsylvania USA and Miss Teen Pennsylvania USA will be laying down the crowns and trying out their grilling skills at BD’s Mongolian Grill in the South Side Works for an awareness-raising event hosted by the Emmaus Young Professional Advisory Board. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness about the harmful impact of the “R-Word”—“retard/retarded”—on people with intellectual disabilities, as well as to highlight the ways Emmaus is working to improve lives and promote respect within the intellectual disability community.

Emmaus participated in the official “Spread the Word to End the Word” Day on March 7, 2012. The “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics, Best Buddies, and other organizations that support people with disabilities to raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and to encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word. According to Emmaus Executive Director Karen Jacobsen, “our philosophy at Emmaus is rooted in Respect. We respect the gifts of every person. That’s what this is all about.”

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