eSpecially Ben

The pastor at our family's church, Sara Ilderton, attended the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies on Tuesday. It was her first time attending, and the experience was quite more than she had bargained for. Pastor Sara writes a blog, and I have re-posted this with her permission, and added the photos to give a visual to her story.   She has captured on "paper" what many of us felt. About a minute-and-a-half after the athletes started coming in,  I wanted to knock Ethan out …He’s our Minister of Youth & Families. He was standing right beside me, and his constant “whoop-whooping” poured down on me from his 6’2” height and echoed throughout the entirety of the Bojangles Coliseum. A bunch of us from the church went to support Ben – St. Luke’s own  Special Olympian (check out  eSpeciallyBen ). Anyhow, Ethan’s excitement and enthusiasm were, quite honestly, more than a little annoying –  at least at first . I’m fairly certain that every person there c

In 2013, my boys and I attended the Mecklenburg County Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies. We were 3 of perhaps 20 spectators. While we had an incredible time, I did wonder how much more fun and special the event could be if more people came to cheer on the athletes. I made myself a promise to bring more people along the following year. In late March 2014, I started a campaign called  Operation: Fill The Stands . The name came from the photo below that I snapped while at the 2013 event. I am an "ask permission first" rather than "ask for forgiveness later" type of person, so I contacted Greg Morrill, director of the Mecklenburg Special Olympics to let him know what I had in mind. At that point of contact, I was hoping for a few extra people. With Mr. Morrill's blessing, I sent out 100 emails to family, friends and a few acquaintances expecting 20-30 more people to attend. On my Facebook page and blog, I posted the photo and asked for ways to get more spe

The 2014 Opening Ceremonies for the Mecklenburg County Special Olympics were this morning. Our efforts to increase attendance worked. Last year, about 15-20 family members attended. This year, over 400 family, friends and community members cheered loudly for each and every athlete who marched into the Coliseum.  There were many special moments while we were there. When Ben walked in (he was in his walker!!!) his personal cheering squads yelled extra loud. I was a few feet away from him, and I struggled with letting him see me or not. Often if he sees his family in a crowd, he wonders why he is not with us. But the decision was made for me, the crowd was so wild and loud, he could not hear me anyway. Just as he walked past me, I noticed him look up at the audience, then give a double take at all the people cheering. My tears came then and even now when I write this. While we were waiting for the ceremonies to begin, a woman introduced herself to me. She lives in Charlotte,

Our grassroots effort to raise awareness and attendance at the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies is paying off. One of Ben's community workers, Joey, forwarded the information about Operation: Fill The Stands to his church. It was in the church bulletin yesterday, read by one of the members who happens to be a reporter, Sharon Smith. She contacted Joey and the story was born. And with a little competition between news stations, the story got picked up by another local channel. The actual event will be covered by TV stations as well, an unusual occurrence, I am told. Watch them here: WBTV  - Sunday, April 20, 2014 WBTV  - Monday, April 21, 2014 Fox News  - Monday, April 21, 2014 WBT Radio  - go to 6:53 for the start of interview - Monday, April 21 Fox News  - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 Charlotte Observer  - Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Our church decorates the cross each Easter morning before the service. Members bring clippings from their gardens and everyone participates in the Flowering of the Cross. A great way to begin the day.

Since Ben was first diagnosed with delayed development at six months old, he has seen over 20 occupational, speech and physical therapists, and that does not include the ones at school. Most of these therapists provide in-home services so we do get to know them well. When it is not a good fit, they leave after a few weeks or months. Others stay with us for a few years building a strong bond with Ben and our family. Sarah R. was Ben's OT for over two years. She was one of those therapists who built a strong relationship with us. She involved Logan and Sean in sessions when they showed interest. When Ben started using the NOVA Chat, Sarah embraced it and incorporated its use in all of Ben's sessions. She helped develop ways for us to use it in everyday tasks. Sarah has been with us over this remarkable time of Ben's development, and she stepped up her game to challenge him. Throughout her time with Ben, Sarah made sure he was getting what he needed. She was instrumental

2013 Opening Ceremonies for Special Olympics 1100 athletes  will march into the Bojangles Coliseum. Last year, there were  20  spectators. Wouldn't it be great to have a large crowd cheering them on? Let's fill those stands and show our support.   Special Olympics Opening Ceremony for  Mecklenburg County, NC Tuesday, April 22, 2014 10am-Noon Bojangles Coliseum Independence Blvd. If you live in another state or county, find out when your local Special Olympics have their Opening Ceremony and go out and support the athletes.