Congratulations!

Today my dear friend Dylan participated in and completed the 2011 New York City Marathon. Not only did he run down this unbelievable achievement, he raised over $5K for a an extremely worthy charity, Standing Tall:

For thousands of children with neuromotor disorders, “standing tall” is something that others do with ease. Yet motor-impaired children must work very hard to stand, walk, write, sit, and sometimes even to speak. “Standing tall” is something other children do frequently during their school day. Yet, children with serious motor disorders often spend their day strapped into wheelchairs or other passive seating. Many are bright, social, creative children who welcome the opportunity to combine active physical involvement with academic learning. Yet their opportunity to get out of their wheelchairs and practice physical skills while learning is limited.

Fortunately, for these children Standing Tall now has another meaning:

The name of a non-profit educational program offering a better alternative to motor-impaired children.

Standing Tall’s program is based on an approach called Conductive Education. Our daytime programs for pre-school and school age children combine a highly structured, intensive program of daily physical training with traditional academic studies. At Standing Tall, young students use their bodies actively throughout the day while learning reading, math, literature, music, science and art. They get out of their chairs - quite literally “standing tall” - to meet physical as well as academic goals. After-school programs for these ages and our programs for younger children combine Conductive Education with age-appropriate cognitive activities.

Standing Tall was founded in 1997 by a group of parents, medical professionals, and educators seeking a more powerful and integrated approach to educating young children with motor issues. Since then, Standing Tall has grown from a six-week program for a handful of children to a full-time center serving children from all over the Tri-State area. We continue to improve our current programs and to develop new ones for this generation and the next.

Dylan...I am humbled witnessing this awesome accomplishment. You have my undying admiration, as you always have.

Daily Mass Readings
Wisdom 6:12-16
Psalm 63:2-8
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 or 4:13-14
Matthew 25:1-13