Spotlight: Ollie Cantos

Olegario "Ollie" Cantos VII is a Filipino-American attorney who is blind due to medical complications at birth. Cantos is known for being the highest-ranking person with a disability in the United States government. He served as Associate Director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House for two terms under President George W. Bush. Cantos's most rewarding role was being a mentor to blind triplet boys whom he adopted. Nowadays, Cantos serves under President Donald Trump as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. He is also a motivational speaker. I had the pleasure of meeting Cantos when he was the keynote speaker at a Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) conference in Orlando in 2008. For more information, go to http://olliecantos.com/.

 

Cantos with President George W. Bush

(image obtained from olliecantos.com)

Spotlight: JT Townsend Foundation

The JT Townsend Foundation (JTTF) serves children and adults with disabilities in the First Coast (five northeastern Florida counties) by providing them with adaptive equipment, financial assistance, and research funding. A PGA Tour and The Players tournament-approved charity, JTTF has helped more than 275 families. Professional golfer Fred Funk is an emeritus member of the foundation's Board of Directors. Jerry "JT" Townsend, Jr., became paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury during a high school football game in 2004; he established JTTF six years later. Townsend unexpectedly passed away at age 26 shortly after graduating from the University of North Florida with a degree in Sports Management in 2013. To find out how to make a donation or apply for assistance, go to http://www.jttownsendfoundation.org/.

 

Image obtained from

jttownsendfoundation.org

Spotlight: Tiny Superheroes

Building on the "tiny" theme from last week, today's post is about Tiny Superheroes, an organization that gives confidence to children with an illness or a disability by providing them with capes. Parents are happy to see joy and courage in their children, who are encouraged to embrace what makes them unique. Robyn Rosenberger of Kirkwood, Missouri, started Tiny Superheroes five years ago this month. She has three young sons, one of whom was born about a year ago with vertical talus, a condition that results in a flat foot. Capes are sold in the St. Louis Children's Hospital gift shop; people can also go online and sponsor a cape to be sent to a child. More than 12,000 children all over the world have received capes. For more information about Tiny Superheroes, go to https://tinysuperheroes.com/ or its Facebook page.

 

Image from pixabay.com

Students With and Without Disabilities Build Tiny House

During the past year, a group of students with and without disabilities at Bayside High School in Palm Bay designed and built a tiny house. The Able Trust, a foundation that helps Floridians with disabilities become employed, funded the unique construction project, which was part of Bayside's High School High Tech program. After being delayed by Hurricane Irma in September and the lead teacher's moving away, the house's unveiling took place at Bayside on December 21. The Able Trust will auction off the house to raise money for its programs. Building the tiny house was a valuable learning experience for the students. I was pleased to read about Bayside because I graduated from there in 2004. For more details on this story, go to http://www.hometownnewsbrevard.com/news/bayside-high-and-community-partners-reveal-tiny-house/article_5f2eef72-eb4f-11e7-9482-9b14e4acbe0c.html.

A tiny house (image from Wikipedia)

Spotlight: Samples

Samples, a restaurant that serves comfort food and craft drinks in Longmont, Colorado, was featured on last night's episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. During the program, restaurant co-owner Mark Sample demonstrated to show host Guy Fieri how to make the Poutine Burger and the Korean BBQ Sandwich. Something else that makes Samples stand out is it employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This is because of Sample's wife Carmen, a social worker who noticed a lack of resources for these individuals. She also founded Sample Supports, a community-based social services agency that provides services like behavior therapy, supported living, and employment opportunities. If I ever find myself in Longmont, I'm going to go to Samples for a meal. For more information about the restaurant, go to http://www.sampleslongmont.com/.

  

Guy Fieri

Spotlight: Shaquem Griffin

Happy New Year, readers! Today's post is about a University of Central Florida (UCF) football player whose left hand was amputated when he was four years old.

Shaquem Griffin, a linebacker, helped No. 12 UCF beat No. 7 Auburn University at the 50th annual Peach Bowl in Atlanta yesterday afternoon. Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome (ABS), which caused the fingers on his left hand to hurt very much, leading to amputation. This didn't stop him from wanting to play football. Griffin was a safety for UCF four years ago but sat on the sidelines during games while his twin brother Shaquill (older by 60 seconds) played as a cornerback.

Days before the Peach Bowl, Griffin met Jordan Davis, a 19-month-old boy with ABS, along with his twin brother John (also older by 60 seconds) and parents Matt and Amanda, who are Auburn fans but are inspired by Griffin's life story. Griffin received the Football Bowl Subdivision 2017 Senior CLASS Award for his outstanding work on the field, in the classroom, and in the community during the past two years. He doesn't consider his missing left hand a disability and would like to play in the National Football League like his twin brother. For more information about Shaquem Griffin, go to http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/knights-notepad/os-sp-ucf-peach-bowl-1228-story.html.

 

Shaquem Griffin