Monthly Archives: December 2011
Fun Video Friday #22 (Happy New Year!)
Each new year brings with it transitions, and who better to talk about transitions than Jim Carrey?
2012 says, “Wait’ll they get a loada me!”
Here’s hoping your 2012 is your best year yet! Happy New Year everyone!
Your Voice Matters (YVM3)
Today’s story is about Nathaniel Ray, a 14-year old boy with Tourette Syndrome who began speaking out about his condition in May of 2010. (Read Orlando Sentinel the article here) Nathaniel joined forces with the National Tourette Syndrome Association and their “Youth Ambassador Program” and speaks largely in elementary and middle schools to heighten awareness about this often misunderstood malady.
(From the Sentinel article) “Sometimes, kids make fun of people with Tourette’s,” Nathaniel said to the class. “You wouldn’t make fun of someone with asthma because they have to use an inhaler would you?”
Tourette’s syndrome is an inherited neurological disorder affecting an estimated 200,000 Americans, and is usually diagnosed in children between the ages of 3 and 10. The most familiar and caricatured form of Tourette’s is called coprolalia, in which the sufferer uses sometimes inappropriate language in bursts. While it is the characteristic of Tourette’s most often portrayed, it affects an estimated 10 percent of people with the disorder.
Nathaniel, now 15 and in high school in Orlando, is still participating in the NTSA’s ambassador program. Going into its fourth year, the ambassador program has trained more than 38 teams of teens from across the country and reached an estimated 3.5 million people. Nathaniel makes his voice matter by educating others about Tourette’s — your voice matters too! Speak out on issues that you feel strongly about.
If there is someone whose voice has mattered to you, leave a comment below!
Fun Video Friday #21 The Holiday Edition
I came across this and had a good laugh. The Scary Snowman has a whole series of these which are very funny (many NSFW) but in this one, the prankster receives a surprise of his own! The little girl may be in for years of therapy to cure her unreasoning fear of snowmen. Make sure you have some smiles this holiday season!
Your Voice Matters (YVM2)
This week’s YVM is about 13-year old Megan Mettler. According to this article at Take Part, Megan has delivered “17,000 books over the course of one year to kids in need”. The latest update from her Kids READ Facebook page has that count up to 21,145. Wow! That’s a lot of books!
Megan started with the idea that she wanted to donate books to kids in homeless shelters, which she did, then realized there were kids in hospitals and schools that were in need of books as well. Megan said, ”I talked to a bunch of teachers and principals and they said they don’t have librarians. Their kids don’t have library time, so it’s really hard for them to get books.”
Megan’s voice and actions have mattered to a huge number of people over the course of the year she’s been working on this project. Get out there and have your voice matter. It doesn’t have to be a big event like Megan started — just a kind voice to someone you know can make a huge difference.
Keep sending in your nominees for Your Voice Matters! And if you’d like to make a donation to Megan’s book drive, you can email her here: kidsreadbookdrive@yahoo.com or follow them on Facebook.
