Just prior to the Special Olympics of NJ Summer Games, we were contacted and asked if we would be interested in participating in an interview with some producers from ESPN who were going to be putting together a piece to air for the World Games in July. Of course we jumped at the chance and were really excited to be a part of it. We are always proud to participate in anything related to the Special Olympics and share Colin with others.
It was such a great experience that was made even better because Colin was perfect through the whole time we were there. He was even interviewed himself and did everything that was asked of him.
We were not sure what (if anything) would get used from the interview and didn't even know when anything would air. It all ended up being a big surprise to us. It was so exciting because on the day of the opening ceremonies for the World Games, we started getting texts right after it started because a short clip of Colin appeared in the introductory video. Then, a few days later when the piece called "Smile" aired on Sportscenter, we started getting contacted from friends and family saying they saw Chris and Colin.
When we learned what Colin and Chris' footage was actually used in, we were so proud and honored to be a part of it and are thankful to the producers for putting together a piece with such a strong message. I shared the video with all of my students the first week of school (I always spend some time talking about the importance of respect and sharing about Colin and Down Syndrome) because I thought there was something everyone could walk away having learned. It was so interesting to me to watch the reactions of my students as they watched and then to hear responses about it after it was over.
The first week of October is always celebrated as a week of Respect, and many schools participle in activities to help promote the inclusion and acceptance of others as well as to promote anti-bullying. What better way to talk about Respect than to share this video!
Unfortunately, due to privacy settings, I am not able to embed the video here, but I urge you to follow THIS LINK to check it out on the site where it can be accessed. We are so proud of Colin for spreading such a strong message of respect and acceptance of others and their differences!
1 comment:
I just watched again! I remember seeing it during the Special Olympics - I was probably one of the people who posted on your wall. :) It's such a sweet video - and I love how Chris talks about parenting Colin. And Colin is just charming!
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