"Walk a Mile in Their Shoes"
In Kansas City, Missouri, Fifteen
years ago Megan Walsh and Jeremy Tercey were Classmates at
the Crippled Children's Nursery School. Megan was there
because she had Spina Bifida and Jeremy because he had
Cerebral Palsy and was deaf.
They both remember the "game" they played over and over
again to sharpen their minds and strengthen their bodies.
They had no idea why those games, which were really
exercises, were important...they just did them to please
their teachers, their Therapists and sometimes
themselves.
Megan graduated from Raytown High School this year with
the rest of her class despite enduring 32 surgeries.
Jeremy graduated from Westport High School with a B+
average and headed off to Rochester, New York for college.
Although they went their separate ways, neither Megan nor
Jeremy forget the iportant role the Crppled Children's
Nursery School, now called Children's TLC, played in their
lives.
Since graduating, Megan has been working as a greeter at
John's Apple Market in Raytown and caring for her little
sister so her mother can work. Last January, Megan
decided to approach Children's TLC about becoming a
classroom volunteer. "I want to work with kids who are
like I used to be. I know what they're going through and
want to show them their hard work really will payoff.
When kids get tired or think they can't quite reach that
far, I tell them 'yes, you can' and they give it another
try."
Megan helps in several classrooms including that of
Melissa Durham. She calls Megan "A godsend for the
children. She has tremendous patience, which comes from
'walking a mile in their shoes'."
Jerem left college, deciding he wanted to work for a while
and be closer to home. He's had trouble finding a job,
but instead of sitting around waiting for the phone to
ring, he too contacted Children's TLC about becoming a
volunteer. Jeremy was welcomed back with open arms. This
summer he has been working with deaf and hearing-impaired
students four days a week. Like Megan, Jeremy has a
special bond with children that an able-bodied teacher or
teaching assistant can't duplicate.
Although Jeremy can't speak or hear, he communicates
throug sign language. Rae Walty, the deaf Educator at
Children's TLC says, "He speaks their language; he's an
excellent role model for the kids." Jeremy has been
working closely with Maribel and Hannah, teaching them to
tie their shoes. He's determined to make sure they learn
before kindergarten so they're like everybody else. Why
is it so important to Jeremy that they learn now? Because
Jeremy's Cerebral Palsy prevented him from trying his
shoes until he was seven and his classmates teased him
about it. Jeremy doesn't want that to happen to the
girls.
"I like working with kids, especially deaf kids, because I
can teach them sign language," says Jeremy. Art is
another one of his joys. It's one way Jeremy can express
himself when words fail. He hopes to someday combine his
love of children with his passion for art by teaching art
to children with disabilities. Megan wants to go in to
broadcasting. She loves country music and hopes to be a
disc jockey someday. For now, Megan and Jeremy are
enjoying reaching out helping young boys and girls who are
much like they were, 15 years ago.
Email:
tigers20@webtv.net
