“One Small Step, Countless Big Rewards” by Cape Kid Olivia Perlmutter

April 23, 2014April 23, 2014 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

Today’s guest blog comes from “Cape Kid of the Month” Olivia Perlmutter, a true everyday hero who has our respect and admiration. Olivia founded Teens Connecting with Teens to bring students together to help youth with special needs (read on for more details!). We look forward to honoring Olivia at our upcoming 5K race for kidkind and Family Festival and sharing a portion of proceeds to support her in expanding the reach of her organization.

And now…take it away, Olivia!

“One Small Step, Countless Big Rewards”

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”― Mahatma Gandhi

I have heard many times that one small action can lead to a thousand new opportunities, but I never really believed that until my freshman year of high school when I decided to take one small step. That small step was really just a simple idea that I had to help my twin sister reconnect with the friends that she had made in the Chatham public school system. My sister has down syndrome and had been in public school until 5th grade―“mainstreamed”, they called it―but eventually she transferred to a special needs school in Chatham called ECLC.

My sister loves ECLC, but she also loves hanging out with her “old friends” from elementary school. As an incoming freshman, I recognized that there was no contact between students at my high school and the ECLC school, even though they were in the same town. I decided that I would start a club at the high school to create opportunities for social interactions with the students at ECLC.

Entering high school as a timid freshman was terrifying and having to organize my first club meeting and speak in front of a large group of people was the last thing I wanted to do. However, I found the strength to overcome my fear, because I recognized that, like my sister, all of the students at ECLC could benefit from this program.

My sister and about 30 other ECLC students now live for our activity nights! Not only have experiences with the club changed so many others, but they have changed me, as well. I remember as a freshman thinking to myself that I would never run for class office; it seemed TERRIFYING. But after I saw how one small action of starting a club impacted so many people in a positive way, I figured why not! I was voted sophomore class vice president!

Another big thing that came as a result of my small step was that I was selected to attend a leadership conference. Only one or two sophomores are chosen each year from our high school, and I received the honor in part because of all the work I had done to build the club. The leadership conference was a truly life-changing experience and, just recently, I was accepted as a junior counselor to work at the leadership conference this summer.

My attitude towards trying new things has been completely transformed over the past three years. I am currently a junior in high school and looking for new ways to expand my club and challenge myself with new and exciting opportunities! I’m thankful that Wear the Cape is helping me to further my efforts and touch more lives.

photo for Olivia blog — Teens Connecting with Teens (Cape Kid Olivia on far right)

Special Cheer Team Uniquely Inspires from the Sidelines

January 26, 2014January 27, 2014 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

We are thrilled to share with you today’s guest blog from a remarkable lady named Debbie House. Debbie is the organizer and head coach of the Contender cheer team, a unique group of special needs cheerleaders. The team was formed three years ago with the five girls pictured below. A year later, the squad increased to eight, and this year there are 10 team members. The girls cheer at Hunterdon Huskies home games at Union Forge Park in High Bridge, NJ.

From Debbie House:

You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

I waited nervously at the field for the girls who were coming to see just what this was all about. Eventually they all arrived and, for the first of many times, I saw the smiles of the five girls who would become the very first Hunterdon Huskies Contender Cheer Team, a squad for kids with special needs. We loved each other, and we loved cheerleading together from that first day forward.

I am the lucky voice for the team. Those first five teenage girls, with varying special needs, joined a team that never existed, coached by a woman they had never met, with a game schedule that was incomplete, and all part of an organization that had never had a special needs athlete before. I can’t help but admire the courage it must have taken the girls and their families to even consider being on the team.

Kids with special needs don’t always get the warm fuzzy welcome we would hope, and their parents are full-time advocates often fighting a system that doesn’t always work for their child, often settling for what they are offered. Most of the extracurricular activities that these kids previously participated in were only for kids with special needs – this was definitely not going to be that – this was cheerleading, the sport with arguably the most stereotypical participants and parents.

What I asked these families to perceive, envision, and believe in was something they were unfamiliar with – yet they came to the field that first day. They believed me, and they took a leap of faith that most would probably not. Why? For the love of the sport. For love of a body in motion that may not necessarily present the most skilled maneuver, but nonetheless, is a body in motion. It’s simple, if you ask: The girls just want to be like other girls their age.

The members of my team don’t even realize the walls they break down simply by putting on their uniforms. They possess the courage to be put in a position of vulnerability without concern for criticism. Hundreds of people have watched them perform. Hundreds of people have been and will continue to be changed by seeing what these girls can do – hearts become lighter, edges blur, and tears flow. It becomes clear that while judges’ scores may be immediately important, the reality is that enjoying what you’re doing needs to be more important. And perfection is relative. If you ask any member of any audience that has seen this team perform, they will say they were PERFECT.

They are a team of ten now. Ten ambassadors. Not just ambassadors for the special needs community, but ambassadors for every person who ever wanted to try something they weren’t sure they were good at. And trying with 100% determination so that, whatever the outcome, trying is the victory.

Their courage and enthusiasm is paving the way for other teams to emerge, and for other girls with special needs to join in and cheer, and be part of something completely amazing.

Short and SO Sweet

November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

Recently, a teacher named Stephanie who is a fan of Wear the Cape witnessed the actions of a pint-sized everyday hero while on the job. As relayed by Stephanie:

A few days ago when I was on lunch duty, I noticed one of my students sitting at a table with several of our special needs students. Many of them are non-verbal, so they too often spend their lunchtime among other students’ chatter without being included.

I watched this particular student wondering, “Is he sitting with them or just near them?” After several minutes, it became clear that he was there because he wanted to be, drawing pictures for them and offering them jokes.

It’s so rare that we see children or even adults leave their comfort zones to give others comfort. I almost cried in the middle of a lunchroom full of 5th graders; I was so touched by how truly sweet he was. He was Wearing the Cape and showing – without knowing – the entire 5th grade how to be a great person, a self-made superhero.

After learning about Wear the Cape and spreading the word amongst our faculty, the teachers at our school now wear our “capes” – Wear the Cape t-shirts – to school on Fridays. We received so many questions about our shirts that my co-teacher Tara took the time to explain what Wear the Cape is all about – restoring the power of kindness and good character.

Highlighting the actions of the student who had recently taken the time to bring a little sunshine to his special-needs schoolmates at lunch was the perfect way to help the whole class see how to Wear the Cape on a daily basis. Without a word, this student had modeled good character and what it looks like to embrace our differences. He even explained to his classmates that sitting with the special needs students makes him feel good, that they like him being there.

It’s important that teachers recognize children who are Wearing the Cape. It makes them feel good and makes others want that feeling, too! Real-life examples help kids understand what it means to exude good character, and they give them ideas that can be applied in their own lives. I have a feeling that many of my students will start sitting with the special group at lunch…and I can’t wait!

Many thanks to Stephanie for sharing this heartwarming story! We hope it inspires more people to step out of their comfort zones in order to bring others comfort.