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Jordan's story and the power of pennies

NEWS RELEASE ROTARY CLUB OF SAULT STE.

NEWS RELEASE

ROTARY CLUB OF SAULT STE. MARIE

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One penny can mean more than one cent: Jordan is helping people realize the power of the penny one classroom at a time
 

Jordan Bird-Thompson is a fairly well-known name in the school boards. 

For many years now, he has been doing inspirational speeches at local elementary and high schools in support of TD Canada Trust Penny Power, an annual penny drive supporting Easter Seals Kids. 

And Jordan (shown at Woodeden Easter Seals Camp when he was younger) truly is an inspiration.
 
Jordan, a high school student at St. Basil, is an avid Leafs fan, a self-described “typical terrible teenager,” and possesses a not-so-secret diehard crush on Taylor Swift. 

Jordan also has cerebral palsy. 

Unable to wield control over any muscles in his body, he is confined to wheel chair and speaks through a computer communication device called a Vantage. 

He drives and communicates using only his head. 

On his right is the stick-shift for controlling his chair.

His headrest functions as the joystick driver for his chair. 

On his left, is a system similar to the one button on a computer mouse, which he uses to control his Vantage and his laptop.
 
Jordan is currently completing his co-op with the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie. 

The club, wanting to utilize his well-developed public speaking skills, has placed him in participating elementary and high schools (see list below), where he is delivering motivational speeches about Easter Seals and Penny Power. 

“Jordan is an amazingly empowering speaker,” explains Rotary Supervisor Lee Skinner.  “He’s a great person to have on the Rotary team: funny, creative, ambitious. Not only is he pumping up the schools about TD Canada Trust Penny Power, but we hope to have him promoting the Easter Seals Telethon and doing some educational videos for us.”
 
His educational assistant, Jo-Anne Chartrand, begins his speeches by explaining Jordan’s chair and how it works. 

She then explains his condition, and why he can’t move or talk, in words that kindergartners can relate to: “Messages from Jordan’s brain to his muscles get mixed up. So Jordan can move, but he can’t control his arms and legs. His brain can’t tell his hand to pick something up. Did you know your tongue is a muscle? Well, it is, and that’s why Jordan can’t speak with his mouth. Instead he uses this computer to talk.”

Hushing the astonished kids to silence, she then gives the cue for Jordan to begin.

With a click of his head, he begins to tell the kids about himself, and the different equipment he needs to get through each and every day. 

He thanks the children for bringing in their pennies for each and every piece of equipment Easter Seals has helped his family with, including a trip to an accessible Easter Seals camp.
 
Then comes the flood of questions. 

“The young ones ask the best questions – they aren’t restricted by social taboo,” says Chartrand. 

Common questions are “How do you go to the washroom?” “What’s your favourite sport?” “How do you eat?” and “What’s your favourite thing to do?” 

To these, he takes a bit of time to answer, for Jordan has to scroll through a database of over 2,500 words in order to construct a sentence. 

But his answers always have a twist of his great sense of humour: his favourite activity is “looking at girls!.”

With this response, the crowd always explodes in giggles, and the kids stop seeing Jordan as a disabled person, and begin to see him as a typical terrible teenager. 

More than just a drive to collect pennies, Jordan’s speeches are truly an educational experience for all that have the opportunity to attend them.
 
Ann Chiaschini, a teacher at Kiwedin Public School, had such an opportunity: "The staff and students at Kiwedin Public School recently had the pleasure of meeting Jordan Bird-Thompson. His presence was powerful, to say the least. He invited us into his world, giving us a most close up and personal opportunity to appreciate not only his challenges, but his courage to overcome those challenges. His presence made a lasting impression on our students, awakening within them a new sense of empathy, compassion, and most of all respect. They witnessed for themselves that 'you can do anything, if you put your mind to it'.  Jordan won our hearts and admiration. Students and staff walked away from the Penny Power presentation with a greater understanding and sense of its value and the importance of getting involved.”
 
Completing the full course requirements for his high school diploma, Jordan is scheduled to graduate at the end of next year. 

“I’m not going to say that it’s been easy,” proclaims Jordan. “It takes me two days to write a two-hour exam.” 

Already having toured Sault College, Jordan is excited about his future. 

His goal is to become an inspirational speaker and motivate people to be all they can be. 

With years of experience under his belt, Jordan, 19, is a sure to attain anything he sets his sights to. 

And besides the great career experience, Jordan is impassioned with supporting Easter Seals through activities such as Penny Power. 

Pennies helped Jordan, now Jordan is helping promote TD Canada Trust Penny Power.
 
For those of us not in elementary or high school, all TD banking locations are accepting TD Canada Trust Penny Power donations. 

TD Canada Trust Penny Power Day, where the collected money is counted, happens this year on March 3, in the Cambrian Mall outside of Winners. 

Hundreds of volunteers come down from 10 a.m. through 1 p.m. to help count and roll the change donated by the community. 

For kids like Jordan, every little bit does help.
 
View this video footage of Jordan’s presentation.

Schools participating in Penny Power in 2012:
 
• Riverview PS

• St. Basil

• Pinewood

• Ben R. McMullin

• Kiwedin

• Rosedale

• Tarentorus

• St. Bernadette

• St. Paul

• Anna McCrae

• Aweres

• Etienne Brule

• Grand View

• Greenwood

• Queen Elizabeth

• R.M. Moore

• Wm. Merrifield

• St. Ann

• Isabel Fletcher

• F.H. Clergue

• White Pines Intermediate

• Sister Mary Clare

• Notre Dame des Grands Lacs

The Easter Seals Telethon airs locally on Shaw on April 1, from 12 noon to 7 p.m.
 
Easter Seals Ontario is proud to celebrate 90 years of helping children and youth with physical disabilities. 

2012 also marks the 75th anniversary of Easter Seals fully accessible summer camps and the 65th anniversary of our annual Easter Seals direct mail campaign, which continues to be one of our most successful campaigns.
 
For 90 years, Easter Seals has played an important role in providing support for children and youth with physical disabilities.

Thanks to our generous donors, we continue to offer programs that allow kids to experience freedom, independence and a sense of accomplishment.

For families, Easter Seals is somewhere to turn for help when they need it.

Your support means so much to these children and their families.
 
Easter Seals Ontario - Celebrating 90 years of helping children and youth with physical disabilities achieve their potential.

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