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We started a group called the Unified Sports Program (USP) last year thru the YMCA of Greater Westfield. Our main goal is to teach social inclusion through sports. We take disabled kids and typical kids and teach them that regardless of their physical, mental or athletic skills, they can enjoy each other’s company both on and off the court. We started last summer with baseball and have since had the following programs; Baseball, Frisbee Golf, Flag Football, Sled Hockey, Candlepin Bowling, Basketball, Swimming Programs can run anywhere from 4 to 10 weeks depending on field/court availability. A major key for USP is that we do not charge for any of our programs. The only requirement is that the child is a member of the YMCA as this puts them under the insurance umbrella the YMCA has. That cost is only $15 per child per year and we will waive that if it would help someone come on board. USP wants to make sure that money is never a consideration when a parent decides to try our program. To raise the substantial money needed to buy equipment/gym & ice time etc.. we have run a multitude of fundraisers thru our members. Thanks to a very sad day last summer, our prayers have been answered and our financial needs will be helped tremendously by a great band called Emerson Drive. Sorry if I ramble… Last year my daughter (17 year old Stephanie) got me to listen to a song called Moments from a young country and western band called Emerson Drive. I was blown away. I got online and started listening to their music. My 9 year old son Sean was walking by as the song “I still got Yesterday” was playing. He listened in the background and came over to me after the song and said that he loved that song because it reminded him of me. I asked why and he explained his reason which led me to tears. I have been out of work because of a car accident. Three brain surgeries later I am unable to work for a variety of reasons. But I am no longer depressed as I feel very happy to just get up in the morning and spend time with my kids. I preach to my kids to dream about tomorrow, appreciate today and relish yesterday. To work every day to make the memories we will have of our lives to mean something. So Sean hears the song and it resonates with him. I go online and find that the band is playing the next day at Mohegan Sun in CT. We obviously decide to go. The next morning we get in the car and he asks before I pull out of the driveway to put on his favorite song. As it is playing we go down our street and get to the top of the last hill when the 2nd verse comes on – it tells the story of a young man who is very popular and dies in a car accident and how everyone stands around the stones crying – but not the singer – He’s still got yesterday – well on the day we are going to see this band I look up while this is playing and see 2 women standing at the end of our street around the crumpled leftovers of what the day before was a gorgeous stone wall welcoming people to our neighborhood (Shaker Heights). As we get closer we see that they are both standing there weeping while looking down at the stones strewn all over the ground. We were all taken back by the sight and I called a friend from the Westfield PD who informed us that a young man had died the previous night running into that wall. We took the trip to CT talking all the way about life and how we need to appreciate it, talked about how neat it was that we were listening to those words when we saw those women. My friend called back with more details, the man’s name was Zach, which is the same name of the man Emerson Drive sang the song about. A heavy chill ran over my body when I heard this and wondered if God was trying to tell me something. The concert was great – afterwards we met the band and told them the story – the look on their faces was really something. We followed the band to a NY fair the next week and again met with them and this time I met their manager who I asked if they would be interested in helping out USP. They jumped at the chance. And here we are…. |
