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WILKES-BARRE — It really is all about the abilities of people with disabilities.
I know this first-hand.
My mom and dad each had a disability — mom had polio and wore a brace on her left leg and dad lost his right leg in World War II when he hit a beach in northern France and stepped on a land mine.
So, we had three members of our family and four good legs — I had two of them — and I was the least productive one of the three of us. No lie.
The point here is that early on in life I developed a sincere appreciation of the abilities of people with disabilities.
This appreciation has carried me through life, making it very easy to get involved with organizations like Challenger Little League and Victory Sports — the latter a group that offers athletic and social programs for adults with mental and/or physical challenges.
Both Challenger and Victory have provided many participants the opportunity to grow and develop their athletic and social skills, thereby significantly improving their overall quality of life.
And now I tell you about Christina Wesley, who is 41 years old and has played Challenger for 20 years and Victory for 12 years. She is an absolute joy to be around and she has set an example for her peers.
Christina contacted me the other day to tell me about an event she was having. For the second straight year, Christina held an Easter Egg Hunt at her house for kids she knows. She gave away prizes and the event was fun. The point is that Christina put smiles on the faces of kids because she enjoyed doing it.
Christina has a learning disability, but that has never stopped her from learning, And through her Easter Egg Hunt and other volunteer efforts, Christina also teaches us about what is really important in life.
Christina, who lives in Dupont had this to say:
“When everything was shut down last year, I decided on my own to have an Easter Egg Hunt. I told my mother, and my nephew and my caseworker Jen Doyle! And they thought it was a great idea also. Then I told my sister, Nicole, and her boyfriend, Eric, that I was having an Easter Egg Hunt. Both were happy that I thought of doing something like that and my brother Patrick was shocked that I came up with such an amazing thing to do for kids. My first Easter Egg Hunt last year, I had seven kids that attended. This year was my second Easter Egg Hunt. I had nine kids this year that attended.
“I just love seeing kids smile.”
There, that last comment from Christina. That says it all. That tells so much. It tells us that Christina and her peers have one major ability and that is to appreciate what they can do to bring smiles to the faces of children and, I might add, adults too.
Christina told me she also does “lost of stuff” for her church. She said she is a student-aide teacher for 4th and 5th grade CCD classes.
“I love it and every first Friday I give 11 people who can’t go to church communion,” she said.
Christina makes her parents, Judy and Harold Wesley, very proud. And they should take great comfort is seeing how Christina has developed into such a caring and compassionate adult.
And a couple of notes about Victory Sports.
Victory exists because of two people:
• The late Joey Wychoskie — who wanted to play baseball, prompting his mom to inquire about the possibilities. That led to forming Challenger Little League of Wyoming Valley in 1991 — the second Challenger LL in Pennsylvania — Williamsport was the first.
• And Eddie Orlosky — a young man who in April 2011 came to a Challenger “Oldtimers Game” to honor the participants from Challenger’s first season of 1991. So on this 20th anniversary, we gathered at the field and about 35 of those first Challenger players came back to play baseball, the game they love.
During the game, Eddie Orlosky asked me a question. It was at that game that Eddie showed me — and the rest of our volunteers — the light.
“How come we can’t play baseball anymore just because we got older?” Eddie asked.
By August of that year, 2010, Victory Sports was organized and we had 40-plus participants — all adults who wanted to play ball since they aged out of Challenger at age 19, leaving them with no place to play.
We play basketball in the winter, we sponsor dances at Halloween, Christmas, a “Prom Night,” and Valentine’s Day and we hold summer events.
We also hold movie nights, yoga and take field trips to baseball games, picnics and more.
Our volunteers, parents and caregivers see the value Victory brings to the participants. They see them interact, become more social and they smile an awful lot.
Like Christina Wesley.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.