2013년 11월 25일 월요일

About 'tuscaloosa al'|Tuscaloosa, AL-Geaux Tigers...a FABulous reunion







About 'tuscaloosa al'|Tuscaloosa, AL-Geaux Tigers...a FABulous reunion








A               motorcycle               enthusiast               for               nearly               a               decade,               I               have               taken               countless               rides               across               the               country               with               my               husband               Reggie               on               our               Honda               Goldwing               GL               1800.

We've               participated               in               rides               with               friends,               traveled               to               numerous               motorcycle               rallies               and               enjoyed               meeting               members               of               various               motorcycle               clubs               and               organizations.

However,               I               would               have               to               say               that               of               all               the               memorable               times               we've               shared,               none               were               more               personally               meaningful               to               me               than               our               recent               participation               in               the               Arts               'n               Autism               Motorcycle               Ride               in               Tuscaloosa,               AL.

On               Saturday,               June               5,               2010,               Reggie               and               I               joined               approximately               50               other               motorcyclists               for               a               ride               in               support               of               Arts               'n               Autism,               a               nonprofit               program               that               is               housed               at               Covenant               Presbyterian               Church               in               Tuscaloosa               and               provides               after-school               and               summer               camp               programs               for               autistic               children               ages               3               and               up.

My               20-year-old               cousin               Corey               Marbury               has               been               a               participant               in               the               program               for               several               years               and               is               now               an               ambassador               in               their               Learning               Independence               for               Future               Education               and               Employment               (LIFE)               spinoff               program.

Corey               suffers               from               Asperger's               Syndrome,               a               form               of               autism               that               is               often               associated               with               abnormalities               in               communication               and               social               interaction.

His               smiling               face               was               one               of               the               first               that               we               saw               as               we               pulled               up               to               our               meeting               location               at               Tuscaloosa               Fire               Station               #2.
               "Hi               Reginald.

Hi               Jamie,"               Corey               greeted               us               as               we               descended               from               our               bike,               pulled               off               our               helmets               and               exchanged               hugs.

Accompanied               by               his               parents,               Orlando               and               Sharon               Marbury               and               13-year-old               sister               Brianna,               Corey               was               eager               to               watch               the               motorcycles               assume               formation               and               take               off               on               their               journey.

"I               had               been               waiting               to               see               it,"               he               would               later               indicate.

As               his               dad               captured               snippets               of               the               event               with               a               video               camera,               Corey               walked               with               him               and               excitedly               surveyed               his               surroundings.
               In               a               few               minutes,               Reggie               and               I,               along               with               the               other               motorcyclists               who               came               out               to               support               the               event,               would               embark               on               an               approximate               40-mile               ride               escorted               by               the               Tuscaloosa               Police.

The               rain               that               had               been               forecast               would               hold               off               until               later               in               the               day,               permitting               us               to               enjoy               one               of               the               most               pleasant               and               peaceful               bike               excursions               we               had               ever               experienced               through               some               areas               of               Tuscaloosa               County               that               even               our               navigation               system               could               not               pick               up.

As               we               waved               to               friendly               bystanders               who               stopped               what               they               were               doing               to               witness               this               spectacular               moment,               I               reflected               on               how               much               more               difficult               cousin               Corey's               trek               with               autism               has               been               than               our               smooth               trip.
               Corey's               mother               Sharon               gives               thanks               for               two               people               in               particular               who               have               been               instrumental               in               her               son's               development.

The               first,               Joan               Wheeler,               a               special               education               teacher               in               Alexander               City,               AL,               volunteered               her               time               and               efforts               to               help               Corey               learn               to               communicate               verbally.

"He               learned               to               talk               first               through               sign               language,"               Sharon               explained.

"Joan               worked               with               him               3               days               a               week               during               the               summer               when               he               was               4               years               old.

She               taught               him               to               sign               and               then               actually               say,               'My               name               is'               and               'I               want'."               Wheeler,               who               is               married               to               a               former               co-worker               of               Sharon's               husband               Orlando,               unselfishly               dedicated               herself               to               helping               Corey               without               any               expectations               of               financial               compensation.
               Corey               would               spend               his               elementary               school               years               in               the               special               education               program               at               school,               complete               with               caring               and               supportive               staff               members               who               were               knowledgeable               of               his               condition               and               special               needs.

Shortly               after               the               No               Child               Left               Behind               (NCLB)               Act               was               signed               into               law               on               January               8,               2002               by               then-President               George               W.

Bush,               however,               Corey               would               be               mainstreamed               into               regular               classes,               which               would               prove               challenging               for               him               and               his               parents.

"Ninth               grade               was               hell,"               says               Sharon,               who               noted               that               Corey's               special               education               teacher               (who               worked               alongside               the               regular               classroom               teacher)               chose               simply               to               classify               him               as               'mentally               challenged'               and               took               no               extra               steps               to               educate               herself               on               his               autism               or               how               she               could               better               assist               him.
               During               the               10th               grade,               a               second               person               would               enter               Corey's               life               who               would               have               a               profound               impact               on               his               development.

Celetrius               Hughes               was               a               special               education               teacher               who               began               working               at               Corey's               high               school.

Caring,               savvy               and               highly               personable,               Hughes               would               take               Corey               under               her               wing               and               form               an               alliance               with               his               mother               Sharon               in               an               effort               to               help               him               matriculate               successfully               through               high               school.

Sharon               also               worked               diligently               to               support               her               son               by               creating               weekly               assignment               sheets               for               all               of               his               teachers               to               fill               out               and               sign               so               that               she               could               help               him               stay               abreast               of               his               homework.
               I               was               so               proud               to               attend               Corey's               high               school               graduation               in               May               of               2009.

I               was               equally               proud               when               he               took               on               a               part-time               job               at               Park               Manor               Nursing               Home               in               Northport,               AL,               where               he               works               four               days               each               month.

And               despite               his               lackluster               reaction               to               local               publicity,               I               couldn't               have               been               more               excited               to               learn               that               Corey               had               been               featured               in               an               article               by               Ashley               Boyd               entitled               "Growing               up               with               Autism,"               that               was               published               in               the               Tuscaloosa               News               on               Sunday,               May               23,               2010.
               Corey,               of               course,               takes               everything               in               stride.

These               days,               the               highlights               for               him               are               drawing,               watching               movies               on               DVD,               downloading               his               favorite               songs               off               iTunes               and               more               importantly,               serving               as               a               helper               and               mentor               to               the               younger               children               at               Arts               'n               Autism.

He               was               doing               the               latter               while               all               of               the               bikers               were               on               the               road.

In               fact,               when               the               big               motorcycle               ride               was               over               and               we               all               reconvened               at               Covenant               Presbyterian               Church,               Corey               was               too               busy               with               the               kids               to               hobnob               with               us               older               folks               and               welcome               us               back.

"I               was               with               the               little               ones,"               he               replied               in               a               serious               tone               when               I               inquired               about               where               he               had               disappeared               to               that               afternoon.

"They               were               excited."
               When               asked               how               he               enjoyed               watching               the               Arts               'n               Autism               Motorcycle               Ride               takeoff,               Corey's               response               was               simple:               "It               was               good,"               he               said               with               a               smile.

"I               liked               it."






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