The power of community

The Power of Community

How did we get here?

When Melissa and I started this journey with Elijah, we made the difficult decision that not only would we strive to do everything we could for Elijah to make his life the very best it could be, but we would use our voices as parents to share the story of Elijah, in hopes that we could make the world a little better as well. Our goals back there were pretty simple…we just wanted our family and friends to understand autism, support Elijah, and raise a little money for the cause if we could.

A funny thing happened along the way. One by one, our family and friends began to not only embrace Elijah’s story, but they shared it. One event the first year turned into three the second, a handful the third and even more now going into the fourth year. People weren’t asking, what’s autism, but rather, what can I do to help? What can I do to make a difference? That little snowball of awareness started to grow.

It is such a beautiful thing, to sit down in January each year with Melissa, take a deep breath and utter a collective “here we go!” Months of planning go into our events, from coming up with a concept for our t-shirts (which Melissa has developed a heckuva knack for!), organizing all the details, and then executing it all. But truth be told, it’s becoming the most wonderful time of the year for us! Because whether it’s the front of Matt Buyten’s jersey at the X Games, the strap of Cody Gilmore’s goggles at a Supercross, a sea of a hundred people wearing blue walking in Storm Lake, or just a good friend with the blue shirt on at the gas station on a random Monday, it still brings a smile to our face each and every time we see our logo. How could we not feel the love, and be so excited to see what will come each year? People with good hearts and great actions still exist…and we are so darn lucky to have so many of them in Elijah’s community.

As another whirlwind April awaits, I can’t even comprehend how we got here. I like to think I have big dreams and nothing overwhelms me, but I am truly mind blown. I’m humble enough to remember the first t-shirt fundraiser we did, and the fact we doubled that number a couple times last year. That what started as a group numbering thirty some at the first event, will likely reach out to tens of thousands this year worldwide!

Growth like this doesn’t happen overnight, or with just two people trying to raise awareness. Somewhere along the way, this little dream became so much more…it was no longer Melissa and I sharing our little Elijah with this community, but it was this community that started to say, this is why we are here, this little boy, and this is OUR story. And because of you, there’s no telling where we might go, no dream too far fetched, no future that seems impossible.  (JR)