TWO moms, TWO businesses, helping ONE boy with his DREAM!!!

July 21, 2012

Lessons from Andrew

Today my sixteen year old son and I went to the open house at Yoga Born Studio in South Windsor.  I made my son Andrew go to yoga because the open house this past Saturday was for him.  Dawn Greenfield is the owner of Yoga Born and I have only known her for a few months but have already discovered she has a heart of gold.  Dawn met my son Andrew at a Chamber meeting a month ago.  Andrew and I live in Enfield but South Windsor is our second home.  I have owned a frame shop in town for eighteen years and brought both my kids to work with me when they were little.  Now Andrew is working for me this summer.  Customers still come in and ask how my boys are doing.  They are shocked when I tell them how old they are.  (time does fly) Now I tell them about the accomplishments of my oldest son Andrew.  In spite of his Cerebral Palsy, he has become an accomplished skier with aspirations of gaining a spot on the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team and competing in the Paralympics in Russia in 2014.  Because of the expenses involved with skiing at the level Andrew is at, we have turned to fund-raising to get him where he has to go.

 I could talk for hours (and often do) about all the amazing people we have met that want to help my son.  Today I wanted to thank Dawn for all that she has done for us.  For the month of July, she has been fundraising for Andrew.  Her whole foyer area is set up as a display with Andrew’s items everywhere.  She is selling water bottles and donating a portion of the sales to AndrewRaces.  She has an art project that I look at and think “why didn’t I think of that”.  We have become good friends because she wanted to get involved with helping Andrew.  Now I have met some of her yoga friends and am moved at how much they want to help Andrew as well.  It is so refreshing to see this compassion from perfect strangers.  Dawn has some great ideas and when we start brainstorming together, there is no stopping us. 

I’m so glad I walked into that South Windsor Chamber meeting a few months back.  I was uncomfortable not knowing anyone there.  Now I have made several new friends, and because of lessons learned from Andrew, was able to open up to new people.   Now I meet someone new almost every day that hears his story and wants to help my son and his quest for the Paralympics.   www.andrewraces.com