A Parent's Story
Gene and Karen Smith Story
Buddy Ball has been such a blessing for our family. It helps us to interact with other families who face challenges similar to ours. We also value the time we spend at Buddy Ball as a family, while our daughter is developing as a person.
Our daughter looks forward to each event and getting to know all of her new friends. She has gained so much confidence from the cheers and encouraging words or high fives from buddies or teammates. We love to see her smile while she interacts with others. It is so great to see all the athletes participating and so excited. The best part is seeing them all cheering for and encouraging each other instead of focusing on competing against each other.
We are so thankful to all who work to make Buddy Ball successful. It has been wonderful for our daughter's development and for our family as a whole. We appreciate the commitment of everyone involved, and want them to know they have made a difference.
Gene and Karen Smith
Trudy Sanders Story
I am the parent of Adam Sanders. I would like to tell you about how much Buddy Ball has affected our family. Buddy Ball has let Adam show everyone that he can do things that were once thought impossible for him. Buddy Ball gave him the opportunity to make people believe in his abilities. Before Buddy Ball there were people that were convinced that Adam would never play sports, make friends, be a productive citizen, or know how to have fun! I can not express how grateful I am to the Buddy Ball Organization.
The Larry Wallace Grant was awarded to Adam this year and it has helped pay for much needed occupational therapy that insurance would not pay for. Buddy Ball has played a very big role in helping me show the rest of the family that there is more to Adam than autism. I have a saying, "Adam has autism, and autism DOES NOT have Adam". The games are played at each child's level of participation and that makes everyone a winner! Other family members are now accepting that Adam can do and be anything he is encouraged to do or be, something that was not even considered just a year ago. Buddy Ball has brought this family much closer and has especially helped Dad see that his son can play sports, which is most every father's dream to be able to play catch with their son.
I want to thank Ms. Margaret from the bottom of my heart for helping me show the world that Adam has the potential to do much more than what once was thought. Thank you so much for being a big part of Adam's life and progress in his journey with autism!
Trudy Sanders
