48th Annual
Sunday March 28, 2010
Official Countdown To Telethon 2010:
Young Ambassadors
KORIE LAVERY -
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF HOLLAND
These young people representing some of the charities
that Variety supports through the annual Telethon. Please take a minute to get to know these very special children,
as written by their parents and the children themselves.
This page last modified on Thursday, March 11, 2010
For information on Variety - The Children's Charity of Buffalo & Western New York,
Please call us at (716) 854-7577 or e-mail us at:
vcstaff@varietykidstelethon.com
Hi. My name is Korie. I am 13 years old and go to Holland Middle School. I was born on April 17, 1996. I am in 8th grade. I live in Holland with my parents and 4 brothers, Kurt - 17 yrs old, Khristian - 12, Kamden - 9, and Kadin - 7. We have no pets because my parents think 5 children is enough.
I have been going to the Boys & Girls Club of Holland since I was in 3rd grade, 2005 to present. The Boys & Girls Club is my second home. It has dramatically changed my life, for the better, and has opened my world up to many great opportunities.
My accomplishments through the Boys & Girls Club have been member of the month November 2005, October 2006, October 2007, and September 2008. I have also been awarded the staff award by Brian Tavernier(Director of the Club) in 2007 and staff award in 2009. I also have won Girl of the Year in 2008. The Holland Kiwanis are also a big part of the Club. They collaborate greatly with the club through many community services working to make the community a better place. Through both organizations working together I have been able to help greatly through volunteering for many events and I was awarded the Kiwanis Terrific Kid award in January, 2009.
I am very active in sports through the town, club and school. I have played baseball for my town since T-Ball. I played baseball and at times being the only female on the team. I also tried out and made the All-Star Baseball team. I also played on the Softball Team.
I am very active in Basketball. I have played basketball at the club and currently play for my school. I am the Captain of the Modified Team. I was also selected to play in AAU(NY)basketball in 2009. AAU is a select team of a certain state for the nations greatest players in numerous types of sports.
There are other sports and activities through the Club that I participate in. I play in the Girls Flag Football and have been selected as one of the all star players, floor hockey, Wall-Ball, Kickball(also All-Star), and Pin-Dodge. I am also involved with Torch Club, SMART girls and Keystone Club. I also help out giving tours of the Club to anyone who requests them and I have given speeches to several organizations for the Club.
In 5th grade(November 2007) I was awarded the Triple H Award which is the highest award that can be won in the Holland School District.
I am an avid Yankees, Sabres, LA Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers fan.
I enjoy spending time with my mom, hanging out at the Club, playing sports and listening to music.
It is an opportunity and an honor for me to be an ambassador. If it weren't for the support of my parents, The Boys & Girls of Holland with the Holland Kiwanis help I would not be where I am today.
COURTENEY LOUGHLIN-
SUMMIT EDUCATIONAL
Courteney Loughlin is a friendly and loving 11 year old with a big smile and a heart of gold! She was born October 6, 1998 in Rochester NY, and was 4 weeks premature and weighed in at 5.5 lbs. Courteney lives in the Town of Niagara with her mother Julie and father Jim. Sister Katelyn is 13 and her brother Brendan will be 9 in April 2010. Courteney attends Summit Educational Resources, Getzville Site.
Courteney was diagnosed as severely autistic at age 2. She was immediately put into an early intervention program and began receiving services to help her with her disability. In 2001, we came to Niagara and were able to get Courteney enrolled at Summit. At that time, Courteney was still non-verbal and struggling with everyday life skills. Through intense ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) at home and school, Courteney started to speak and showed remarkable progress with her life skills. After a year and half of trying to mainstream Courteney into a typical classroom, we decided Courteney still needed the resources and services that Summit provides. Courteney is currently in a 8-1-1 classroom setting and receives both Occupational and Speech therapy services. Courteney is very involved in her school activities to include concerts, group book readings and sending e-mails to her family. She also has participated in the Western New York Region Special Olympics the last 3 years representing Summit.
In 2008, Courteney started skating with SABAH (Skating Athletes Bold At Heart)for the first time. On her first night she met and made a new friend Jeremy who helped Courteney learn to skate. Courteney and Jeremy worked very hard together and after 2 months Courteney no longer required the assistance of her walker! Skating has become one of Courteney's favorite activities. Just the other night, Courteney got to skate with some of the Buffalo Sabres for a SABAH fund raising event. Because of Courteney's hard work and dedication, she has been moved up to the more advanced skating group. A few of Courteney's' other favorite things to do are, going on the computer and navigating to the things she enjoys, watching movies and reading books.
Courteney looks forward to getting out and sharing what Summit has done for her. Courteney has come such a long way and we owe so much to Summit and Variety Club for all of their support. We are very proud and excited to have Courteney chosen as the Variety Kids Telethon Young Ambassador for Summit Educational Resources.
MAX SEEFELDT-
PROJECT LIFESAVER
Max Seefeldt was born March 24, 2001. He will be 9 years old next month. Max was an adorable baby who showed no signs of any problems. He was attentive, observant and cheerful. He welcomed the ample affection that his 16 months older sister Alexandra and his parents Elizabeth and Christopher Seefeldt gave him. Around the age of 15 months, Max began to show signs of being less receptive to his name being called and other verbal requests. He had also begun to show regression in his speech and word usage. His parents consulted with specialists who suggested that they begin speech therapy at home with Max. After some months of therapy it was suggested that Max might have auditory problems and that ear tubes could be beneficial. After the ear tubes were implanted and no progress was made, the recommendation that Max be evaluated for autism was followed. In December of 2003, specialists at the University of Buffalo diagnosed his autism. Max has shown progress in the prevailing years thanks to the dedicated staff at Summit School in Eggertsville. Through the application of Applied Behavioral Analysis and the other valuable programs at Summit, Max is speaking more and demonstrating great talent in the arts.
The myriad obstacles that parents of autistic children face are sometimes compounded when their autistic child demonstrates an obsession with escaping whatever environment he is in. Whether it is at home, in a park or store, Max has to be watched at all times because of his desire to get away and explore the world around him. Unfortunately, children like Max can fall victim to dangerous situations involving bodies of water or can be hit by cars. Though Max's home has alarms and locks on the inside of every window and door, his parents need the assurance that if he does get out of his home he can be found quickly to avoid potential dangers. Through the Summit School his parents were invited to have Max participate in Project Lifesaver. Project Lifesaver is an innovative program that helps both the victims and families suffering from autism. Project Lifesaver uses state-of-the-art technology employing wristband transmitters to locate wandering children like Max. It also has been a great help for Alzheimer's Disease and Down's Syndrome sufferers. The name Project Lifesaver has become internationally recognized as an active and proven program that saves lives. Law enforcement officials and other volunteers from around the USA and Europe come to the Project Lifesaver Headquarters in Chesapeake, Virginia Sheriff's Office for training. Project Lifesaver is much more than a passive ID bracelet. It is an active system that relies on state-of-the-art technology and a specially trained search and rescue team. People who are part of the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized bracelet that emits a tracking signal. When caregivers notify the local Project Lifesaver agency that the person is missing, a search and rescue team responds to the wanderer's area and starts searching with the mobile locater tracking system.. Search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes. In hundreds of searches, there have been no reported serious injuries or deaths. Recovery times average less than 30 minutes.
Thanks to Project Lifesaver, Max's parents have greater assurance that his future as a great artist will be realized!