Meet Brandon Gruber, 19, of Santa Cruz, CA! He is one of the incredible people our new Program Manager, 

Lea Anne Dombek, had the privilege to meet at the National Down Syndrome Congress Convention in June.  She has many GREAT stories from her experience at the summer convention she will be sharing in our upcoming newsletters. 

From Lea Anne:

It was the day before the Convention actually started in Phoenix when I had the pleasure of meeting Brandon. He and his parents were setting up a vendor booth to sell his beautiful artwork and note cards. 

At first I thought he was a talented artist (and without a doubt, he is a gifted painter), but as I listened to his story, the more I realized how much more he has to give!   

Brandon not only embodies the 'I am not my diagnosis' belief, but he also decided to do something to help others believe it, too!

Brandon and his family moved to Santa Cruz, California when he was a Freshman. He was the first student with Down syndrome  at Aptos High School  to be mainstreamed into general education classes. But even after three long years, Brandon still felt isolated and excluded from things. "Inclusion" there, it seemed, did not necessarily mean "being included." 

His mother, Teresa, told me that she and his dad were frustrated and ready to pull him from the school altogether, but Brandon had other ideas, she explained, "He just said 'No!'" 

"He had decided to stick it out and 'blow up' his Senior year," she said. "He joined clubs and he got involved ... and you know what?"  Her face lit up as she continued,  "H is classmates began to take notice!"

In fact he made such an impact on the 

other "typical" students, many of whom also felt isolated and excluded in one way or another, they elected him Homecoming King! And while t his story could end right there, it doesn't. 

Brandon had heard that some of the underprivileged kids in his school couldn't afford to go to some of the big school functions, such as a formal dance.  Not wanting them to feel left out, he decided to raise money to help them have the opportunity for a new and inclusive experience they otherwise may not have been able to have.
Find out more about Brandon and his 321Life+1 Project by visiting his website: www.321Life.com.

iCan Bike Camp 2015 proved to be a successful and exciting experience once again, as 40 riders and over 140 volunteers took over the North Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center!

The riders, ranging in age from 8 to 32, worked hard each day learning bicycle basics, practicing new skills and gaining confidence to ride. Parents commented that they began to notice positive changes at home due to the feeling of accomplishment and increased self-esteem; a few of the wonderful side benefits of the iCan Bike program.

WESH 2 News came to see the action, too. They put together a delightful piece about Bike Camp! (See their broadcast here.)

Volunteer Mitchell  Perry, 16, summed it up nicely, saying, "It's amazing what one week can do...they're wobbly on the first day, and then on the last day they're all flying around out here!"

Words simply cannot express the gratitude we all have for our phenomenal volunteers. Your endless positivity, incredible energy and epic willingness to give of yourself is truly amazing! You are the ones who make this all possible. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!