Robbie

Robbie, 11, is a young athlete and the inspiration behind Robbie’s Clubhouse, a future recreational center for children with disabilities. He's shown here at the coliseum of his favorite sports team— the East Carolina University Pirates. Each week Robbie attends an ECU dance clinic, where he's the only one with an intellectual disability— and the life of the party! The university also helps provide game day seats to families affected by disability.

Robbie plays football, baseball, and basketball through a local inclusive sports organization, and in his remaining free time likes to watch "fail videos" on Youtube, listen to hip hop, and play an Elmo game on his tablet. His parents Robert and Jamie say that he's a daredevil who loves carnival rides!

They believe he may have a dual diagnosis of Autism, and he is still developing his verbal communication, which have no doubt grown his gift for nonverbal communication. Robert says that "at restaurants he'd stop at every table and hug everybody. A man once came up with tears in his eyes and said, 'You have no idea how much I needed that.'" The same happened when Robbie saw a family at the hospital grieving the loss of a loved one. A knack for providing comfort is something I admire so much in my own sister— I'm sure Robbie's gifting has touched so many hearts!

Though they say he's "got attitudes like any kid and is not always happy"—a common stereotype about people with Down Syndrome—"he's very positive and knows how to figure things out." What an awesome young man!