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Announcing our newest grant recipient--Austin Handley! He is an amazing guy and one of the fastest rising milers on the Paralympic scene. He will be moving to Chula Vista to train full-time with the US Paralympic National Team, and we are honored to support his quest.

http://thinkalive.org/about-us/goals-archive.php#Autumn%202014

Read more about Elle's story here through an interview with her and her mother, featured in the North Atlanta Fencing Center Newsletter!

"I like gymnastics very much. I like to jump in the foam pit, jump on the trampoline, and do cartwheels....I am happy that I am going to be on a team...I can't wait!"

Mackenzie G., age 5, and our newest Achievement Grant recipient

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151862124750762&l=8824338980105385746.

One of our Latest Grant Recipients Christopher D., Age 21

" I can't wait to participate in chorus, ensembles and skits [at Berkshire Hills Music Academy]. I will go to many activities like the dance, bowling, baseball game, and rowing on the Connecticut River. I will like to stay in dorms without my parents there! It will be a fun experience for me."

Becky Massoni, 21, is the first of our 6 Achievement Grant recipients from the Stavros Center for Independent Living to be featured. She will join a unique Summer Activity Club where she will explore all around her local community and even visit the Bronx Zoo!

She even gets to spend the night at the Science Center, something she is really looking forward to.

In Her Own Words...

Recipient Sydney Collier will use her Achievement Grant to develop the all-important core-muscles in her quest for the Paralympics. Sydney also went on to talk all about the role that the World Equestrian Games played in her life. According to her:

"Para Dressage has a very special meaning to me . From the moment I arrived at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 I was in awe of the incredible athletes I saw competing at Para Dressage. My life was changed instantly for the better! I realized as I watched them ride that I did not have to let my disabilities rule my life. I decided that day that I was just going to be me, and not be limited by my disabilities! That one trip allowed me to find a cause that I could really dedicate myself to and help change the lives for all disabled individuals for the better! Through my riding I could help other disabled youths see that their life was not ending- it was just taking a new path towards their goals."

Here Sydney is as she shares some of her prouder moments with Think Alive!

Sydney Collier,15, a Para-dressage rider and latest Achievement Grant recipient!

Today marked the first day of our Perkins fencing program! Three amazing students will learn about the world of fencing over the next four weeks at The Fencing Academy of Boston!

This is just one of the amazing illustrations that photographer Matej Peljhan has used to spice up the classic children's book The Little Prince. The new edition features a 12 year old with Muscular Dystrophy in a "touching" tribute to a boy who "still manages to use his limited movements — and unlimited imagination — to sketch on small pieces of paper."

Thanks to the Mashable Team for giving a venue for amazing projects like this to do shared to the mainstream population. Everybody deserves a chance to be heard!

For more information, feel free to follow the link below: http://mashable.com/2013/04/17/photos-imagination-boy-muscular-dystrophy/

U.S. National Sled Hockey Team set to defend title against Canada Saturday

Meet Justin, 7, our most recent recipient! This summer he will journey to Super Soccer Stars in Boston with our support, where he will look to continue, in his words, "running like Sonic the Hodge Hog!"

We wish him the best of luck!

Take a look at these fantastic pictures one of our more recent grant recipients, Jacob! This winter he spent days up at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire enjoying the slopes.

Jade Excel of Rockville, Maryland has taken her love of singing to the next step with an Achievement Grant from the Think Alive Foundation. The award allowed her to participate in a creative drama class at Imagination Stage called “Folksongs and Fairytales,” which introduced her to some of the fundamentals of performance art.

In the beginning of the semester, the class began to use music to tell stories through the song and story Abiyoyo. Jade loved learning to playing the ukulele that is integral to this story. The class also did a “rhythm closet” activity, in which students clap rhythms created by each other. Jade occasionally inserted beats where they did not belong at first, but soon learned when to clap and when not to. Developing a strong sense of rhythm at such a young age will lay a strong foundation for building her musical skills in the future.

“Jade has a clear singing voice,” wrote teacher Jenn Book Haselwerdt in her final report on Jade’s progress. “I encourage her to continue to explore pitch and rhythm.”

A four year-old who happens to be on the autism spectrum, Jade is Think Alive’s youngest Achievement Grant awardee. She has many years ahead of her to build her talents, and Think Alive is proud to have supported her at such a critical stage.

“ Thanks very much I really think it was a great opportunity,” Jade’s mother wrote to Think Alive. “Now we have to worry about how to get Jade to stop singing!”

By Dean Curran

During my week in Cuba this past January, I visited the Carrette project, a community art center for people with down’s syndrome in Piñar del Río. It was started by Jesús Carrette in 2002 with the aim of building social and artistic skills in a way that creates a supportive atmosphere for people with special needs and their families. As of January, the center has 24 members, whose ages range from 9 to 55. The center has hosted 49 collective art exhibits and 11 personal exhibits. They host workshops for drawing and painting, but the most popular medium is engraving prints.

This involves carving and painting a stamp-like print, and applying it to a surface (usually paper). There is an exciting moment of discover in this medium, as the artist removes the stamp, revealing the final product.

Each of artists at the Carrette Project held up their pieces for the rest to see. They congratulated one another, admiring each print.

Take a look at some awesome photographs from our latest Grant Presentation all the down in North Carolina!

On September 15th, Think Alive joined together with the Community School for the Arts in a family-oriented event that exceeded our wildest expectations. Families enjoyed an ice cream social throughout, co-sponsored by some generous vendors.

Seven year-old pianist Jazmynne “Ruby” Ford and nine year-old singer Lisa Bettendorf were honored in front of almost 70 friends, family, and community members at 7th Street Public Market in uptown Charlotte.

Each girl received a framed certificate, a gift certificate from a local music shop, Think Alive wristbands, and of course, a full semester of private lessons!

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