A place for everything and everything in its place. The old saying sounds like the slogan of the anal retentive, but I like to think of it as a way of looking at people and their roles in their community.
No matter which part each of us plays, it's important that we acknowledge that every part, every person, is equally necessary for the world to thrive.
While students who are different were once shunned by their misguided classmates, nowadays (thanks to their pretty cool parents, I bet) young people are focusing more on the ways they are similar and embracing the differences that make them unique. Like when Adrian Alonzo took Cesyli Prieto, a girl with Down syndrome to prom, only to discover the school had voted her Prom Queen!
When I look at Noah VanVooren, a water boy for Little Chute's high-school football team, that sentiment becomes all the more clear.
Though Noah has Down syndrome, he is a beloved member of the team. His participation and contributions are welcomed with open arms by his teammates, who treat him like he's just one of the guys.
“He’s always our biggest fan,” said teammate Tyler Zak. “He’s always there with us.”
On one special day, Noah relinquished his water boy duties, suited up, and got on the field. The team made him honorary captain for the night and the crowd roared with chants of his name.
"To have a community like Little Chute to back him up and to love him the way they do, you can’t put it in words,” Noah's dad said.
See how Noah stuns the crowd in the video below!
SHARE if this video made your heart melt just a little bit!
