The Backstory
Justin
Bachman is a 16-year-old 11th grader at Solon High School. He has
Tourette Syndrome (TS), a neurological disorder that causes his body to
make involuntary movements and sounds, which he cannot control.
After being
disqualified from a cross-country race in 2010 for having tics while the
officials went over the race rules, Justin had some hard choices to make.
Either be a victim, or enact change. He chose the latter.
Justin met
with Mayor Susan Drucker of Solon, Ohio, and explained his Tolerance Fair
concept to her. He wanted his hometown to be known as one that accepted
people for who they were, regardless of their differences. He also didn't
want anyone else to have to experience the intolerance that he has faced.
His theory
was that intolerance is caused by ignorance, and the way to overcome
ignorance was through education. The plan - hold a fair where 15 charities
could show people how to get involved through volunteering. This would
educate people about the differences that we all face, and that would lead
to tolerance.
On March 13,
2011, something special happened. The first Tolerance Fair was held at the
Solon Community Center. Justin’s
small list of 15 charities grew to 48 charity and advocacy
groups exhibiting. We had hoped to
get between 100-200 people, but the result: over 1,000 people attended!
The fair also featured interactive exhibits (wheelchair obstacle course,
special needs presentations, etc.), and more than 50 volunteers. The event
was free and open to the public, and drew attendees from many other
communities.
After hearing
stories from the 2011 Fair of people who began volunteering and/or got
help to deal with their differences, we realized that we had to continue our
efforts. The goal for the 2013 Tolerance
Fair was simple: Bigger and Better. We
expanded it from a community event to one with a more regional scope. The results blew us away! 3,000 attendees, 129 exhibitors, free
admission and parking, interactive activities, breakout sessions, an amazing
keynote speaker (Kyle Maynard), and even a surprise flash mob!
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a resource center providing people
facing challenges with the courage & knowledge to advocate for themselves,
their children and others.
We hope to create accepting environments and enact our mission
by introducing people to ways they can get involved in their community as well
as introduce them to support systems that can help them achieve personal growth.
Why Should I
Get Involved?
Because you
are involved - intolerance affects everybody. We are all different, all unique. If you
or someone you know has been treated differently because of skin color, race,
sexual orientation, weight, physical ability, religion, ethnicity, etc., or
deal with a medical or physical condition such as depression, anxiety, AD/HD,
Down Syndrome, Autism, OCD, Tourette Syndrome, Cancer, etc., then you need to
get involved. The more we can learn about the differences in others, the
more we can start embracing those differences and becoming a more tolerant
society.
What about the 2014 Tolerance Fair?
We're doing something different this time. The 2014 Tolerance Fair of Northeast Ohio is being planned and
implemented by a group of 19 amazing local high school students. Click on this link to see them: http://www.honorgooddeeds.com/leadership-academy/. We started the Tolerance Fair Leadership
Academy this past June. After an
intensive week of training, the planning really began. Goals were set, venues and dates were
analyzed, and committees were established.
We are aiming big. Really big. 250
exhibitors educating over 5,000 participants about tolerance and
acceptance. Another totally free
event. 3 keynote speakers. More interactive activities. Better school involvement. Increased City and Regional participation. More, Bigger, and Better!
Please mark down Sunday March 9th, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the NEW Cleveland Convention Center. We truly hope to see you there. It's going to be an amazing event!
How Can I help?
To be able to keep the Tolerance Fair a free event, we need to raise
money. Lots of money! While some of that money will be from corporate
sponsorships, the reality is that this is really a grass roots effort! Every personal donation that we receive gets us one
step closer to reaching our goal. That's where we need your help. Look at our awesome perks for something that excites you, or just donate for the sake of donating! Either way, you'll really feel great!
After that, there's actually more that you can do.
First and foremost, spread the word. Forward this information/campaign on - to your family, friends, co-workers, people at your place of worship,
acquaintances, even people on the street - just pass it on. Use any
method that shares the message - facebook, twitter, email, snail mail,
whatever. The sheer power of numbers
will really help us reach so many more people.
Also, try to really embrace the concept of tolerance.
Don't just talk the talk; you really have to walk the walk. Be a
more tolerant person and don't accept intolerance. Be an upstander, not a bystander.
Next, share your experiences with others. Did someone
do something nice for you? Conversely, did you make someone's day just a
little better? Please visit our facebook page at
facebook.com/honorgooddeeds and tell us about it. Give someone else the
opportunity to learn from your experience.
Finally, check out our website at http://honorgooddeeds.com. Anything and everything that you need to know about the Tolerance Fair, resources, our efforts, etc. can be found there. We also would like your feedback and comments on how we are doing and how we can do it better.
Thank You
Thank you for checking out our campaign. Our hope is that one day we will not need to talk about events like the Tolerance Fair. For now, however, we do. Please always remember to embrace your differences. Thank you again.
