The night I graduated another man received his honorary AA from the Noorthoek Academy. Fred has Down Syndrome and has been working on this degree for 18 years. I walked their fund raiser a few weeks ago with one of my students that attends there and got a small book of poems that the students wrote.

Here is a poem that this man wrote for his wife (also impaired)

When I Read This to You

As you have touched me,
On Valentine's night I feel
your loving, thoughtful heart
has touched me in very special ways
For a wonderful person is Katy.
She is my Valentine's night
With her red top on
With this ring I thee wed
with red sparkling wine
by the candlelight
by the window.
I am saying something
to you by the fireplace at night.
You may cry when I read this to you.
And I love you so much all the time.

If anybody out there is looking for a charity to throw some money at, please consider Noorthoek Academy - they get no government funding and this is all done through student money and donations. (or you can donate to my "Race for the Cure" page in my sidebar