I once asked Zach Rayment if he wished he didn’t have cerebral palsy. His answer was typical of him.
“Walking is a dream for me,” he conceded. But, he said, without CP he wouldn’t have the same experiences, the same friends, the same character.
“I wouldn’t be Zach,” he said.
Being Zach is not always easy. Only recently he rejoined his Variety Village sports teams after a year of daunting health setbacks.
Now, at age 15, he faces a decision on surgery to break and straighten his legs, which may ease pressure and pain in his tightening knees. It may also cost him stamina and mobility – and three months-plus of recovery.
None of this gets so much as a mention in his guest column. Instead, it is a Christmas tribute to his second home – and to the people who make it a special place.
– Mike Strobel
By ZACH RAYMENT
Special to Toronto Sun
Hello, I’m Zach and I want to tell you how much Variety Village does to support kids like me – with help from people like you.
The Village is an amazing place and an amazing community. It has had such an impact on my life and the lives of many others, mainly because of the fantastic people who work there or who visit the Village every day.
This is a charity that goes above and beyond to support people with disabilities. They do this in a number of ways.
One of my personal favourites is the teams. Variety Village creates and supports teams for everything from swimming to wheelchair basketball.
All of these programs allow kids with disabilities like me to be part of a team and accomplish our goals.
For example, I am on the Flames swim team, which gives me the opportunity to go to the Paralympics one day. Several of my teammates have already gone and I can’t wait to join them.
However, one of the best aspects of Variety Village and its programs is that they include everyone. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what kind of condition you have. Variety Village does its best to make sure everyone is included.
A great example of this is the Volt hockey team. I know you are probably reading this and saying, “What on earth is Volt hockey?”
Let me explain. Volt is hockey in a kind of go-kart with a four-way stick on the front in the shape of the letter T. We chase after a small ball, like it’s a puck.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the carts can turn on a dime and go up to 13 km/h. That’s fast. We always laugh when an ‘able-bodied’ person like Mike tries to drive one of those carts, like they’re riding lightning and trying to parallel park.
I love Volt hockey, and not just because it’s an amazing sport, but because anyone can play – all you need is one operational finger and you’re good to go.
You may have read Mike’s stories of the Volt World Cup in Sweden a couple of years ago. I got to go with the Variety team. I was proud to represent Canada and we won a silver medal in our division.
It is amazing that we have a place like Variety Village that gives people a chance to try sports who might not have a chance anywhere else.
Also, Variety Village does so much more than sports. The summer camps are amazing, too, with special supports so that kids with disabilities can go to summer camp like everyone else.
In addition to giving people access to all these programs, the Village is open to the public. We have a giant swimming pool, a huge gym and weight room, a courtyard that includes an entire park and rock climbing wall. Not to mention, the swimming pool has an amazing high dive.
Arguably more important than all of that, even more important than the high dive, is the community at Variety Village. Everyone is always so caring, kind and accepting of other people. A lot of my friends are people I hang out with at Variety Village, like my best friend, Liam Marriage.
So, I want to say thank you to anyone who’s contributed to this amazing place whether you work there as a volunteer, a coach, whether you’re an anonymous donor or a friendly face I see at the door.
Thank you so much for helping to make sure we have this amazing community. I hope you get a chance to visit the Village and see for yourself its impact on kids like me.
Oh, and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
COUNTDOWN TO $2 MILLION
The mail is moving again, increasing our chances of taking the Sun Christmas Fund for Variety Village over $100,000 on the year, and atop $2 million all time. Watch for regular promo ads in the Sun or donate direct to this famed sports centre catering to kids with disabilities at www.sunchristmasfund.ca
Join these other kind souls on Zach Rayment’s honour roll, our most recent donors:
Vincenzo Carinci, Mississauga, $100
Ross and Ann Deacon, Stouffville, $300
Sandra Hinchliff, Toronto, $500
Roy Grant, Oakville, $100
Vaughan Grater, Etobicoke, $100
Zenon Ruryk, Mississauga, $50
Constance Kilgour, Toronto, $250
Anonymous, $75
Traction Rec, Vancouver, $500
Shari Payne, Toronto, $100
Bruce Bousfield, Milton, $300
Anonymous, $25
Chris Spilar, Bolton, $100
Steve and Rita Warlow, Whitby, $100
Marilyn A. Verdoold, Sutton West, $100
Brian and Nancy Evans, Bowmanville, $500
Eric Sobel, North York, $36
Michele O’Reilly, Pickering, $100
Bernice Innes, Etobicoke, $100
Lucy Louise Fowler, Brampton, $100
Elizabeth Creighton, Toronto, $200
Barbara J. Veater, Scarborough, $200
Vittoria White, Richmond Hill, $50
Frank Falletta, Etobicoke, $50, in memory of Calogero Falletta
Agatha and Vince Lisi, Etobicoke, $25
Patricia Moore, Woodbridge, $50
Michael Kemper, Toronto, $300
TOTAL: $4,381
TOTAL TO DATE: $94,491