Reaching for the Stars

With the help of family and friends and the support and assistance of Communities In Schools, Celeste Juarez found a way to move beyond her physical constraints and be a role model for disabled and able-bodied children alike.

In Latin, Celeste means “of the heavens.”  As the name suggests, there is something awe-inspiring about 10-year-old Celeste Juarez, and definitely more to this pretty, spirited girl from New Braunfels Texas than meets the eye.  Born with no lower extremities and limited upper extremities, Celeste has found a way to move beyond her physical constraints to be a role model for disabled and able-bodied children alike.

Celeste lives with her family, hardworking parents, a 15-year-old brother and 13-year-old sister.  While the Juarez family has always been committed to Celeste’s well-being, they believed for years that she would be unable to attend public school due to her disability.  Until she was nine years old, Celeste was kept home to be looked after by family members.  Eventually, her aunt made inquiries and the family enrolled Celeste at Lone Star Elementary where she started the first grade.  Soon after she started school, Celeste was referred to Communities In Schools of South Central Texas.

“I saw Mr. Jimenez on my way to the cafeteria,” Celeste recalled of meeting Jaime Jimenez, Communities In Schools project director at her school.  “He already knew who I was since he helps my brother and sister, and he remembered my name,” she beamed.  “He invited me to be part of Communities In Schools, and I was excited.”

Jimenez confirmed, “The attitude this child has is incredible. She motivates and encourages others with her joy.”  He joked affectionately, “We call her the ‘shoelace maestro’ because, with three fingers on each hand, she teaches other kids how to tie their shoes.”

Jimenez described the ways that Communities In Schools has helped address the daily challenges in the life of this young lady.  In partnership with Communities In Schools, the faculty and staff at Lone Star Elementary School go beyond their professional obligations.  According to Jimenez, Celeste’s teacher, Barbara Williams, is always willing to step in and do whatever she can.  So that Celeste can participate in athletic activities with her classmates, her physical education teacher, Coach Casey Sauls, built a makeshift device – a crate sitting on top of a scooter – that supports Celeste as she independently wheels herself around the court playing dodge ball, her favorite game.

Celeste is part of a Communities In Schools student support team that meets in small groups each day.  She receives help with schoolwork, counseling and emotional support, as well as encouragement to try new things.  One of those things is photography; Celeste learned how to take pictures with a camera that Jimenez modified for her use.  One of her jobs at school is to take pictures of the other students on their birthdays.  Earlier this year, she took a photo of her school on a rainy day and entered it in a statewide contest with the theme, “Beautiful Is …” Her photo won first place.

It is her ability to find the beauty in rainy days, as well as every day, that makes Celeste successful.  Even so, simply getting dressed, out of the house and to school in the mornings is difficult.  Though they juggle three jobs between them, her parents could not afford the cost of a wheelchair for their daughter.  Nor would Medicaid cover the entire expense.  Once again, Communities In Schools stepped in, borrowing a chair from a Communities In Schools staff member for Celeste’s temporary use.  In December of 2009, Jimenez reached out to a community partner, Oakwood Baptist Church in New Braunfels.  Members of the congregation generously built a ramp conforming to Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. It connected the home’s front porch to the sidewalk, giving Celeste access to the outside world.

The most life-changing development, though, has been the fruition of a collaborative effort between Communities In Schools, LoneStar Elementary School and big-hearted community partners.  After months of researching costly and often bureaucratic wheelchair donation programs, Jimenez and Lone Star Elementary Principal Curtis Wubbena, reached out to community partner Peggy Townsend of Townsend Rep Group in San Antonio, in search of a friendlier option.

Townsend appealed to Rick Hayden, vice president of Colours in Motion, Inc. of Corona, Calif., an international wheelchair manufacturing company.  Hayden came through with a custom-built wheelchair and a commitment to continue donating customized chairs that will fit Celeste as she grows into an adult.  “This type of giving is phenomenal,” Townsend observed.  “It just blows us away.”

Todd Hargroder, president and CEO of Accessible Designs, Inc. of San Antonio donated the E-Brakes, an electronically actuated brake system.  Brad Stern, national sales manager of Supracor, Inc. in San Jose, Calif., donated a high-end, therapeutic seat cushion, bringing the value of the chair to upwards of $8,500.   Britt Sitzes, branch manager of National Seating & Mobility of Austin, volunteered his expertise in the design of the chair and offered to train Celeste to use it.

Upon hearing the news, the Juarez family cried tears of joy.  Jimenez said, “They were overwhelmed by how much was offered.”

Her first chair was presented to Celeste at a school ceremony in May 2010 at Lone Star Elementary.  Ana Calvo, Miss Wheelchair Texas 2009, was one of several honored guests who came to show support.

Owing to Celeste’s exceptional personality, she will be given her own webpage as a member of Junior Team Colours, a junior forum for the disabled community, providing her a means to talk with her peers and extend her natural leadership to a national stage.  The junior forum isn’t Celeste’s only opportunity to be on stage; in August 2010, she will participate in the Houston Abilities Expo as a fashion show model, wearing an outfit designed exclusively for her by David Lega, a designer for people with disabilities.  Later, world champion skier Kerri Vonderbom, who has spina bifida, and her husband Derek, are sponsoring Celeste’s participation in Ability First Youth Sports Camp, their California-based camp for disabled youth.

Throughout Celeste’s journey, Communities In Schools has facilitated conversations among the Juarez family and community partners.  Jimenez has written letters on behalf of the family, always supporting and keeping them informed.  He marveled, “Celeste has a joy in her heart that is real, and she doesn’t allow her situation to limit her.  She is a blessing for all of us.”

As for Celeste, she is now in her second year of school, making good grades and enjoying many friends.  Wubbena has every expectation that her academic abilities will soon bring her up to grade level.  She is thrilled with her new chair – a purple one that she chose.  With her typical forward-looking and benevolent nature, she mused, “I’ll let all of my friends take turns pushing me.”

May 2010