Favorite place to be and things to do? "At the cabin. Swimming in the lake or tubing, on Don’s boat. Watching movies and cartoons."
Who do you look up to? "My buddy, Paul Monaco, from South. We get ice cream."
What’s the most important thing in life? "French fries."
Where would you like to work someday? "At a pool."
What are you most thankful for? "Lunch, sandwiches, family, Grandma Sally, Uncle Mike, Aunt Leslie, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets."
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? "I like to read. Some of my favorite books are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Charlie Joe Jackson books, and college football books. I’m a Michigan State fan!
"I have lots of good friends. We hang out and talk. I like going to movies and having dessert with them.
"Today we have rehearsal for the musical, Annie. I play Miss Hannigan. I get to sing 'Easy Street' and 'Little Girls.' This is the fifth show I’ve done. I’ve also been in Shrek, Peter Pan, Mulan, and James and the Giant Peach. My favorite is always the one I’m doing.
Proudest moment? "Running and getting a gold medal in track!"
Someone you admire? “Usain Bolt, because he runs a lot and gets gold medals also. I watched the Olympics this summer. I also thought Michael Phelps was really good, and he’s a swimmer like me."
What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a police officer because criminals commit crimes, and police officers arrest the suspects. They also pull people over when they are speeding and give them a ticket."
Favorite baseball memory? "Eating ice cream at a Cincinnati Reds game at Great American Ball Park."
Three words that describe you best? "Funny. Likable. Musical."
Favorite thing to do and place to be? "Dancing in the living room to rap music by Flo Rida, because it’s fun. I also like watching baseball videos and the All-Star Games."
Favorite subject in school? "Science. I liked learning about the solar system."
What are you most thankful for? "Food; my smile; and Philip, my dog."
Tim has lost almost 80 pounds!
What’s your secret? “I eat a lot of salads. I like to eat healthy. I also stay very active. I do Special Olympics volleyball, basketball, hockey, bowling, track and field, and soccer. I have a daily routine. I walk and run on the treadmill for 15 minutes in the morning, and I lift weights.”
What’s been the hardest challenge you’ve had to face—and what has helped get you through? “Some of my friends moved away and that was the hardest time for me. I got through that with my family and my life coach. I’ve learned it’s OK to tell other people that I do miss them.”
Out of all the people you’ve met over the years, who is it you most admire? “I most admire all my friends, and my best friends, my family, and my dad. My dad has had the biggest impact. My dad helped me create the dream of my restaurant. I call my dad my superhero for all that.”
Tell us your dream—what’s on your bucket list? “I have some big dreams. I want to get married and be a dad one day. I also want to become a businessman and travel more. I really enjoy traveling.”
“I like life so much. I don’t know why. I never have bad days.
“I graduated last year from high school, and now I’m in the transition program, where I do some cooking and shopping, and I work and learn. My same friends are there.
“I like working at Central DuPage Hospital best, because I love the people there. I like to help kids and people a lot. Right now, I’m working in the cafeteria. Sometimes it’s messy. I clean off the tables and wipe them down. I also help in an office. I like to work and clean. And I like to be kind and helpful.
“I’ve been playing piano and taking dance lessons since I was a little girl. I have a lot of piano pieces I play—mostly songs from Disney. I’m also a good actor. I’ve never had stage fright before.
“My favorite place to visit is Jamestown, New York, because I like to watch I Love Lucy, and she was born there. Her house is still there. At the Museum, they’ve set up the rooms with the scenes from the show. I like the show with the chocolates best. It’s so funny! Lucy can’t talk because she’s eating so much!
“I want to go to New York City someday and get a job there because it’s my favorite state and my favorite city. My dream is to be a nurse there and to help people.”
“Acting is my favorite thing to do. My two favorite characters to pretend to be are the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, and Shrek. I am playing a weasel right now in The Wind in the Willows. It’s with All for One Productions. We have six real performances. I like playing the Weasel, especially when I get to sneak up behind Rat to scare her!
“I’m a junior in high school. The hardest thing in school for me is math because math is hard. Bowling is my favorite sport. I bowl every Saturday. I also like to cook in the kitchen. I like to make ravioli, fajitas, and guacamole.
“I think the most important thing in life is God, because we can trust Him and we love Him. He’s almighty. We listen to God and sing to Him. He is strong and He will be your friend. He will comfort you when you are afraid.”
“I have two sisters--Sarah is 16 and Emily is 17. My sisters drive. Sometimes they take me out to lunch or shopping. I have a sleepover tonight with my big sister Sarah in her room. Every Friday night, we have a sleepover. We watch movies, pop popcorn, and eat it. I love my sisters because they make me laugh.”
Photo credit: Emily Ruth Photography
“I’ve worked at the cafeteria at North Central College for three years. I clean the tables and put things away. I like it because I get to spend a lot of time talking with the football players. The football coach gave me a pass to go to the football and basketball games for free. I get free food too! I wish I could go to every home game. I like to sit with the older football players. I have a friend from high school who went to North Central, and he still comes to some of the games. Sometimes we sit together.
“In my free time, I like to go to the library. I check out CDs and books. My favorite books are the Chronicles of Narnia. I also like to check out cookbooks, and then we make the recipes at home. My favorite things to make are spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and pasta with shrimp . . . that’s really good!
“I also like to sing and play guitar. My favorite artist is Chris Tomlin. I like all of his songs. We go to a Joni and Friends camp every year in Muskegon, Michigan, and I always do their talent show. One of the songs I perform sometimes is, 'Good Good Father.'
“I have a new guitar. My oldest brother Steve let me have one of his, so now I have three guitars. Every Sunday, we go to College Church in Wheaton. They have big bulletins, and they put the songs in them. I keep them and I’ve made a book out of them. Then every time we go to Florida (when we go on vacation), I put each verse of the songs into a PowerPoint page. I probably have 100 to 125 songs on PowerPoint now.
“On my days off, I was planning my wedding. But I don’t have a girlfriend yet, so I’m just planning right now—mostly all the songs. It will be Christian songs, like 'O Worship the King,' and 'In Christ Alone.'"