Story written by Grade 10 Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School student Alicia Tuck
When you walked around the hallways just a week before the speech, you could see those bright yellow posters. On November 10, 2011, Alvin Law, a motivational speaker came to Notre Dame. But the only difference was he, like many of the other motivational speakers held with him a story. It was a journey about his biggest obstacle, acceptance. Born with no arms, from which the doctors predicted zero quality of life, Alvin was told that he would not amount to much. He proved them wrong. Fifty years in the making, Alvin is a father, a husband, a musician, author, actor and a radio broadcaster.
His speech was filled with many different important themes, like bullying, acceptance, obstacles, forgiveness and dreams. He talked about his childhood and how he never would have dreamed his life would turn out the way it did. He spoke of how his mother refused to give up on him when it seemed like everyone else did. She was a fighter and sometimes a dreamer, but she never gave up on him. Alvin spoke with humour, depth, kindness and integrity. He kept us continually wanting to listen to him as we understood his message. When you walked out of the room you felt empowered. Just as he says “We all have obstacles in life. It is ultimately our attitude that determines whether they block our path to success or strengthen us on our journey.” We all have disabilities, although they might not always be physical. We just need to learn to live with them and remember that we don’t have to be like everyone else because truly we are all unique in our own way.
Perfectly beginning anti-bullying week, with meaningful messages, Alvin Law was a dose of reality, truth and refreshment. His words about looking beyond our disabilities and looking instead for our abilities that make each of us unique, tied in well with our campaign inspired by this man’s special ability. Alvin uses his feet to do everything from driving his car to combing his hair. This tied perfectly into our theme right here at Notre Dame of “Best Foot Forward”!
The week’s campaign began with students each receiving a footprint upon which they were to write either how they were going to put an end to bullying or what makes them unique. These footprints were then placed in a path around the library to symbolize the journey to end bullying. From my experiences this week, including reading some of the footprints, I can now truly see that the Notre Dame community cares about making a difference in our school, in bullying and in their life. Our community really cares enough to stand up and “stomp out” just being a bystander. What a great campaign, speaker and event! I hope students continue with this fun and informative message even after the week is over.
Lastly, I want to thank the ND Prefects for organizing this event and letting the school hear Alvin Law’s inspiring story which is so much more than just the tragedy of a boy with no arms. I guarantee that I will still remember him down the road when I inevitably encounter obstacles in my own life. I now know that all I will have to do is jump and hope for the best.