Awana program touched lives of 13 year-old, mother

CHILLICOTHE – In a chair by the front door, a boy rocked back and forth and reached into a small box by his side to find the perfect toy. He was looking down toward his lap.

His mother, Amanda Hawk, explained that A.J. is blind, so he relies on sound and touch for most interactions.

Normally in a wheelchair, A.J. cannot walk without assistance.

"We had trouble getting him socialized and started looking for alternative extracurricular activities out in the community," Hawk said.

Enrolling A.J. in the Awana program with his 10-year-old sister seemed like the best way to do just that while giving him a constructive environment. The program, held on Wednesday nights, is similar to a Bible study group for children.

Because of A.J.'s needs, many volunteers worked with him to ensure his success in the Bible study program. Tami Hacker was working with the Awana program during A.J.'s enrollment.

"I did not think he would be able to accomplish so much," Hacker said. "He did everything he was possibly able to do."

Within the Awana workbooks, there was a number of verses and activities for children to complete, depending on their age level. Because he is blind as well as developmentally disabled, Hawk said, it's difficult to know where A.J. stands intellectually.

She's been told he could be anywhere between 2 years old and the second-grade level. To get a better idea, A.J. would need to be tested in Braille, which he has been exposed to enough to test in it.

Without a true knowledge of where to start, the Awana leaders, including Hacker, gave A.J. a third-grade level book to start.

"It takes kids about six months to complete one book, because every couple pages, they have to memorize a Bible verse and complete an activity," Hawk said.

With the help of Awana volunteers and instructors, A.J. was able to complete not just one but two workbooks in the short five months he participated in the program. A.J. flew through both the third-grade and fourth-grade level workbooks.

"A.J. inspired other kids. He was cranking out more verses than they were," Hacker said.

Hawk said other students likely felt some pressure to excel in the program after seeing what A.J. was capable of doing. Even today, Hawk said, A.J. works Bible verses into conversation because he has committed them to memory.

"There's something buried deep inside," Hacker said of A.J.'s ability to learn the verses and finish the books much faster than other children despite only being able to listen to the verses and instructions.

Upon completion of the program, Hacker realized that the usual trophies given to students were not going to be a good fit for A.J. Because he accomplished something extraordinary within the program, Hacker knew the reward would need to be exceptional as well.

"We normally give trophies or ribbons but I thought, 'This isn't going to mean anything to him,' " Hacker said. "Out of sight, out of mind for him. If he can't touch it, it doesn't exist."

After scouring the Internet for a trophy for someone who is visually impaired, to no avail, Hacker decided to make a trophy herself.

"We got a voice box, and I had the leaders in his room record a message and all give praise for A.J., and I attached that to the back of his trophy," Hacker said. "That's how he learned his verses, by hearing them, so I figured he should be praised by being able to hear it."

The trophy was a perfect fit. A.J. often holds the trophy up to his ear and taps the play button over and over. Joy exudes from him when he recognizes the voices of his instructors and hears that he did a good job and is being congratulated by people who had worked with him.

"I thought it was so special they took the time to do that for him," Hawk said of the talking trophy.

Whereas batteries in the voice box are replaceable, the mark the program, its volunteers and its thoughtful leader left on a young A.J. Hawk is not.