Matt Teaches Us All About Living a Full Life

Matt has been a client of The Moore Center for nine years. Although he uses a wheelchair for mobility, The Moore Center provides assistance to help him stay active and healthy in other ways. Our staff works with him to engage in activities that provide exercise and socialization, as well as opportunities to try new experiences. Here’s a little more on how The Moore Center and its donors create the opportunity for a good life for Matt. 


 

Matt entering the pool
(the pool floor rises and lowers)

Meet Matt

Enthusiastic, fun-loving, engaging, creative, determined, outgoing — these are all words used to describe Matt. Whether it’s swimming in the therapy pool at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center or volunteering for Meals on Wheels, Matt brings a wonderful sense of humor and is truly engaged in each moment, making others feel good about being there with him. 

Matt also loves music – especially country music. When asked who his favorite artist is he said, without hesitation, “Garth Brooks. I’ll sing along with any of his songs, but my favorite song to sing is the National Anthem – and I do it every morning at 9:00 am when they play it on WOKQ, 97.5 FM, my favorite radio station!” 

Matt stays pretty active. In addition to volunteering for Meals on Wheels, where he loves socializing with the seniors they serve, he also volunteers for Habitat for Humanity in their retail store, and if that’s not enough, he does recycling at Elliot Hospital too. When he’s not volunteering he loves going to concerts, listening to audio books, doing crafts, and especially swimming. 

Matt in the pool with Megan

Swimming gives Matt a chance to feel more independent. He’s made incredible progress and can now leave his wheelchair and actually walk in the pool. It wasn’t easy, but his hard work and determination have paid off. When asked about what he likes best about being in the pool he said, “I can walk on my own!”. You can see the sense of accomplishment and pride on his face as he navigates the pool with Megan, his amazing Direct Support Professional. Megan provides the encouragement and positive reinforcement that inspires Matt to exceed his goals. 

Matt loves participating in sports too, including bowling, adaptive skiing, and soccer. He’s very creative in finding ways to participate by adapting his equipment to enable him to succeed. And when it comes to trying new things, Matt sees no limits. He said, “When I first tried soccer I showed her how I could push the ball with my wheel chair – it’s really fast – and I scored a goal!” 

One of his strengths is in helping his Direct Support Professionals look past limits to understand how to best work with him. Where they may see limits, he shows them ways to overcome them. In doing so he’s not only helping himself; he’s also helping them learn how to work with others like him. He’s a patient and compassionate teacher!

Just being around Matt is inspirational. His personality, determination and can-do attitude are contagious, and he makes everyone around him feel better. One day we’ll share Matt’s rendition of the National Anthem, but for now, we hope Matt’s story inspires you as much as we feel inspired by him. And if you ever find yourself making excuses for why you can’t do something, think of Matt and get started! 


Special thanks to those organizations who provide opportunities for our clients: Meals On Wheels SJCSCrotched Mountain FoundationGreater Manchester Habitat for HumanityElliot Hospital and Health System and also 97.5 WOKQ, for providing the opportunity for him to sing the National Anthem every day at 9:00 am! Please Like their Facebook pages and show your support. 


Check out the video of the awesome therapy pool at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center: 

Your donations enable us to help more people like Matt have opportunities for a better life. It only takes a minute to make a difference! Donations of all sizes are sincerely appreciated.

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