Let's Talk Class

  I found this story while browsing around the corners of Packer nation. It won't get any public attention, so I thought I would pass it on. It exemplifies the true class that we have in Green Bay.

 

I found this story while browsing around the corners of Packer nation. It won't get any public attention, so I thought I would pass it on. It exemplifies the true class that we have in Green Bay.

 

 

 

 

As you all know I hate to cut and paste. In this case I am going to make an exception. The story's original can be found here. It is stuck behind a registration wall for some reason.

 

It is a touching story about a young boy, with a disability, that found some joy in Donald Driver.

It's why I am proud to be a Packer fan.

If you have the time, take a moment to quickly register and comment on the original.

Yes Virginia...there really is a Santa Claus

"Last January, I took my 10-year-old son Ben to Fan Fest at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Being a huge football fan, I'd been trying to get my son into football for a long time. He preferred trains.

The only player I could convince him to stand in line to see was Donald Driver, wide receiver for the Packers. So, we stood in line for 2 hours to get his signature on a football. The security officers were rushing people through pretty quickly and were not allowing any posing for pictures.

So when it was finally our turn, I told Ben that he couldn't ask Mr. Driver a lot of questions.

Well... he did anyway.

Donald Driver was so nice to Ben and answered all of his questions. He waived off the security guards and let Ben go on and on. He stood up and took a picture with Ben and shook his hand. That made such an impact on Ben. He felt so good and so important that from that day on, he was all about football!


As soon as we got home, he went right to the Internet and started reading about Donald Driver and the Packers.

Since that day, a lot has changed for Ben. He has become obsessed with football. He knows the final score for every Packer game AND who scored on what drive! He knows all of the NFC North team schedules, records, and which players were injured each week! He even started playing flag football during recess WITH OTHER KIDS!! He's not pacing on the playground or boring the teachers with his knowledge about trains and cars. The other kids seek him out when they talk about football which is a hot topic for 10-year-old boys.

He is actually starting to make some friends.

The first thing he wanted for Christmas this year was a Donald Driver jersey. I bought him one a few months before Christmas and put it away. I found out that Mr. Driver was going to be down by Madison a few weeks later, so I bought a ticket to the event.

The day finally came so I took off early from work, and with the jersey in hand, I stood in line to get my chance to meet the man that made such a difference in my son's life. When I finally got my turn, Mr. Driver asked if the jersey was for me. I told him no, that it was for my 10-year-old son. I started to tell him about when he and Ben met at Fan Fest.

 


Donald Driver

Donald Driver

Donald Driver

I explained that Ben has autism and his special interest used to be trains and the newest models of minivans. That was before he met Donald Driver. I told Mr. Driver that since that day, Ben has become obsessed with football and the Packers. I told him that we nick-named Ben "Sportscenter" and Mr. Driver started to laugh. I described how much closer our family has become now that we all have a common interest.

When I started to thank Mr. Driver for making such a difference in my son's life, I started to cry....and so did he.

He thanked me for telling him about Ben. He said that he's always telling the other players to take some time with kids because it really can make a difference.


I didn't have a camera with me because I had just come from work but the couple behind me in line took some pictures and offered to email them to me. When I told Mr. Driver that Ben wouldn't believe that Donald Driver really signed the jersey, he suggested I come behind the table so we could hold up the jersey together. That way I would have proof that Ben's favorite player really did sign it just for him.

He signed the jersey, "To Ben... my # 1 Fan... Donald Driver... GO PACK GO!"

 


The Proof

The Proof

The Proof

On Christmas eve, Ben was having a really hard time....too many people, too much noise, too long at mass. I saved his jersey for last, after he complained about every other gift he opened. When he opened the box, he was speechless, which is a rarity for my son. He held up the jersey and just stared at it. I told him to turn it over and he saw the signature and his own name. Just as I predicted, he looked at me and said "No way!"

 


No way !!

No way !!

No way !!

I told him to look in the box and there he found the photo of me and Donald Driver holding up the jersey. I cannot begin to describe the look on my child's face.... a face that rarely shows emotion. He looked like he wanted to cry, scream and laugh at the same time. It was magical.

I got 2 tickets to the Packers/Lions game the Sunday after Christmas so my wonderful son and I could go show off his jersey and cheer for his favorite player. As luck would have it, Donald Driver ran 70 yards for a touch down! Ben was so excited, it was priceless.

 


Living Large at Lambeau

Living Large at Lambeau

Living Large at Lambeau

Yes Virginia...there is a Santa Claus."

 

Now that folks, is a GREAT story.

 

UPDATE: I was able to get ahold of Ben and his mother for an interview. Here is what the young man had to say. Just click here for the story.

 

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You know who else has class? Doc's Sports. Check out their Bookmaker Bonus Code.

 

docsports_299

docsports_299

 

(Stay Tuned)

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Comments (14)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Andrew in Atlanta's picture

January 15, 2009 at 12:38 pm

Great, I'm sitting here weeping. Thanks PackOne. In all sincerity, my opinion of DD, which was already quite high, just went through the roof. Thanks for sharing that

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IronMan's picture

January 15, 2009 at 01:23 pm

DD = da man!

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Alex's picture

January 15, 2009 at 07:36 pm

It is an amazing story. It brought tears to my eyes as well.

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Mitzi Hagerman's picture

January 15, 2009 at 11:17 pm

We so enjoyed your fantastic story not just about a boy but about a MOM WHO KNEW HER CHILD VERY WELL AND WHO MADE THE TIME TO MAKE A MIRACLE HAPPEN IN HER CHILD'S LIFE!
Does she know that with one phone call, she could find out if Mr. Driver is at his work at the car lot he owns in Campbellsport? What a nice Sat. drive that would be??? to look at cars, of course!

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karla's picture

January 16, 2009 at 10:44 am

I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. I'm not a football fan, but I'm a hero fan and glad to hear there are athletes who really care. Best to Ben and his idol Donald Driver.

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SuzQ's picture

January 19, 2009 at 10:30 am

I do know this mother personally, and she is in every way an amazing person! Ben is also an inspiration to everyone who knows him. He has a brilliant little brain and we do not see him as "challenged" at all, he's just Ben - and we love him exactly the way God made him. In a world of money-hungry athletes, Donald Driver is also the real deal with a kind soul, and this story proves it.

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Alex Tallitsch's picture

February 12, 2009 at 06:15 pm

Comment removed. Like it or not, this is some little kid's story. Let not debate its merits, or your personal opinion here.

If you are involved with the other Titletown nominees, you should be ashamed.

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Aaron's picture

February 13, 2009 at 08:43 am

Awwww Alex, I just came over here specifically to belittle the idiot who wrote the offending comment... ;)

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longtimefan's picture

February 13, 2009 at 11:12 am

Can I cyber kick their butts?

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berlin's picture

February 28, 2009 at 10:23 am

Gut!

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gesundheit's picture

March 11, 2009 at 08:34 pm

Sehr wertvolle Informationen! Empfehlen!

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Alex Tallitsch's picture

March 11, 2009 at 08:49 pm

"Very worthwhile information. Recommended."

Yeah, I know German.

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grooplezeno's picture

June 29, 2009 at 10:57 am

All I can say is WOW

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preegeHuh's picture

August 06, 2009 at 11:07 am

Wassup everybody,

This is a great story.

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