HI there! My name is Mara Meikle and I am 11 years old. I am ready for winter. I was born in the big city of Toronto! I love to go to movies, eat popcorn and have fun with my friends! I also love to ski! I want to compete, one day, in the Paralympics games! I workout regularly to build my leg muscles and I strengthen and stretch my arm muscles too. I work with my coach who taught me how to ski almost every day! I have Spina Bifida and I usually use a wheelchair to get around. I also have a walker & braces and crutches if I need them! I have tons of assistive devices (equipment) to help me do ALL of the things that I want to do! For skiing, I race using my Track Three equipment! I go down the hill sitting in a bucket that has one ski on the bottom and then I have two poles that have a ski on the bottom… that makes three! I go around each gate so fast you can hardly see me. We get to go on ski trips with our grade 6 class- I am so excited because I am going to teach my friend John how to ski! He has never been skiing before! It is going to be an awesome day! See you on the slopes!

Yo! My name is Jack Cooper and I am 10 ½ years old. I was born in Winnipeg and just moved here last year. You haven’t felt cold until you have been in Winnipeg in the winter! Anyhow, my Mom and my three brothers moved here since my Dad died. We live here now with my grandparents. It’s a little crowded because we have to share a bedroom but it’s nice to be altogether. I love reading comic books and playing baseball, basketball but most of all I love hockey. In 2 ½ years I’ll have my Bar Mitzvah, hey maybe you can come! I have epilepsy which means sometimes my brain messages get mixed up and I might have a seizure! Seizures can be scary to watch but as long as I have friends around to take care of me then they aren’t so bad! I also have to make sure that I get my beauty rest, take medication and eat really healthy foods! Hey! Everyone should do that too Ha!

Hello there! The name is Simon. Simon Lau. I am the King of Jokes and I am glad you stopped by to visit me! I am 9 years old and my family came from China but I was born here in Toronto! I live with my Mom, Dad and two brothers. My two brothers, who are older than me, are always getting awesome grades in school. They work very hard at school and study all of the time. My parents try to compare me to them and no matter how hard I try, I don’t get the good grades like them. I like to think of myself as normal and try to lighten serious topics up with my jokes. I love to play hockey and road hockey with my friends. And I LOVE video games. I am always in the mood to hear great jokes. So, if you want, you can email me some of yours. You never know when I will get the chance to use them.

Oh, hello there. My name is Marcus Taylor. I am 11 years old and I was born in Jamaica. I have tons of friends that like to spend time together. I love to collect hockey cards and I know almost every player in the NHL. My favourite player of all time is Wayne Gretzky. My parents are divorced. I live with my Mom and sister and sometimes travel with my dad when he goes away for business. My Dad works for a very large company and they have offices all over the world. We are a very close family. My sister is in university and is studying to become a Dentist, Yuck!

Hey! I am glad you came by. I am just finishing up my homework and I would like someone to talk with. I am 10 years old and I was born right here in Toronto. My name is Russell  Walker, but my friends call me Rusty. You are my friend, so you can call me Rusty too. I got the nickname because of my hair. I am the oldest child in my family. My sisters are great and they love to watch me at my favourite pastime which is painting! I also love to draw. I hope to be a professional artist someday. Mom and Dad hope to see my paintings in a gallery too!

My name is Raoul Garcia and I am 11 years old. I was born in Miami but my relatives came from Cuba. When I was just a little baby I was adopted by my two dads and brought to Canada. My parents and I love Toronto because it is a very nice city. We have lived here all of my life. Pretty soon I am getting braces and I’m a little worried about that! I love all kinds of sports but my favorite sport is basketball! Video or computer games are also a great way to spend time but I don’t love reading and that makes school a bummer sometimes. My friends say that I am a cool guy to hang out with and I love a great joke. Hey, do you know any good jokes? Why don’t you send one to me now!! Can’t wait!

Hey, my name is Mohammed  Dagli but all my friends call me Moe, so you can call me Moe too! I am 11 years old and we moved here from Turkey three years ago. My Mom is a doctor and my Dad is a dentist but here they have to do other jobs until they can go back to school. I was born with cerebral palsy and I use a wheelchair. Sometimes when I talk some of the kids don’t understand what I say cuz my muscles in my mouth don’t always work that well. I love reading. I have read tons of books already and I remember all the details of each book! I also love basketball, downhill skiing and playing sledge hockey. I have a brother, Achmed who is 6. Perhaps you can come to watch one of my games! See you soon!

Hi! My name is John Plater! I am 11 years old and I have red hair and tons of freckles and even more bruises. Some people call me Carrots because I love to eat carrots- that is why my hair is red! Ha! I bruise easily because I have haemophilia. I have Severe Factor 8 haemophilia, which means I am severely AWESOME! My favourite sport is swimming and some day I’m going to beat Mark Phelps’ record. My friend Rusty and I hang out all the time. One day I’m going to be a lawyer. I can’t wait to swim and learn all about the law!!

Hi, my name is Tara Mazumdar and I am 9 years old. I was born in North East India in a small village, but I have lived in Toronto most of my life. I live with my Mom, Dad, grandparents and younger sister, Jessie. People refer to me as a “social butterfly”. I enjoy going to parties, school functions or anywhere else there is a crowd. I am a member of the yearbook committee and nature lover’s group at my school. I play the piano, clarinet, and dream of becoming a famous pianist so that I can travel all over the world. I believe that we can be whatever we want to be when we grow up, just as long as we try our best, respect others and help our friends.

HI there my name is Andrew Langlois! I am 7 and 3/4 years old. I have a long Canadian history as I was born and raised in Toronto. Sometimes you will get to see me when I am this age and sometimes you will get to see me when I am 11years old! Cool isn’t it? It is because I wanted you to see what I was like when I was in grade 2 and what challenges that I had then. I also wanted you to see me again in Grade 5 and see how much I have grown and what new things I can do! I also wanted to make sure everyone knew about the condition that I have called hydrocephalus and about my shunt! Just so we can be friends! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, when I play sledge hockey or any other sports I wear a helmet to protect my head. Hey, you should wear one too! See you on the rink!!

 

Hello there! My name is Bo Lim and I am 11 years old and a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I live in Toronto, Ontario my family is originally from Southeast Asia, Singapore. I have one brother, a mom, dad and a cactus plant! I really enjoy solving math problems ands cooking. I like to eat spicy foods and anything that has chicken in it! I also love listening to music especially the singer, Rihanna. It helps me to focus on my math problems. I try and exercise almost every day because my mother says it is good for me, so I run with my dad. Someday I hope to hike in the Adirondacks and go to Mt Tremblant, Quebec. I am saving money so I can go! Do you like Math? Is there a place that you would like to see? Let me know!

Hi everyone! So great to see you! My name is Brenda Abenaki and I am 10 years old. I just move to Toronto from New Brunswick. It is a little strange getting used to such a big city. Don’t get me wrong, I like it here and I am super excited to be here, it is just that everything and everyone is so new, I have soooo much to learn! My family is a First Nation’s family. We have a lot of traditions that make us special, I am sure you do too. I miss being so close to my grandfather and grandmother but I know I will see them pretty soon. I have an older sister and a younger brother, we are a great team. I love playing outside and learning new things. My favorite hobby is baking. I make the best most delicious brownies! Maybe you like desserts too? Let me know your favorite recipe!