Michael Reynolds is raising his voice in hopes of stirring up funds for the chance to take the trip of a lifetime with his classmates to experience London England’s rich theatre history.
The Grade 10 student at Pleasant Valley Secondary School has big dreams for himself.
“I want to do Disney movies, I want to do more, I want to sing and dance, I love dancing, I love dancing and singing,” said Michael.
The opportunity for the aspiring triple-threat performer comes with a large ticket. Michael’s family already needs to pay more than $5,000 for his trip that includes airfare, hotel stays, theatre performances, tours and more. But they are also being asked to cover the funds for a support worker to attend the trip because Michael was born with a rare condition called panhypopituitarism.
“He was born without a pituitary gland, so his whole life he has needed daily medication to keep him alive,” said Madison Reynolds, Michael’s mother.
“He gets injections of growth hormone to grow, he also is autistic and he is visually impaired so they are all crossed over together.”
The trip is being coordinated by a teacher at School District 83 through a tour group called EF Educational Tours. The tour company was able to offer the Reynolds Family a discount, however they still need to come up with more than $3,000 and fast to ensure their travel can be coordinated together. So the family is hosting multiple fundraisers.
“We live in a country where everyone should feel supported. We talk a lot about that inclusion and support but I don’t see it happening the way that it’s talked about,” said Reynolds.
No one from the school district was available to answer our questions.
Tamara Taggart, who is an advocate for children with diverse abilities, says the onus shouldn’t fall on the families to fundraise.
“Can anyone tell me that the school district or the Ministry of Education doesn’t have enough money to pay for a support worker to support a student on a trip? It’s ridiculous,” said Taggart.
“We know that the Ministry of Education hands out hundreds of millions of dollars every single year, of taxpayer dollars to all the school districts in British Columbia. There’s no accountability for where that money goes or how that money is spent.”
In the weeks leading up to the trip, the family has been put on a payment plan for Michael’s trip while collecting for their bottle drive, hosting an online fundraiser and selling tickets to their big New Year’s Eve party at Boulevard Coffee in Armstrong.
For more information about Michael’s travels visit www.account.eftours.ca