There are a lot of famous Simons in
the world. Take Simon Cowell, Paul Simon, Simon Baker, and even “Simon Says”. But
none of them have as many awards as Simon Stonebraker possesses. This Simon has
“thousands” of medals he keeps in his drawer at home, all from his experiences
competing in Special Olympics. And we are lucky enough to have him working
right here at Utah Valley University.
Simon is 40 years old and describes
himself as a “Down Syndrome boy”. His colossal smile, tremendous attitude, and
enthusiastic outlook on life make instant admirers of everyone he meets. Simon is employed with North Eastern Services
(NES), a local company which provides housing and jobs for many disabled adults
across Utah. The goal is to assist them in achieving independence, building
their self-esteem, and living a full quality life. Simon is a great example of
the valuable work they do. 
Stonebraker lives in Chrysalis
group home in Provo with roommates and a 24-hour staff. He works as a dishwasher for the UVU cafeteria
and loves earning his own money. NES provides a case worker to help him reach
his goals – like registering for classes at Utah Valley University.
Simon plans on taking a Ballroom
Dance class in the fall, and with his credentials he is a shoe in. He is currently
taking a dance class every Friday night in Springville, and he already earned 2nd
place in a BYU dance contest for disabled adults. Add that to his myriad of
medals.
But dancing isn’t the only thing he
is good at. Simon also enjoys writing poetry and stories, and has even
published a book of his works. He loves singing, biking, and NASCAR as well. One
of Simon’s prize possessions is his Jeff Gordon coat, with #24 on the back and
the Pepsi logo on the front.
The variety of the Special Olympic
medals he has earned conveys the athletic talents Simon has in swimming and
baseball. He particularly excels in Track and Field, where the standing long
jump is his event of choice.
Raised in American Fork, Simon says
he always knew he was special because his mother taught him so. He attended Dan
Peterson School there, but later went to Provo High where he was enrolled in
Special Education classes. Simon claims he didn’t really have a problem with
being bullied there because he asked the students he liked to “have my back”, and
they did.
Simon is a faithful member of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is in charge of planning and
executing “Family Home Evenings” for other disabled adults in his congregation,
and he is a District Leader that checks to make sure everyone gets visited by
their home teachers each month. Simon also loves to attend the LDS temple as
often as possible. He isn’t able to visit his family on the weekends very often
because he is determined to perform his Church callings to the best of his
ability every Sunday.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a
family man. Simon is very proud of his “real sister, real brother, step sister,
brother-in-law, and sister-in-law.” When asked how many nieces and nephews he
has, his immediate response is “A Lot!” Simon’s father passed away several
years ago, but he remains very close to his mother. Like every good son, he
calls her each night just to talk to her.
Simon
is very outgoing and friendly, which is the big reason he has “lots of
friends”. He is confident and proud of his accomplishments. North Eastern
Services has definitely watched this guy live a full quality life. Indeed, Simon
Stonebraker is a man of many talents, interests, and abilities. In fact, I
wouldn’t consider Simon “dis-abled” at all.
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