I am writing this on behalf of my son Tim, who happens to have Down syndrome

When the pandemic began a year ago, he was laid off from his job at a greenhouse.

Like many people, Tim was at a loss without his job and community. He loves to dance, so last March I suggested he go out and dance and make people smile. Tim would head out each day to our town square and dance, and people would honk and wave.

Soon he had someone at our local Staples store help him make a sign: “Honk if my dancing makes you smile.” He was soon a celebrity in our small town. Here it is a year later and Tim continues to dance each day. He now has a permanent sign that a local sign maker created for him.

He never let the virus get him down. He’s maintained his positivity and marvels at how many people’s days he’s brightened with his dancing.

(this is written by his mum: Julie McLaurin)

At work he has been nominated changemaker of the month

This is what his bosses say:

Tim joined the greenhouse crew the day we opened our doors in 2016. He’s played an integral part in building our culture and sharing Vertical Harvest pride with the world. He is an advocate for people with disabilities and very open about his story and how he finds his centre through music, friends, family and dancing. Tim will pop up where least expected, getting involved in every project and program he can. He even appeared in a promotional video for the National Downs Syndrome Society. The ad, showing an all Downs Syndrome restaurant crew serving a gourmet meal to lawmakers, urges changes to the law that limits work hours for employees with this disability.

During the pandemic, Tim turned a negative into a positive. Over the past seven months, he’s spent several hours a week dancing in public (safe and masked up) to bring joy to the community. You can still find him boogying down all over town on mild winter days.

“Tim loves connecting with people and is one of the most friendly and personable people I have ever met,” says job support coworker Peter Estay. “Each day with Tim is a guaranteed adventure!”  As facility and delivery associates Tim and Peter deliver fresh produce to local restaurants and grocery stores every Tuesday. “All of our customers simply love Tim and his enthusiasm.” For his part, Tim loves his job, the people in his community, and and his Vertical Harvest family.