The Taormina brothers are familiar faces at Lake Orion sporting events.
The 2006 Lake Orion High School graduates have been involved with nearly every sport from track to football and are both champion Special Olympians who played on the basketball team. Now, both Sammy and Anthony attend Oakland University.
The Taorminas have achieved so much in spite of being diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.
All types of autism can make learning to speak a challenge, but these brothers have found their voices.
They will be the featured speakers at the third annual ‘Bouquet of Miracles? dinner dance and silent auction being held on Saturday, April 18 at the Paint Creek Country Club.
The event benefits Lake Orion’s Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA). Proceeds will be used for educational and therapeutic equipment, as well as support and resources for families and educators in Lake Orion’s special education programs.
Tickets are $55 per person or $400 for a table of eight. Individuals with disabilities are only charged $35. They can be purchased through www.teamsepta.org.
‘It’s a great cause. People will have a great time,? said Debbie Woelmer, SEPTA’s treasurer. ‘We have great support from the community.?
Woelmer said money raised from the previous events has been used to purchase digital cameras for the Lake Orion school’s special education department, granted to teachers and therapists in amounts of up to $500, helped fund summer camps for special needs students and supported workshops and seminars.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a cocktail reception, followed by a dinner and a silent auction. Music will be provided by the Variety FAR Senior Band (which features four special needs members) and the Vibro-Kings, a Lake Orion-based 1960s rock and roll band.
The Taorminas will also talk about the challenges they faced growing up with Aspergers.
‘We want to try and help people understand autism,? Anthony said. ‘Sam and I interact with everyone. It got both of us to be very successful.?
It wasn’t always a success story, though.
In the beginning, the brothers had a hard time accepting the diagnosis.
‘I was shocked when I first found out,? Anthony said.
Sammy echoes his brother.
‘I just couldn’t believe it,? he said.
At first, it was kept secret; only their closest friends knew about it.
‘It was tough revealing everything. We had to hide it,? Anthony said.
Sammy said if it weren’t for letting the school community in on the secret, it would have killed him.
‘It took an emotional breakdown for me to admit it,? he said. ‘But then, I embraced it.?
Anthony’s circumstances were similar.
‘I had a choice,? he said. ‘Was I going to let this effect my life in a negative way, or was I going to let people know and turn it into something positive.?
The Taorminas said the support of family, friends and the special education system at the schools are to thank for much of their success.
The LOHS class of 2006, their graduating class, especially embraced them, the brothers said.
Leaving the comforts of an accepting and helpful Lake Orion community has posed a new challenge for the brothers, one they will also talk about at the event.
‘It’s an opportunity to talk to people about how I went from a high school student to a college student,? Sammy said. ‘You’re not around the friend base anymore.?
Transitions like that are the hardest, both brothers admit.
‘They can be fun, but they can also be difficult,? Anthony said.