Occasionally I'll read an article in the newspaper that really makes me think that humans might be okay after all. Like this one that I read this morning - coming from outside Winnipeg - the 2nd story this week coming from Winnipeg actually although this one is a good one! But this one is about a kid who is one of those rare people who has lived his life in seeming defiance of the obstacles that were put in front of him and decided to plug on despite them and has actually made a difference to those around him.
What's amazing is that there was another human being named Clif Bakx who was intuitive enough to be able to figure out what was most important to this man and was able to rally the resources together to make Tracy Wiens dream come true. That's what I find most touching about this story - the part that Clif Bakx played in it. Tracy Wiens is a super kid - but I think that Clif Bakx is the hero of THIS story. Who knows what Tracy will go on to do now that he's been given the confidence of his town with this gift? Or what the kid with fetal acohol syndrome will go on to do because Tracy has mentored him?
Friends pitch in for gift of lifetime
Fri Jun 30 2006
By Carol Sanders
(note from me - I'm just snipetting these articles because they're repeating themselves...)
TRACY Wiens hasn't caught many breaks in his 29 years -- he was born with cerebral palsy, told he would never walk and was teased by other kids growing up.
The determined young man did learn to walk, got his driver's licence, graduated from high school and got a job -- and he did it all with a smile on his face.
Last night, friends and admirers in his hometown of Grunthal gave him a break -- the car of his dreams.
The customized high-performance 1991 Mustang LX was presented to Wiens as a surprise at a car club meeting in the town 70 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg last night.
"I had no idea they were going to do this," Wiens said. "It's beautiful. It's exactly like I would have done it myself. Everything is perfect."
The evening, and the three months of planning that went into it, were organized by friend Clif Bakx, a member of the Country Classics Car Club who operates a dairy and an automotive centre in Grunthal.
Bakx said he had the Mustang parked in the centre bay at the auto centre, wrapped in paper. About 100 people from the community, some who had helped with its purchase and restoration, were there.
Wiens, who drives an older sedan, thought he was going to a special car club meeting last night, said Bakx.
"We told him a guy's going to be here with a a killer, killer car. You gotta come and see it."
They handed over the keys to the "killer, killer" car to Wiens in front of about 100 people last night. They also presented him with a big cake adorned with a photo of the maroon-coloured car.
"I never thought we'd be able to keep this a secret for three months but we did," Bakx said.
People in the Grunthal area donated $22,000 in cash while automotive businesses gave about 250 hours in time, as well as a super-charged, high-performance engine, aluminum heads, a racing cam, a transmission and a roll bar. Hours and hours of autobody work were done at shops in Grunthal and St. Pierre, where the car was painted and airbrushed with flames on the hood and checkered flags on the sides.
"People wanted to donate because it's Tracy," Bakx said.
Wiens, who lives with his parents, is like an unofficial big brother to a young family that's going through hard times and is also looking out for a teen who is dealing with fetal alcohol syndrome. "This wasn't because people feel sorry for him. It's his kindness and effort -- he's beyond amazing," said Bakx, who builds dairy barns and restores muscle cars. He first met Wiens on a job at a dairy farm where Wiens was working, and discovered that they shared a hobby.
"He lives and breathes cars," Bakx said.
Now he's got a car that's worth an estimated $33,000 -- not to mention its sentimental value.
from the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
Town buys ‘amazing’ resident dream car
By CAROL SANDERS The Canadian Press
GRUNTHAL, Man. — Tracy Wiens hasn’t caught many breaks in his 29 years — he was born with cerebral palsy, told he would never walk and was teased by other kids growing up.
But the determined young man did learn to walk, got his driver’s licence, graduated from high school and got a job, all while looking out for his friends and family.
The customized high-performance 1991 Mustang LX was presented to Wiens as a surprise at a car club meeting in the town 70 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.
The evening, and the three months of planning that went into it, were organized by friend Clif Bakx, a member of the Country Classics Car Club who operates a dairy and an automotive centre in the community.
People in the Grunthal area donated $22,000 in cash towards the purchase of the car, while automotive businesses contributed a super-charged, high-performance engine, aluminum heads, a racing cam, a transmission and a roll bar.
Autobody shops in Grunthal and St. Pierre put about 250 hours of work into the car, including painting and airbrushing flames on the hood and checkered flags on the sides.
"People wanted to donate because it’s Tracy," said Bakx. "His smile and his whole attitude is always good, no matter what he has to work with. He’s got a smile for everybody. He really feels that he’s got a lot more than other people do."
Bakx added that Wiens has always looked out for the less fortunate in the community.
He said Wiens acts like a big brother to one young family that’s going through hard times, and also helps a teen who is dealing with fetal alcohol syndrome.
"This wasn’t because people feel sorry for him. It’s his kindness and effort — he’s beyond amazing," said Bakx.
Bakx first met Wiens at a dairy farm where Wiens was working. He soon discovered that they shared a hobby.
"He lives and breathes cars," Bakx said.
After Wiens talked about the customized Mustang that he hoped to afford someday, Bakx and another Grunthal car enthusiast, Rob Roy, got together and decided to make Wiens’s dream car a reality.
"When I launched this thing, I contacted people I knew who knew him . . . nobody said no," said Bakx.
Bakx said the car is worth an estimated $33,000 and will be featured in the World of Wheels auto show next spring.
He said it was gratifying to see Wiens’s reaction, adding that the expense and trouble were nothing compared to what Tracy has given to the community.
"To see Tracy’s drive and determination in everything he does, everyone feeds off it," Bakx said.
"Tracy doesn’t realize the impact he’s had on everyone else in this small community."
’This wasn’t because people feel sorry for him. It’s his kindness and effort — he’s beyond amazing.’
Clif Bakx
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