Parkland Elementary
Let me tell you a story about an incredible family. A family with heart and a dream—to show the community around them that “Every Creation Matters”. This year we have been blessed with the opportunity to meet Tessa Bynum and her family. A student in the LIFE program at Parkland Elementary, Tessa is everyone’s favorite ray of sunshine. Her father, Darin Bynum, is a Math teacher at Yukon Middle School. Her mom, Whitney, worked for Sandridge Energy, but was laid off a few years ago when they went through massive cuts and now works from home. Tessa also has two brothers, Parker and Weston, who love her dearly and are a big source of her smiles and giggles.
Tessa was diagnosed in 2010 with Congenital CMV, a virus that has caused severe brain damage affecting the functions and development of her body. Tessa has very limited mobility and uses a wheelchair. Even despite her challenges, the family still seeks happiness and hope every day of their life—this is summarized beautifully in a blog post by her mother, Whitney:
“Our journey includes epilepsy, cerebral palsy, bilateral profound hearing loss and cortical visual impairment. But more than these things…it involves God’s immeasurable grace and provision of strength in our lives. Tessa teaches us more and more every day about love, laughter, and living life with the joy she has in her heart.”
The beauty of this family comes, however, from the passion they have for those around them. Rather than asking for financial support to purchase supplies and equipment that would adhere to the family’s physical needs of Tessa’s growth and transport, the family rather asks that you stand beside them on their journey to create something bigger than themselves. It is our hope that you would join the Bynum family in their journey to follow their dream of creating a non-profit known as “Every Creation Matters”. This would be a fully accessible and inclusive pottery studio that would allow any and ALL types of families to come participate, laugh, and make memories. Their goal is for all people to seek and understand that “Not only that every creation of art matters, but each one of God’s creations matters.” Whether you are old or young, weak or strong, walking in or rolling in, you have the freedom and ability to be 100% YOU at this studio.
It is our goal, with your help, to create a platform for Tessa and her family’s dream to become a reality. We ask that you make a commitment to support our annual appeal by making any type of donation. As the family has stated, anything and everything helps—and beyond donations they are just excited to see their favorite girl be in the spotlight and raise awareness for this cause. We hope that you know that your generosity can and will make a difference in our community. Thank you for being “Yukon’s BEST!”
Darin, Whitney, Tessa
Weston and Parker
