“JORDAN”

Our family moved to California in the summer of 2014. One of the first things we did was look for a church - one that was welcoming, dynamic and (fingers crossed) would have some sort of program for special needs children like our sweet 10-year old, Jordan. Well, we hit the jackpot when we found Calvary Community Church. It was so welcoming, super dynamic and (praise God!) had an amazing special needs program.

We began attending weekly services and Jordan looked forward to joining in the amazing things going on in the special needs classroom. Several months later, we heard about a program called “Buddy Break” that paired each “VIP” child/young adult with a buddy to enjoy fellowship each month. Of course, we signed Jordan up. After about the third or fourth “Buddy Break,” the name Jimmy started coming up at our house. Jordan would mention that he “wanted to see Jimmy” or “play on the playground with Jimmy.”

That summer we were able to attend “Beach Day” - a day at the beach for the special needs kiddos full of splashing, laughing and joy! The highlight for Jordan wasn’t the sand, the waves (or even the pizza!) - it was seeing his pal, Jimmy. Just sitting on the beach, watching the waves and enjoying the moment together. Flash forward to that December - we were in Georgia for the holidays and I received an email from Jimmy about his plans to host a PrayFit sponsored race to benefit the special needs ministry at Calvary, as well as those impacted in our community. I cried when I read that Jordan was the inspiration for the first annual PrayFit Run!

That spring, Jordan got to stand up on the podium and announce the race start! He was beaming. The PrayFit Run not only provided the community with a well-planned and inspirational race, it more importantly helped to provide funds for the Beach Day, the special needs prom “Joy Unleashed” and other programs for those impacted by special needs.

Jimmy and PrayFit also donated funds to build a special needs focused addition to the playground at Calvary. A few PrayFit 5K’s and several dozens of Buddy Breaks later, Jordan is almost 16 years old and continues to treasure his special friendship with Jimmy. Jimmy is so kind, patient, personable and generous. Their friendship is so organic and pure - and our family is in awe of how lucky we are to have Jimmy in our lives.

Our Jordan is such a special guy and his friendship with Jimmy is truly a blessing. We are thankful that Jimmy and PrayFit saw an opportunity to make such a positive impact with all they do for a pretty amazing group of people.

- Mendy Hyde