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Colin will turn eleven years old on March 9. On February 2, his mother Jennifer created a Facebook page and told us a little about Colin.
I am Colin's mom, I created this page for my amazing, wonderful, challenging son who is about to turn 11 on March 9th. Because of Colin's disabilities, social skills are not easy for him, and he often acts out in school, and the other kids don't like him. So when I asked him if he wanted a party for his birthday, he said there wasn't a point because he has no friends. He eats lunch alone in the office everyday because no one will let him sit with them, and rather than force someone to be unhappy with his presence, he sits alone in the office. So I thought, if I could create a page where people could send him positive thoughts and encouraging words, that would be better than any birthday party. Please join me in making my very original son feel special on his day.
Since then, the page has gone viral, both on and off the internet. The Facebook page has received 1.9 million likes, and the initial post has over 187,000 comments -and the other posts each have thousands of comments and shares. Due to popular demand, Jennifer rented a post office box to receive cards and letters from Colin’s fans. The address is:
Colin-
PO Box 756
Richland, MI 49083-0756
USA
As you can see, a lot of people have taken the snail mail approach! Colin’s parents have shielded him from the Facebook project and the resulting publicity as best they can so far, so the page and the correspondence will be a birthday surprise for him. But he is excited about turning eleven. This video was recorded this past weekend.
The responses are coming in in the form of cards and letters at the post office box and online, from comments and Facebook messages, from news reports all over the world, and from Facebook users who sent pictures and videos created especially for Colin.
The Rosenberg Police Department of Rosenberg, Texas, made a video greeting for Colin. Photograph from the Rosenberg Police Department.
Luselys Lugardo sent video greetings along with her Army compatriots.
Colin says that when he grows up, he wants to be either a pastor, a comedian, or a missionary. Comedian John Heffron votes for comedian. Heffron sent not only his best wishes in a video, but involved a bunch of his friends, too. He’s a real standup guy!
Jennifer was quite surprised to see Colin’s story in Arabic in a news story from Jordan. But Colin’s story has also made headlines in Russia, England, Mexico, Japan, Finland, India, Norway, Czech Republic, Portugal, Colombia, Italy, Peru, Poland, Austria, France, Netherlands, Brazil, Switzerland, Australia, Uruguay, Israel, Sweden, Indonesia, Serbia, Denmark, Pakistan, Faroe Islands, Bosnia, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Germany, Belgium, Paraguay, Ireland, Turkey, Canada (Quebec), Sri Lanka, Kurdistan, and Lithuania. But those are just the links posted at the Facebook page, and there are many other nations represented in the comments that people have left.
From Rachael Spiess.
From Bianca Romeiro.
From Baran Ketabi.
From Jinger Brinkley.
From Emilie Chauvin Giroire.
So many people cannot wait to see Colin’s reaction when he finds out about all the good wishes from people all over the world. But Colin isn’t the only one benefitting from the project. Jennifer writes:
I am overwhelmed and overjoyed but all the love, support and birthday wishes coming from all over the world for my little man. I can't thank you all enough for everything you've all done. My favorite part of this whole thing has been the messages from parents and teachers who have told me they used Colin's story to talk to their kids. And the kids are responding, and realizing that ostracizing someone is wrong, and that they can make a difference. I love that! We love you all, and we can't wait to share Colin's birthday with all of you!
You can follow the progress of Colin’s birthday surprise at Facebook.
