Senator challenges Young Americans
Sunday, May 8, 2005
Printable FormatROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
By DUSTIN J. SEIBERT
ROCKFORD - Sen. Barack Obama had a challenge for the recipients of the 2005 Young American award Saturday.
"What are you going to do with this great honor?" Obama asked the 40 assembled honorees at the awards banquet at Cliffbreaker's. Obama served as the keynote speaker.
Each accomplished teen has plans to fulfill the senator's challenge, but few would argue that one recipient in the room has already done his share and then some.
Anthony Hardimon, a senior at Rockford's Christian Life High School, quietly accepted his award in front of a crowd of more than 100 people. Most were unaware of the secrets held by the bespectacled 18-year-old.
Hardimon's mother, Gwendolyn, suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. She is paralyzed from her neck down and is unable to care for herself. Since 1999, with limited contact from his father, Anthony has had to take care of himself, his mother and his sister, Ariel, now 13.
That means Hardimon's day usually starts at 4:55 a.m. and runs, without a break, until bedtime around midnight. In that time, he somehow manages to care for his family, run track, tutor, work at McDonald's, captain the football team, keep the house up and pay bills, while maintaining a 3.69 grade-point average.
"She said, even before she got sick, that she was raising us for her not being there," Hardimon said. "She always had us stepping up to do things that kids our age don't normally do."
Obama took time to serve as keynote speaker for the banquet before making his way to a town meeting in DeKalb.
"I love the opportunity to talk to young people who've shown themselves willing to work," he said. "We're providing recognition for young people for their achievements, and that can make all the difference."
This year's winners include students who plan to become pharmacists, FBI agents, journalists and college basketball players. Former Rockford Police Chief Jeff Nielsen, Harlem Community Center Executive Director Shannon Scheffel and local author Kimberla Lawson Roby served as judges.
Hardimon's aunt, Jacqueline Collins, watched her nephew take the award. She said her sister refuses help from her and the rest of the family because Hardimon keeps things afloat.
"I can't be any prouder of him, with everything he's dealt with," Collins said. "I've never seen him buckle once. He's like my own child."
Hardimon did his best to keep his home life a secret from those at school. When word leaked out, teachers tried treating him with baby gloves; offering him alternate due dates for assignments.
Anthony respectfully declined.
"I didn't want people to treat me differently. I figured if they found out, they'd say 'we'll go a little easier,' and I didn't want that."
Ask him about free time and he cracks jokes. "Way back when I was 10 years old..." he says with a laugh, then admits he squeezes in some television and reads the Bible and John Grisham novels.
Hardimon plans to obtain a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he's slated to start in the fall. Collins said the rest of the family will see to Gwendolyn while he's away.
"I'm just going to keep doing what I am; overcoming adversity," Hardimon said. "Don't use excuses, misgivings and the short deck you've been dealt as an excuse not to do your best."
Obama said ...
Excerpts from Sen. Barack Obama's address
"We are sitting here because in each of you, someone saw a spark. It's a spark that goes deeper than tests, grades and service awards. It's the spark that keeps each of you asking 'why or why not?' The one that keeps you always searching for answers to those questions. The one that makes you say 'I don't have to be content with the present, because I have a role in changing the future'."
"We can't stop the process of globalization; it's inevitable...it's here to stay. What we can do is make sure that each and every one of you are prepared for it."
"The days of lifetime employment are essentially over. What will be possible is lifetime employability. If you're prepared and understand that you have to upgrade your skills and seek information, (then) no matter what happens in the economy, you're going to be able to adapt."