Stories like these can really brighten up your day and remind you that there should be no limit to your goals or dreams.
Emma Shores, 15, an inspirational student with Down syndrome from Liberty High School in Peoria is exactly the reminder many of us need.
Shores recently had the chance to sing the national anthem at a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex on Tuesday.
I was able to chat with Emma's mother, Andrea Shores and her physical education teacher, Jessi Jones about Emma's journey.
In an email, Emma's mother mentioned that her daughter got an iPad a couple years ago and from the moment she got it, she became really interested in singing, watching YouTube music videos and memorizing the words to her favorite songs.
Her mother has a profound memory of an incident that occurred two years at a Chinese restaurant on New Year's Eve of Emma going table to table to sing the national anthem. The people at the restaurant were very gracious and applauded Emma on her singing and encouraged her to sing more.
Jones said Emma is very outgoing and she will talk to you like she has known you for years.
Jones noticed about a year ago that Emma would sing in class and especially the national anthem. So, Jones took it upon herself to contact the City of Peoria in February to see if the city would give Emma an opportunity to sing at a spring training game.
The City of Peoria contacted Jones right away and wanted Emma to sing at the Peoria Sports Complex Tuesday.
The video just makes your heart sink. You can see how nervous and excited Emma is to sing the national anthem. There's no doubt this will be one of her most memorable moments.
What a great deed the City of Peoria did to just brighten up a young teen's life or even change her life.