Scott Gerson, 16, pitches for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School baseball team but finds more satisfaction in a different extracurricular activity: helping people with disabilities. Lovin’ Scoopful recently recognized Scott for his volunteering. The Kensington resident will give the prize money to Jubilee Association of Maryland Inc., a nonprofit that helps disabled adults.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
Yes, I’m Jewish. There’s a certain sense of community that comes along with being Jewish. I feel that when I meet someone else who’s Jewish, there’s just instantly a bond.
What have you learned from people with disabilities?
A lot can be learned from these people if we simply take the time to get to know them. Working with people with intellectual disabilities has taught me the value of teamwork, generosity and acceptance of all types of people and has helped me to have some of the best experiences of my life.
Many people fear meeting people with disabilities because they are unsure about how to treat them. How do you help others overcome that fear?
First and foremost, they are people, so they should be treated like you would treat any other person. A lot of times, people are surprised by their capabilities and talents. A lot of times, a volunteer or others will be treating adult Special Olympics athletes like they’re little kids, and it startles the athlete because they think, “Why is this person talking to me like I’m 6 years old?” So just go in with an open mind and treat them like people, because that’s what they are.
Most teenage guys are more concerned with sports and girls and being cool than helping others. What makes you want to do these things?
Helping out and volunteering makes me unique, and it’s who I am. I know it’s the one thing that in 20 or 30 years I know I’m going to be most proud of, not the baseball or the girls or the parties or whatever. I want my life to be consumed with good memories of things like this.
Who’s one person with special disabilities who has particularly inspired you?
His name was Alex. It was his second year of Special Olympics, my first year. The previous year, he just hadn’t really connected with anyone and sat out of activities. I didn’t know that when in my first year I noticed him and said, “Hey, do you want to come play with me? We’ll hit some tennis balls around.” We started to play and formed a pretty close friendship. Then, for all the tennis season he was a lot more outgoing and had a lot more fun than he normally would have. I was really proud of him. He had a huge transformation from one year to the next just because someone reached out and tried to help him.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe that everybody has something important inside of them, that even if you don’t see it on the surface, if you really dig deep and try to reach that, you can learn what is special about them and how they can change your life and change the world.
– Liz Essley
