Hope’s First Civics Lesson

One of Hope’s favorite places to go is the Ohio Statehouse. We take her there on weekends when it’s empty and she loves to run around and be as loud as she can be. The Civee (who used to work there) and I enjoy our trips too, as we’re both history nerds and think that Hope is absorbing our love of the place by simply being there.

Today, we took Hope to the Statehouse, not to run around, but to be a part of the legislative process. Last fall, The Civee’s old boss, Senate Minority Leader Eric H. Kearney, introduced S.B. 135, which would designate September as Craniofacial Awareness Month.  As the Senator said in a news release:

“The inspiration for this legislation was Hope Chansky, a two-year old who suffers from a craniofacial disorder,” stated Senator Kearney. “She like many other children endure many hardships associated with this disorder and this legislation provides an opportunity to educate the public about prevention measures that can be taken.”

We were at the Statehouse today to watch the bill go for a vote before the Senate. The bill passed unanimously, with several senators signing on as co-sponsors. Even more exciting for Hope was her being acknowledged during Senator Kearney’s floor speech, during which she waved to the crowd and threw her milk cup up in the air. You can’t see Hope, but here is the senator’s floor speech (including the shout-out), courtesy of the Ohio Channel:

Even though the bill passed in the Senate, it still has to go to the House, where who knows what will happen to it. It is nice to get some recognition for all the families, care providers and educators that help children with craniofacial disorders. Hope’s next surgery isn’t for another five or so years. But she is going to a school where she gets speech therapy, which has been helping her a lot. She has come a long way and I’m glad we could play a part in acknowledging all those who have helped her.

The next time we go to the Statehouse, it probably won’t be as exciting as today was. But Hope will get to run around all she wants, which will make her happy.