THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 16, 1996 TAG: 9602150188
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Because she has cerebral palsy, Jennifer Thornburg sometimes has difficulty articulating her thoughts and making herself heard, but she has no trouble letting the world know just how she feels when she composes verse.
The 18-year-old Princess Anne High School sophomore writes poetry ``because people listen to you better,'' because ``if it's on paper, it's already said and you can't take it back.''
Three of Thornburg's framed poems hung beside watercolors and photographs by other disabled adults at an arts festival in the Kempsville Recreation Center Sunday. It was the second annual adult arts festival put on by the Virginia Beach chapter of Very Special Arts Virginia (VSAV), a non-profit, all volunteer organization that seeks to help disabled adults and children feel at one with the rest of the population through the universal language of creative expression.
One of Thornburg's recent poems is ``A True Friend.'' It reads:
A true friend
can see past your tough walls
right down to your pain.
Sometimes the pain gets so bad
that a smile may not be enough.
A true friend
can make you face your worst fear.
A true friend is always there
when you fall apart
or just need to talk.
Thornburg's bright smile and enthusiasm belie the struggles that she faces daily. While some of her poems speak of happy times, the biggest portion deal with ``experiences, and mostly they're dark,'' she says.
Part of the pain Thornburg writes of may stem from having an identical twin sister who is not disabled. Carey Thornburg, Jennifer's twin, is a student at Old Dominion University.
According to the girls' mother, Tonia Thomas, the feeling, ``why her and not me'' probably goes both ways.
Confined to a wheelchair, Thornburg has been writing poetry for about two years.
Jennifer Thornburg's keen ear for the lilt of verse extends naturally to a love of music. She also enjoys drama and will play Frenchy in VSAV's upcoming production of ``Grease,'' a project that teams non-disabled students with those who are impaired.
On Sunday, art was not only displayed but created. Participants got to try their hand at clay modeling, line dancing and performing on drums, chimes and cow bells among other activities. It was just one of six events the local chapter will sponsor this spring in collaboration with the Community Services Board, city recreation centers and schools. Children's festivals, now in their 13th year, will take place during March at five public elementary, middle and high schools.
Very Special Arts is an international organization sponsoring programs in the arts for individuals with disabilities in the United States and more than 55 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith as an educational affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
``It's about what you can do, not what you can't,'' says Elaine Hutcheson, VSAV's assistant coordinator in Virginia Beach. MEMO: Very Special Arts Virginia is looking for artists to act as mentors for
talented adults with disabilities. For more information, call Elaine
Hutcheson at 523-0932. Contributions may be sent to VSAV-VB, c/o Thelma
Kenney, 2604 Britannica Place, Virginia Beach, Va. 23454.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos by NANCY LEWIS
ABOVE LEFT: Jennifer Thornburg's bright smile and enthusiasm belie
the struggles that she faces daily. Her poetry reflects those
struggles she has had with cerebral palsy.
ABOVE RIGHT: Hartley Jordan tries his hand on drums at the special
arts festival.
ARTS PROGRAMS
Festivals this spring are:
March 12 at Kempsville Recreation Center for middle school ages
March 13 at Bayside Recreation Center for elementary ages
March 15 at Princess Anne Recreation Center for elementary ages
March 21 at Great Neck Recreation Center for elementary ages
March 22 at Kempsville Recreation Center for high school ages
In addition, the musical ``Grease'' will be presented April 11-14
at Larkspur Middle School.
by CNB