Michigan City musician plays his way into the hearts of many

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The Greatest Lesson I've Learned
Posted: 12:46 AM Feb 19, 2008
Last Updated: 1:46 PM Mar 12, 2008
Reporter: Alana Greenfogel
Email Address: alana.greenfogel@wndu.com

8 comments

Michigan City musician plays his way into the hearts of many

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"Life can be a party. Life can be a big dance."

It's easy to forget that when life keeps us revved in high gear...when our to-do lists appear never-ending...when there just doesn't seem to be time to think about dancing.

We want to share with you the story of an incredible group of people who believe life really can be a party; it can be a dance. It's all what you make of it.

Watch the video and meet a local musician who shows us that the impossible is quite possible. His story begins and ends near Michigan City, but where he takes us in between is a journey of music, of family, and of love.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Colleen Location: Granger on Feb 27, 2008 at 01:05 PM
Thanks for running this story on Leonardo and including the recording session with the young adults & children with Down syndrome. I am the parent of a young girl with Down syndrome and we have enjoyed watching Leonardo at our local Buddy Walk for the past few years. We love him! Such a fun, upbeat guy - I wish him the best! Thanks Alana Greenfogel & John Duong, great job.

Posted by: Rob Location: Mishawaka on Feb 23, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Nice work, WNDU! Great story and a wonderful relief from much of the other depressing news stories we have to see to each day.

Posted by: Anne Location: Granger on Feb 22, 2008 at 01:17 PM
I want to say thank you to Alana Greenfogel and John Duong for the coverage of Leonardo. I love these kind of human interest stories, especially being that I'm the mother of a child with Down syndrome. thank you again for a great story.

Posted by: Trish Location: Granger, IN on Feb 20, 2008 at 08:44 PM
My daughter, granddaughter and I so enjoyed watching Leonardo with my son Andy, the girls and younger kids during Leonardo's recording session. My son had the time of his life, and we think Leonardo is really terrific for bringing so much joy to so many. Giving our DS loved ones the opportunity he has, is a tremendous gift special to them. Leo is a shining example of what special people he and other siblings are to their DS brother or sister. Thank you Channel 16 for the wonderful story by Alana. That was a very special day, and very memorable to all who attended. You did a wonderful job, Alana. The hugs and apecial attention you gave to our kids, was so appreciated. I know my son treasures the picture of you with he and some of the others. A big thank you to your camera man too, he did a great job.

Posted by: Jennifer Heath Location: Michigan City, IN on Feb 20, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Thank you, to Leonardo, for his continued commitment to music, and to both Alana Greenfogel and John Duong, for their hard work and dedication to this story. As a parent of a child with Down's Syndrome, I really enjoyed watching this story and sharing it with all of my family and friends. Thank you, again, for running this story.

Posted by: Kelly Location: South Bend on Feb 20, 2008 at 01:36 PM
What a beautiful story and so thoughtfully done. Thank you channel 16 for showing us what great people we have in our community.

Posted by: Linda Location: Benton Harbor on Feb 19, 2008 at 10:15 PM
What a great story. It is wonderful that Newscenter 16 does stories like this. As a mother of a toddler with Down Syndrome, I appreciate seeing that my son will never be limited as long as there are people like Leonardo in this world appreciating his potential. There are many resources in Michiana for our kids, but, the public does not always know about them. The coverage of the resource fair was great too. Thank you 16 for giving me more reason to turn to you for my news.

Posted by: kathy ratkiewicz Location: south bend on Feb 19, 2008 at 09:50 PM
Wonderful story! Leonardo is a great guy,and I am so pleased to see him get this recognition...the members of our Down syndrome support group were honored and very excited to be asked to participate in recording his newest CD last month. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids' excitement and the interaction between them and Leonardo...he is a very patient and caring young man, and the kids had a great time recording with him. His first CD, "Makin' Lemonade', is great,too. Thanks, Alana, for all of the hard work you put into making this story. The camera man, John Duong, was excellent, too. My son, Danny, was SO thrilled to see himself on the screen. He wants to do it again;-) Kathy Ratkiewicz Vice President Down Syndrome Family Support and Advocacy Group of Michiana http://www.michianadownsyndrome.org