Stand Up for What's Right: You'll Always Be a Winner!

By Marjorie Foerster Eddington and Corey Fisher

Just like all the other kids, I was getting ready for our lunch break, which included the much desired, intense game of two-hand touch football. I was very excited for the upcoming game because my best friend and I had a secret play that we had been practicing in my back yard the past weekend.

As I rushed onto the field, one of my friends from my travel football team came out to greet me. My friend was in some special classes for kids who don't learn as quickly as most or learn in different ways than others. But that's never mattered to me because I've always known him as a fellow teammate. Although he's younger, he's pretty strong and has a lot of heart. He wanted to know if he could get in on the football game.

When I got on field with him, my friends confronted me. They told my friend, my fellow teammate, to get lost. They didn't like him because he was a "retard." I didn't stand for it. I believed he had just as much of a right to play in the game as anyone else on the field. I told my other friends to let him play, and I held my ground.

The next day, the same thing happened. When I stood my ground again, my friends told me to get lost along with my travel football teammate friend. I was shocked. My world was turned upside down. I was cast out by my own friends. I didn't know where to turn.

Daniel from the Bible stood up for something he believed in -- being able to pray to God. He stood up for his beliefs. Because of this, he was thrown in the lions' den. But even when he was faced with the lions, he stood his ground, and the lions did not budge. Then he received his salvation.

Suddenly, my best friend stood up for me. He told the other guys that my friend had just as much of a right to play football with us as anyone else. After that, everyone shut up and started to play.

I had been put into a situation where I was being attacked by other people and stood my ground – just like Daniel. I believed that my friend should be able to play football and didn't let anyone say, "No." Then I received my salvation from my best friend.

I was grateful that everything that day seemed to go well. The play especially worked well, and I was able to include my teammate in on it as well, which led him to be recognized by my other friends as a good football player and as a new friend.

Corey Fisher

Corey was able to make a difference in the lives of all his friends.

• He gave his travel football teammate a sense of belonging and a chance to play to his strengths.
• Corey’s moral courage helped his best friend find the strength to stand up for what’s right, too.
• His friends who tried not to let Corey or his friend play football with them learned a valuable lesson about not judging people.

Corey showed what it is to be a good friend. Enjoy being a friend like Corey. Stand up and include others.

MFE