10/28/2006
'Patriotic' spirit at Tiogue
By NICOLE WIETRAK


COVENTRY - This Tuesday, Tiogue Elementary School student Austin Taylor was the official "big man on campus," receiving high-five after high-five from friends and teachers alike.

Thanks to Taylor, the winner of a random drawing sponsored by CVS Pharmacy, New England Patriots linebacker Rosevelt "Rosey" Colvin paid a special visit to Taylor and his peers at Tiogue School.

Taylor, 11, shyly sat amongst his classmates as Colvin presented him with a Patriots jersey.

"It's a little bit big," said Colvin laughing, "but you're going to get a little bigger."

Taylor returned the favor by giving Colvin a drawing he made for him of the Patriots' emblem that adorns the players' helmets.

Colvin and CVS teamed up to create the "Rosey Sack Pack," a back-to-school backpack being sold in CVS stores throughout New England this fall to benefit Easter Seals, which supports children with disabilities.

With the sale of each backpack, which retails for $15.99, a $5 donation is made to Easter Seals, selected by CVS as a national non-profit partner for its "CVS All Kids Can" program to raise awareness in schools and local communities about the importance of inclusion.

These efforts include building barrier-free playgrounds so children of all abilities can play together as well as providing medical rehabilitation and related services to children with disabilities.

Taylor's mom, Sue, said her son's cousin purchased the backpack for him at a CVS in Wakefield and that Taylor sent in the contest entry postcard that came with it.

"I said to him, 'fill it out, you never know, you might win,'" said Sue Taylor, adding that everyone in the Taylor family is a Pats fan. "Then someone called us from Oklahoma telling us that he'd won and I thought it was a joke."

"This is a once in a lifetime thing," Taylor's dad, Andy, added.

After autographing a mountain of Patriots' paraphernalia, Colvin spoke to Taylor's class about his own struggle living with a disability after breaking a hip in 2003.

Colvin told the students that after the injury, he couldn't walk for six months and was unsure if he'd ever be able to play football again.

"I went through the experience and it was very difficult to do even simple things," said Colvin.

After his recovery, Colvin said he realized many children struggle with disabilities on a daily basis and he decided to turn his injury into a positive experience.

"You guys should be grateful every day that you can dress yourself," he said to the students.

On a scale of one to 10, Taylor said the day's event reached the "10" level and that he was excited for his special visitor.

"He's my favorite player on the Patriots," he said as he clutched all of his autographed goodies.

"This is terrific," said Tiogue principal Denise Richtarik. "Every kid that came through the door today was excited. It's just really fun."