A Monumental Achievement

I am blessed to know a middle-aged client with Down Syndrome who, despite his many achievements in life, he could not grasp money skills. Teachers, tutors, and kin all tried various teaching modalities without successful breakthrough. Forget the practical application of money itself, Trey W. Fitzsimmons' competency broke down with value identification. Whether coins or dollar bills got placed in front of him, he easily became befuddled and red-faced frustration quickly dominated the scene. The best Trey could do was pocket your failure.

A summer vacation in South Dakota changed all that a few months before the turn of the last century. Carved into the southeast face of a mountain, Trey immediately sized up the grandness of The Mount Rushmore monument. His stubby fingers pawed at the stone mountain in his haste. Staring at the big faces of four dead presidents, Trey’s proclamation cut like scissors through the high altitude air. His pointer finger worked magic from left to right.

“One dollar, two dollar, dime, and penny!” he shouted.