Testimonial

March 20, 2022                                   

My name is Albrie Canfield and it is my absolute pleasure to write a recommendation on behalf of Josiah Smith. Josiah embodies perseverance, kindness, and passion both in and out of school. 

I should start with how Josiah impacted our family. My son, Codie Canfield has struggled socially and emotionally with the diagnosis of Autism. He always has had a strong passion and love for basketball, but found it hard to feel included and welcomed in the sport. That was until Josiah took him under his wing and led the way.

 Codie never had the confidence and struggled with the skills to play basketball. He would often visit the local parks to play basketball and watch from the sidelines and  if others were playing  he would choose to play on an empty court. Josiah went out of his way to invite Codie to play. He took the time to work with Codie individually and instilled confidence in him. He believed in Codie when he  didn’t believe in himself. When it came to school tryouts, Josiah encouraged Codie to try out. He supported him during difficult days when other players got frustrated and didn’t have the patience to understand Codie’s challenges. Josiah was never phased by others opinions of Codie and his support never faltered.  

Josiah was the captain of the team, the best player, the player with the most potential, the player with the biggest heart. He is the one who everyone loves. Their love for Josiah slowly turned into their love for Codie. When Josiah rallied and cheered for Codie the team and crowd followed. Josiah changed Codie’s life. His high school basketball dreams were exceeded due to Josiah. As a mom, all you want for your child is for them to feel loved, accepted, and have the ability to live out their life dreams. We aren’t sure what Codie’s future will be in basketball, but what we do know is that his high school basketball career is one we will all never forget. The confidence he has gained because of one very special person is immeasurable. He was a true friend. We are eternally grateful to Josiah Smith. Any school would be fortunate to have a person like him in their school community.   Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of Josiah “Siah buckets” Smith. 

Sincerely, Albrie Canfield