LANSING, Mich. — You may have heard the quote, "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." Well, this week's Good Neighbor is all about that.
Meet Haslett teenager, CJ Riemer.
17-year-old CJ has been giving a daily weather report on Facebook since April 2020.
CJ gets up each morning with a weather theme that he incorporates into his daily forecasts.
CJ’s mom, Cheri, says it started after CJ received a weather machine for Christmas a couple of years ago.
“A big reason we started these weather reports was to help with speech. Because a lot of kids with trisomy 21 or Down syndrome need help with their speech. The muscle tone is not there," Cheri said. "So, we worked on articulation. We feel like he can communicate better. He carries on more conversations, and it's really made a difference.”
CJ’s dad, Randy, says CJ loves to be in front of the camera.
“CJ, he just loves the stage, and that certainly didn't come from me by any means," Randy said. "He just thrives on being in front of people and entertaining. He loves fun things. He loves to dance and tell jokes too. He loves coming up with the themes.”
CJ’s weather reports are quite popular on social media. CJ’s friend, Jacob, and his mom, Rachel, are two of his regular followers. Rachel says they watch CJ daily.
“Everyone morning before he eats breakfast Jacob says, ‘I want to see CJ’s weather report.' He can’t wait to see what dance moves, what’s the theme. He just loves it,” Rachel said.
CJ’s friend and former teacher, Stacey Porritt also looks forward to CJ’s daily reports.
“I was a Special Ed teacher for 28 years, and I love when my students can find their passions, and what they're passionate about and can share that with the world," Porritt said. "I love everything that CJ brings to our community.”
Cheri says CJ is a blessing!
“He has taught us so much. I mean, he's just such a blessing. People say 'Oh, he's so lucky to have you as parents,' and we're like, you got that wrong. We're lucky to have him. He teaches us to live in the moment and to not take things so seriously, which sometimes I can do, and he reminds me Mom, take a pill chill,” Cheri said.
You can find CJ’s daily forecast every morning at WCJR Weather on Facebook.
We want to say thank you to CJ Riemer for always bringing a little sunshine to brighten up the day!
You are this week’s Good Neighbor.
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