Tolerance Fair Is Today at I-X Center

Justin Bachman, a 15-year-old Solon High student, has organized a second Tolerance Fair scheduled for 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at the I-X Center.

Solon Teen Justin Bachman's Second Tolerance Fair Is Sunday At I-X Center

Justin Bachman, a 15-year-old Solon High student, has organized a second Tolerance Fair scheduled for Sunday at the I-X Center.

Solon teen Justin Bachman has organized a second Tolerance Fair, this one a much larger event scheduled for Sunday at the I-X Center. The Tolerance Fair will run from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. on March 10. Both admission and parking to the event are free. The keynote speaker will be Kyle Maynard, who was born without his lower arms and legs but has still accomplished much, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro unassisted. Justin has come far since a fateful cross country meet in 2010. Bachman, who has Tourette's syndrome, was harrassed by a referee at that meet because of a misunderstanding over some of his vocal tics associated with Tourette's. Justin did not allow that unfortunate experience to deter him. In 2011, Justin organized a first …

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Solon Teen Organizes Tolerance Fair At I-X Center

After a successful tolerance fair in Solon in 2011, Justin Bachman and his family are planning a much larger event at the I-X Center on March 10.

Solon teen Justin Bachman isn't stopping on his quest to help others learn about tolerance. After holding a successful Tolerance Fair in Solon in 2011, Bachman are planning to hold a much larger event in March at the I-X Center, along with aspirations to make the Tolerance Fair a national event in the future. Bachman is a 15 year old 10th Grader who attends the Solon High School.  Justin deals with a medical condition called Tourette Syndrome. This causes his body to make involuntary movements and sounds that he cannot control.  Unfortunately, this has opened him up to ridicule, and he fully knows the value of tolerating and accepting the differences in others. After being disqualified from a school cross county meet because of his …

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Solon's Justin Bachman Honored For Volunteerism

Bachman, who organized a tolerance fair last year in Solon, was named a"distinguished finalist" in the The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Justin Bachman was named a Distinguished Finalist in this year's Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for organizing a tolerance fair in Solon last year. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a national program that honors outstanding young volunteers in middle and high school. Bachman, who is diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, was berated in 2010 by an official during a cross country meet in Boardman when he was experiencing vocal tics. Bachman said the experience motivated him to try to build a more tolerant and understanding community. So he met with Solon Mayor Susan Drucker and organized Solon's first-ever Tolerance Fair. "We didn't want it to happen to me again," Justin said. "We didn't want it to happen to anyone. If you don'…

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Solon’s First Tolerance Fair Had an Overwhelming Response

Justin Bachman and keynote speaker Marc Elliot receive standing ovations

People gathered at the Solon Community Center Sunday to learn and share their experiences about tolerance.  The seed for this tremendous event was the  result of  Justin Bachman’s experience during a cross-county meet. Thirteen-year-old Justin, who has Tourette syndrome (a neurological disorder), was ostracized during the sporting event by officials who did not understand his tics. Rather than let the negative event influence him, Justin chose to help people learn and understand each other better. With the support of his parents Ron and Lisa Bachman, the city of Solon and Mayor Susan Drucker and numerous community and advocacy groups, Justin's dream grew into a nationally recognized event. “In October of 2010, Justin, Ron and Lisa (Bachman…

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First Tolerance Fair Set for Sunday

The Bachman family speaks to Solon Patch about how the Tolerance Fair will help people better understand each other

After a cross country meet gone wrong, the Bachman family could have reacted in any number of ways. They decided to help people. Justin Bachman, a Solon Middle School student who has Tourette syndrome and was berated by an official last fall during a cross country meet in Boardman when he was experiencing vocal tics, said the experience motivated him to try to build a more tolerant and understanding community. "We didn't want it to happen to me again," Justin said. "We didn't want it to happen to anyone. If you don't want it to happen to anyone, sitting around and doing nothing doesn't help." Justin approached Solon Mayor Susan Drucker and explained to her that he wanted to do something to help spread the message of tolerance and …

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You Said It

How Can We Make Our Community More Tolerant?

The Bachman family, which organized the first annual Tolerance Fair scheduled for Sunday, weighs in on our next edition of 'You Said It'

This Sunday, Solon will hold its first-ever Tolerance Fair. The event was organized by Justin Bachman, a Solon Middle School student who has Tourette syndrome, after an incident at a cross country meet in Boardman.  Justin met with Mayor Susan Drucker about creating a tolerance fair, and the city pitched in to make the event happen. It will be this Sunday at the Solon Community Center. To celebrate the message of the Tolerance Fair, Solon Patch's "You Said It" feature will talk to you, the residents of Solon, about how you think we can build a more accepting and tolerant community. To start things off, we asked the Bachman family – Justin and his parents, Ron and Lisa Bachman – to weigh in on what makes a tolerant community.

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Solon Tolerance Fair Looking for Volunteers

The event, scheduled for March 13 at the Solon Recreation Center, needs your help

The Solon Tolerance Fair, organized by Solon Middle School student Justin Bachman, will bring together the community in an effort to prompt discussion about people's differences and teach people about ways they can help have a positive influence on their communities. But the fair, put on by the Bachman family and the city of Solon, needs your help. In an e-mail, the Bachman family said they are looking for volunteers to help the fair run smoothly.  To volunteer, check out Honor Good Deeds, the page of the Bachman's nonprofit group, and go to the volunteer section. You'll need to submit your name, e-mail and phone number. The tolerance fair will run from 4 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. March 13 at the recreation center. Admission to the event is …

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Whiz Kid: Justin Bachman Brings Tolerance to Solon

Bachman, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, turned a difficult personal experience at a cross country meet into an educational opportunity for all of Solon

Whiz Kid of the Week: Justin Bachman  Age: 13 School: Solon Middle School Accomplishment: Worked with the city of Solon to put together a Tolerance Fair scheduled for March 13 at the Solon Community Center. Key to Awesomeness:  Many Solon residents know what happened to Justin at a cross country meet in Boardman. He has Tourette's syndrome, and sometimes has loud, vocal tics. Here's a quick recap from the Plain Dealer: At a cross-country meet in Boardman on Sept. 18, two adult officials were explaining the rules at the start of the race when Justin started yelling, "Woo, woo." The officials told him repeatedly to shut up, even after Justin explained that he had Tourette's syndrome. The officials took his number and threatened to disqualify…

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