Freshman year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was difficult
for Daniel Tabares, then 17.
It was the year of the worst tragedy in the school’s history when 17 students and staff were murdered and Tabares lost friends.
He was sad and depressed and only when he became involved with the
Parkland March For Our Lives rally on Mar. 24, 2018 as a featured speaker, did he find his calling.
“I may seem serious,” says Tabares. “But once you get to know me, I’m
funny, outgoing, and always kind. Sometimes people have preconceived notions about people who look different, but don’t always trust your first impressions and give people a chance.”
Born with achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder, Tabares is not unfamiliar with the unkindness of strangers.
Achondroplasia is the most common type of dwarfism. It is a genetic
condition that affects about 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 40,000 people.
Emmy-award winner Peter Dinklage, who portrayed Tyrion Lannister on the wildly popular TV series, “Game of Thrones,” has the condition.
“I’ve been through so much,” he says, noting that he’s been called names, been excluded and stared at, not to mention undergone more than 10 surgeries.
“It’s no fun,” he says.
At the rally, Tabares spoke about how he was feeling and says he was quoted on CNN as saying, “Give yourself a hug like there’s no tomorrow.”
His inspirational words had an effect on those around him and boosted his morale and confidence.
From that day on, Tabares was a changed person and no longer depressed.
He had found his voice.
“It’s a crazy world,” he says, “and maybe someone is going through a lot, and a kind word is all they need to get through their day.”
He has taken to sharing his kind words and inspirational messages on his social media and with the residents of Parkland as he rides from one end of Holmberg Rd. to the other on his bike showcasing his inspirational signs.
He counts his dad, Luis, as a role model (and for his good looks) and says he’s inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Theresa.
“You’re amazing,” proclaims one sign. “Be the change you want to see in the world,” says another, paraphrasing Gandhi. His LinkedIn page states, “Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”
Another sign declared not only black lives matter, but Latino, disabled, and LGBTQ lives as well.
He took Gandhi’s message to heart and challenges himself to be the change he wants to see.
Now, in his senior year at MSD and co-president of the Student Board of The Friendship Journey and Ambassador of Wings of Friendship, Tabares hopes to be a speech- language pathologist or a motivational speaker, and his dream since second grade is to attend the University of Florida.
This summer he was a lead counselor and student ambassador in an 8-week virtual camp for people with disabilities and was inspired by the students’ empathy for others.
The camp, sponsored by Dylan’s Wings of Change (DWC), is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the memory of Dylan Hockley, a student killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 along with 19 other first-graders and six teachers.
They partnered with the locally-based The Friendship Journey, with its mission to educate, empower, and include individuals across all cognitive and physical abilities.
Tabares said coming to the camp allows participants to be fully themselves and share their true colors with others.
“I’m thankful for that,” he says.
After the Parkland shootings, Tabares was invited to Pittsburgh to receive the first Loving Kindness Award from the Pittsburgh JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness, where 11 people lost their lives and six were wounded in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Oct. 2018.
Rabbi Ron Symons, the director of Pittsburgh JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness, says Tabares was selected for the award “because he exudes kindness in every way.”
“When we met him after the shootings in Parkland and Pittsburgh, we met a person with a depth of optimism and soul that few adults have,” Symons says. “No matter what he does throughout his life, I am confident that my friend and teacher, Danny Tabares, will inspire thousands.”