The following is this week’s I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE Honoree by Ashton Greer and Nicole Van Hyfte
It was 2010 when Connie Marxman moved to Vermilion County, Illinois. She was born and raised in Riverside, California, and decided to make the move to where her long-distance boyfriend lived. She married Dwight in 2012, and they bought a house in Bismarck.
Connie has worked in schools in some capacity throughout most of her career. Locally, she has worked at Head Start and Danville Lutheran Schools. One day, Connie received a text message from a church friend who asked her if she would be interested in being a one-on-one teacher aid for an autistic child at Bismarck Elementary School. “I started crying. This is literally something I’ve wanted to do since I was 10 years old. My husband told me that I always talk wanting to do this, and that it was a win/win to take the interview. So I went, cried during the interview; I thought I didn’t have the job because I could not meet the qualification of running. An hour later, Mr. Quick called me, offered me the position, and said they had made arrangements. People have moved around so that I can be here. It’s all God. All glory to God. He prepared me for this.”
Connie is a little person, and she is not shy to answer any questions students may have. “God made me this way – we are all different shapes and sizes, but the best thing is, kids can just come and hug me and I’m just right here on their level!” She gives credit to her parents for being able to ask any questions. They taught her that if people teased her, that meant they liked her – so she has always gone back to that.
In 2000, Connie was honored to represent the United States in the first ever women’s powerlifting team in the Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. She had competed against others in the Little People of America competitions and was thrilled when the Paralympics opened to women. She was a top lifter in her weight class in the United States and placed sixth internationally.
“I’m just living out the life and the plans God has for me; in His perfect time, not mine. Many of my dreams didn’t come to fruition, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”
Thank you, Connie, for landing in Vermilion County, and for being such an inspiration to students, teachers, and the community.
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org or
Nicole Van Hyfte, Vermilion Advantage nvanhyfte@vermilionadvantage.com.
