“Everybody has a heartsong”-
poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek

Do you know what your message is? Eleven-year-old Mattie Stepanek says knowing your message and sticking to it is the most important part of being a peacemaker. This famous peacemaker and poet is sure of his message and shared it with nearly 5,000 second-, third-, and fourth-grade students during the Children’s Peace Pavilion’s annual Peace Assembly on May 14 at the Community of Christ Auditorium in Independence.

Mattie talks with Jeremy Kohlhart who  portrayed Gandhi during the Peace Assembly.

The assembly began with a skit featuring peace heroes Sadako, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., the Peace Pilgrim, Rosa Parks, and Jane Goodall. Modern-day peace hero Mattie Stepanek was then welcomed with a thunderous standing ovation from the largest audience he’s ever addressed in person.

Mattie authored the New York Times best-selling books of poetry Heartsongs (2001) and Journey through Heartsongs (2001) as well as Hope through Heartsongs (2002). He is the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a Children’s Hospice International representative.

Mattie was born with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy that affects the body’s “automatic” systems such as respiration, cardiovascular functions, digestion, and temperature regulation. Mattie’s three older siblings have all died from this incurable disease, and his mother, Jeni, suffers from it too.

Appearing on stage in his electric wheelchair, Mattie also requires leg braces and a trachea tube, which is attached to the ventilator that helps him breathe. He explained to the Auditorium full of children that he likes most though not all of his school subjects, is completing a high school curriculum, and has normal hobbies like playing with Legos®, watching cartoons, reading, and writing. He is home schooled in Maryland.

“When I was born, the doctors didn’t think I’d live one day…but I did. Then they thought I wouldn’t live one year…but I did. Then they thought I wouldn’t live five years…but I did,” said Mattie. There were even several years between the ages of five and ten when Mattie was able to earn a first-degree black belt in martial arts. He also professed to having perfected his belly flop in diving classes.

At age ten, Mattie nearly died and spent more than five months in and out of comas. “I lived,” he said, “but I needed this wheelchair and leg braces…and a ‘trache’ tube to help me breathe.” Although he admits to having “Why me?” moments, this articulate, insightful child says he always ends up thinking, “Why not me?” Mattie said, “I think there’s a reason I am who I am.”

He told the students, “I choose to live with hope. I choose to see the glass as half full. … I believe I’m here for a reason. In fact, I believe every person is here for a reason.” He describes those reasons as “heartsongs.” Mattie said, “Everybody has a heartsong--a special gift for the world.”

Mattie signs a copy of his book for Bob Kyser

For Mattie, his poems are his heartsongs. He began writing at age three when his brother Jamie died. “We were very close,” he said of the only sibling he actually knew. His first poems were about Jamie. “As I grew, so did my poetry,” he explained. Mattie now writes about many things-especially hope and peace.

Mattie recently developed a three-part motto he would like people to follow: 1) Make peace an attitude. Want it. 2) Make peace a habit. Live it. 3) Make peace a reality. Share it. The Peace Assembly ended with all the children joining Mattie as they chanted the motto with the refrain, “Peace is possible!”

Mattie and his mother visited Independence, Missouri, as part of a three-and-a-half-week tour that will also take them to Minnesota, Indiana, and Michigan for book signings and appearances. Jeni explained that Mattie has done several keynotes for adult audiences and speaks regularly at schools in very informal settings but had never done anything quite like this large Peace Assembly with youth.

Mattie enjoys touring and speaking and wants to eventually travel the world. “I hope I can spread my message on all seven continents, minus Antarctica. I think it’s pretty peaceful down there,” he said with a grin.

Our Mission in Action

“Mattie is our mission in action,” said Children’s Peace Pavilion outreach specialist Kelly Ellison. “There’s a synergy between what we do and what Mattie does,” she said. Mattie’s message mirrors the four basic concepts of peace introduced to adults and children through the Pavilion’s hands-on exhibits: Peace for Me, Peace for Us, Peace for Everyone, and Peace for the Planet.

Kelly saw an episode of “Good Morning America” during which Mattie met one of his heroes, former President Jimmy Carter. She thought of how wonderful it would be to host him at the Auditorium and have him talk to children on their level. Kelly and her co-workers at the Pavilion wrote to Jeni and Mattie to share the concepts of the Children’s Peace Pavilion and invite him to address the Peace Assembly.

Their invitation was accepted the very next day. Jeni was deeply grateful when the Pavilion and Community of Christ offered Mattie an honorarium. This helps cover their travel expenses and allows Mattie to go to places that cannot afford to pay him, spreading his message to even more people.

Kelly said, “I had no idea the level of how wonderful the event would be--how much all would be touched. I also had no idea how complicated it would be.” The logistics of travel for the Stepaneks requires much planning. For instance, Mattie cannot travel by commercial airplane. His mother drives them across the country in a specially equipped van that has the electricity required to run Mattie’s ventilator. “It’s very safe for him,” she said.

For Kelly, Mattie’s visit has been a major highlight of her career. “We really accomplished our goal,” she said, “furthering the mission of the church and the mission of the Pavilion.” More than a one-time-event, a relationship has been built between Mattie and the Pavilion, based on a shared philosophy. A Pavilion exhibit centered around Mattie and his message is being planned. “I talked to Mattie about what he’d like to see in it,” said Kelly. One possibility includes reading some of Mattie’s poetry and having visitors write poems of their own.

Since 1995 the Children’s Peace Pavilion has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors. Most are from Kansas City metropolitan area public schools that participate in the Pavilion’s field trip program. This one-of-a-kind museum teaches life skills such as self-appreciation, communication, cooperation, conflict resolution, and goal setting through a variety of interactive experiences.

The Children’s Peace Pavilion also sponsors a Pledge School program, which takes the four concepts of peace into the classroom. The Pledge School program began with 10 schools. Now in its third year, 43 schools have joined to make peace education an integral part of their curriculums. For several years, the Pavilion has sponsored annual peace assemblies for schools that participate in its programs.

-Kendra Friend reporting