Collaborative Partnerships for the Tourette Syndrome Community
Team USA goalkeeper is member of NJCTS Board of Directors
SOMERVILLE, N.J. – While all eyes are on the World Cup action in Brazil, Tim Howard’s friends in his home state are cheering for one of New Jersey’s most talented sons. A good player, but also a good friend to those who have Tourette Syndrome.
(Top L to R) Leanne Loewenthal, CNN cameraman Frank Bivona, Sarah Etheridge, Santina Reichenbach, CNN’s Lena
Over the years, the North Brunswick native has shared his personal experience with Tourette Syndrome (TS)- a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and sounds known as tics. When it came time to share his story, Howard reached out to the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders (NJCTS). As Team USA prepared to take the field, CNN profiled Howard and his work with the Somerville-based nonprofit.
“Tim called one day and said he wanted to volunteer for the organization,” NJCTS Executive Director Faith W. Rice told CNN. The partnership was formed almost a decade ago and today Howard serves on the NJCTS Board of Directors. In 2010, Howard’s pitch for a advocacy training academy with NJCTS won the Pepsi Refresh challenge- a voting contest to win $50,000 for a worthy cause. The Tim Howard NJCTS Leadership Academy launches August 1 at Rutgers University.
The segment chronicled Howard’s youth in North Brunswick and his rise to soccer superstardom- all while living with a neurological disorder. Howard tells CNN, “It’s like breathing to me; if I woke up and didn’t have Tourette Syndrome it would be weird.”
Click here to watch the CNN feature on Tim Howard and his work with NJCTS.
More information about Tourette Syndrome, Tim Howard’s contributions to NJCTS and the organization itself is available by calling 908-575-7350 or by visiting www.njcts.org.
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New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, Inc. Collaborative partnerships for the TS community.