Reviews and Recognition

Ode Magazine Article - December, 2011
Young Heroes Award - August, 2011
Bedminster Township Proclamation - July, 2011
FHBFD Plaque - July, 2011
Bernardsville News Article - 03/06/09
Young Entrepeneur Award - 12/08/08

Ode Magazine Article
My sister wrote an article about me and it was published in the December issue of Ode Magazine, an international magazine for Intelligent Optimists. Read the article by clicking here.

Young Heroes Award
Last August I was presented the Young Heroes Award by the National Liberty Museum in Philadephia, Pennsylvania. This award, sponsored by TD Bank, was given to me for inspiring my community and my peers with Optimism. For more information on the Young Heroes Award, please click here.

Bedminster Township Proclamation
The mayor of Bedminster Township issued a proclamation to me last July for inspiring my community and peers with Optimism, something that he said, was hard to come by in this day and age.

FHBFD Plaque
The Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Department issued a plaque to me last July (on the same day as the above proclamation) thanking me for maintaining their website and inspiring others with my Optimistic attitude. View their website that I maintain at http://www.fhbfd.org/

Bernardsville News Article
[High school] student operates own Web design business
'Abilities with no bounds'

By ERIN ROSE, Staff Writer
Published: March, 2009
Updated: May 3rd, 2009 by Anthony's Abilities
Working on a computer at the Bernards High School library, Anthony gives visitors a virtual tour of the latest website he is constructing for a school guidance counselor.

Navigating through the site with the help of a student aide, the 16-year-old sophomore explains the different interactive features he has included on the site and how users can apply them.

In this particular site he has installed interactive calendars and used DreamWeaver software to enhance it. He easily explains the process and advanced technology he uses to complete the task in a way that helps even web novices understand how it all works.

During the past year, the Bernards High School student has been running his own web design business called "Anthony's Abilities.'' Despite his own physical limitations, the teenager has turned what started out as a community service project into a budding business venture.

Confined to a wheelchair, Anthony has a disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive form of Muscular Dystrophy. But he hasn't allowed his disability to prevent him from pursuing his professional passion.

"My motto is despite my disability, my abilities have no bounds,'' he said.

Anthony's interest in designing websites started over a year ago when he created a site for the Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Department as part of a community service project.

"I took a web design class last year and really liked it," he said. "They're fun to do."

The fire company site, www.fhbfd.org, includes a bar of scrolling pictures from the department's history. It also features a large picture of the its equipment and new firehouse, and links to pages with a detailed written history, a photo gallery with pictures of recent fires, and a form where people can sign up to become members.

Once he completed that first site, word quickly spread about Anthony's work.

"A member of the department asked me to do another site," he said. "Then other people started asking me to work on their sites."

His mom said his interest opened new doors for his future.

"As Anthony approached his 15th birthday last year, he started asking us how he would ever be able to get a job," his mom said. "He requires total assistance with lifting his arms up to feed himself.

"That is when I started to think that Anthony could do something from home," she said. "I knew his future was in computers."

While she said she helps the young entrepreneur with the financial end of the business, he handles all the design work.

Over the past year, Anthony has developed sites for several other organizations, including the Bedminster Democratic Committee and the Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy.

One of his most recent websites was created for Rick Charwin, a guidance counselor at Bernards High School. The web site, www.rickcharwin.com, features information on Charwin's radio show, "This is the Moment," which runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on WDVR 89.7 FM in Sergeantsville, and on his '60s cover band, "Cover2Cover."

Visitors can use links on the page to hear clips from Charwin's show and learn more about the radio station. Anthony created a calendar on the site for users to find out when the show is on or see when and where the band will be playing.

Anthony is also currently building a website for Richard Hoehler, an author and stage actor. The site, www.richardhoehler.com, links more than 10 different web pages, including pages for his resumes, a calendar of his appearances, examples of his work and a form that can be used to contact the actor.

Somerset County Young Entrepreneur Award

In December, the Somerset County Business Partnership honored Anthony as one of the Top Ten Young Entrepreneurs in the county.

He has also been nominated for a Technology Students Association (TSA) award for his web design work. According to its website, the TSA "takes the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics beyond the classroom and gives students the chance to pursue academic challenges among friends with similar goals and interests."

Last year, Anthony won third place in the association's Web design competition for Bernards High School's TSA chapter website.

Craig M., the coordinator for the high school design and technology department, has watched Anthony's interest in the web blossom.
"Anthony is always pushing his boundaries," he said. "He has taken what he learned and really excelled."

"He is an inspiration to other students," Craig added.

Anthony said he would like people, especially his fellow high school students, to look past his limitations and get to know the person inside.

"I'm more than just a wheelchair," he said. "I have a brain and a heart."

"Hopefully, in the future, everyone that used to walk by me, afraid to talk to me, will stop, say hello and think of me as a person they would want to get to know," Anthony added.

In addition to continued work on his business, he also plans to use his skills to teach a web design class at Gill St. Bernards school this summer.

He is also raising money and helping to organize the second annual Intergenerational Prom at Bernards High School.