20 Apr 2015 Shawn Owens inspires community

Story and photos
by Mary May Larmoyeux

Shawn Owens doesn’t see himself as different from anyone else, even though he’s confined to a wheelchair and has round-the-clock caregivers.

The Morrilton native was born with a neurological disorder, Cerebral Palsy (C.P.), and it affects his motor abilities and speech. Refusing to be defined by his disability, Shawn enjoys fishing, has ridden in a crop duster and has even gone skydiving. He also cuts his own lawn by pushing a mower from his motorized wheelchair — a job that would take most people 10 or 15 minutes takes him about six hours. But Shawn considers this time well spent. “It gives me a sense of pride,” he said.

Shawn thanks his parents for his can-do attitude and says they taught him from childhood to be a responsible person who gives back to others. Perhaps that’s why Shawn is an avid volunteer today for not only the Morrilton High School Devil Dog Football Team, but also the Morrilton Community Center.

When Shawn (known by many as Chip) is traveling around Morrilton, his normal mode of transportation is by wheelchair. He also has a 1994 van, but it’s becoming unreliable with its aging lift and only gets 10 miles a gallon.

Shawn hopes to win a wheelchair accessible vehicle that will be given away by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA). It would help him move forward with his life, making it easier for him to help others in his community.

Regardless of the weather, if the Devil Dogs are practicing football, Shawn can be found at Morrilton High School. He describes himself as a “gofer” who is ready to get towels, water, equipment — whatever the coaches ask him to do. Head Coach Cody McNabb considers Shawn to be a fixture in the football program and says he is as big a Devil Dog fan as there has probably ever been.

When the Devil Dog football team won a state championship in 2013, Shawn was presented with a championship ring and a football signed by the entire team. For Shawn, it was a dream come true. “He’s a great example to our kids,” McNabb said. “He tells them the only handicap is a bad attitude . . . [he’s] a tremendous example for young men 15-17 years old.”

And Shawn not only encourages the Devil Dogs, but also those he meets at the Conway County Community Center where he volunteers three to five times a week. Fina Bartlett, the center director, is grateful for his help with administrative duties and also during summer camps.

Bartlett says that neither Shawn’s wheelchair nor his C.P. slows him down. “If he meets an obstacle, he finds a way around it,” she said.

“If you tell him, ‘No, you can’t do that because of your disability,’ he will prove you wrong.”

Bartlett has seen Shawn drive his wheelchair in the rain to and from the football field when his van was out of commission. She says that once he actually flipped his wheelchair over in a ditch. After she and her son got Shawn upright, “he refused to let us get him home,” she said. “He just tootled along in his chair.”

Shawn’s volunteerism has not gone unnoticed. In 2002, he was presented with a KARK Channel 4 Community Service Award. “I can rarely go anywhere in town without stopping to talk to someone about the community,” he said. “I have Cerebral Palsy, but I never let that stop me from doing what I want to do.”

But if Shawn had a reliable handicap accessible van, he could do even more. May is National Mobility Awareness Month, and the NMEDA is sponsoring a contest for those with disabilities who embody the spirit of “Life Moving Forward.” The winner will receive a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Online voting is open during the month of May, and individuals may vote once a day.

Full details can be found at mobilityawarenessmonth.com.

With help from the 501, this local hero could get the new wheels he deserves!