GLASTONBURY, Conn. — “Super” Jack Murphy is a team captain with the Down Syndrome Association of Connecticut, and he turned 10 years old on Tuesday with a super special birthday message.
FOX61's Keith McGilvery started volunteering with the nonprofit seven years ago but didn’t have a team. This was when he met Murphy, from Glastonbury, who welcomed Keith to the squad with a great attitude and the best swag.
Murphy loves everything about UConn, specifically UConn basketball and sports all the gear. His favorite player is two-time national champion Alex Karaban, whose birthday is one day before Murphy's. To help make Murphy's 10th birthday all the more special, McGilvery reached out to Karaban.
“I’m proud to be on team "SuperJack," McGilvery said. "SuperJack reminds me every day, and hopefully, folks who watch from home, of the importance of being inclusive, brave, and kind. I am lucky to call him a friend."
When reached out to, Karaban answered the call and sent a surprise video to his no. 1 fan, saying:
“What’s going on SuperJack? It’s Alex Karaban here! I wanted to wish you a very happy 10th birthday! I want to thank you so much for supporting us and cheering for us the entire season so far. We have a long way to go still and we have a lot more games coming up. I hope to see you soon and I can’t wait to just spend some time with you and see how you’re doing. I appreciate you as always, and go, Huskies!"
Karaban is leading the Huskies in scoring and blocked shots this season.
Murphy's friends from his local elementary school in Glastonbury also came together to celebrate him with a bowling birthday party over the weekend and the FOX61 Morning team all wore the SuperJack team colors to celebrate the big day!
The Down Syndrome Association of Connecticut's mission is to encourage inclusive communities while providing resources and support to individuals with Down syndrome and their advocates. To learn more about the nonprofit and how you can help, head here.
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Keith McGilvery is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at kmcgilvery@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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