McPherson man to be featured on Times Square billboard

MCPHERSON, Kan. (KSNW) — McPherson resident Micah Anderson will be featured in the Big Apple on Sept. 9 as a part of the annual National Down Syndrome Society Times Square video presentation.

“My sister called me,” Micah said. “She said I’m famous.”

“Micah is kind of a ray of sunshine everywhere he goes,” his sister Morgan Anderson said. “He constantly brings joy to people’s lives, and I thought there’s no better way than to showcase Micah than to have him be on a billboard in Times Square.”

The video shows a one-hour video on a billboard in Times Square of about 500 pictures showcasing people with Down Syndrome across the country. The goal is to promote value, acceptance and inclusion.

“It’s like the ultimate piece of inclusion,” Morgan said. “He has, you know, great opportunities in Kansas and in his community and at his job at Freddy’s, but being able to kind of take Micah and bring him to a larger scale is a great, great opportunity for us.” 

Micah was selected out of over 2,400 entries.

“Being able to make him feel included and valued and supported is all I could want as a sister, and being able to have that in a city that never sleeps on a giant billboard, it just doesn’t get any better than that,” Morgan said.

Morgan has entered her brother in the contest four times. Finally, he got his chance.

“Over the past four years, I’ve kind of never been able to make a call with good news,” Morgan said. “And so I don’t think he really believed me at first, but then he got really excited, and we were on FaceTime, and he just kept saying I’m gonna be famous. I’m gonna be famous!”

Morgan says she is thankful for all the support her community has given Micah.

“Any obstacle that he encounters in school, in life, in sports, he’s able to overcome it, and it’s because of great people in our community that helped make that possible,” she said.

Micah says he is most looking forward to all his loved ones seeing him on the big screen.

“Uncles, grandmas, aunt. Special Olympics,” Micah said.

The video will be live-streamed on the NDSS Facebook page on the morning of Sept. 9. The video presentation kicks off the Buddy Walk, which Micah will attend virtually.

“I think if the world can see Micah and see what’s possible, he’ll constantly improve the world and make the world a better place,” Morgan said. “Opportunities like this are incredible for Micah and other kids with disabilities that get to be shown more visibly in the world, and so I think, for him, it helps him be more comfortable.”

If you would like to nominate a person or business for Positive Connections, fill out KSN’s online contact form.