By Leslie Bond Diggins
You may remember him as Charles "Corky" Thatcher on the hit ABC-TV series Life Goes On. You might have caught his guest-starring roles on The Commish or The Promised Land or his TV movie, Jonathan, The Boy Nobody Wanted. Or perhaps you know him as Taylor, an angel who has Down Syndrome, in the highly acclaimed CBS-TV series Touched by an Angel.
But if you are lucky enough to be at the NRL Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 24-26 [see ad, page 8] you'll get to do more than admire the talents of Golden Globe Award-nominated Chris Burke on television. You'll be treated to a rousing celebration of life during an hour-long concert starring Chris and musicians John and Joe DeMasi. Together the trio, whose most recent album Forever Friends, has received a Parents' Choice Gold Award for Excellence, will provide a rollicking good time while at the same time delivering a message that the whole world needs to hear.
"The songs are about love, inclusion, friendship and fun songs, too," Joe DeMasi told NRL News.
Or, as Chris put it, "We all have disabilities. It's what we do with our abilities that counts."
Thirty-three-year-old Chris Burke, who has Down Syndrome, has been using his abilities as an actor and entertainer to bring a message of acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities to audiences around the world for more than a decade. But his interest in performing started much longer ago, when as a young teenager he attended a summer camp for children with disabilities.
There he met twin brothers John and Joe DeMasi, professional musicians and songwriters who worked at the camp as music counselors. Chris became the DeMasi brothers' close friend and biggest fan, participating in all of the musical activities and shows they ran.
Seeing his friends perform sparked Chris's interest in entering the entertainment business himself. Though his family gently tried to dissuade him from pursuing a seemingly impossible goal, Chris followed his dream, writing TV scripts, reading books, corresponding with people in the film industry, and attending evening acting classes in New York City.
His persistence paid off.
He landed his first role in 1987, playing a boy with Down Syndrome on the ABC-TV movie Desperate. His work so impressed the network executives that the film's producer was asked to write a show with Chris in mind.
The result? The critically acclaimed drama Life Goes On, which aired from 1989-1993 and earned Chris a Golden Globe nomination. Other roles soon followed.
Meanwhile, the DeMasi brothers continued to pursue their musical careers while still staying active in bringing the performing arts to individuals with disabilities.
Then in 1993, Chris and the DeMasi brothers decided to pool their considerable talents and put together an album that would teach about the acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities. Their efforts resulted in Lollypops and Love Songs, a 14-song sing-along tape for young children. Their second album, Singer With The Band, released in 1994, has sold over 60,000 copies, and their third, Forever Friends, released last summer, garnered them a Parents' Choice Gold Award for Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Parents Choice organization.
Word of the threesome's uplifting program spread quickly. Soon, Chris and his friends were performing over 150 shows a year at schools, conferences, festivals, and conventions throughout the United States and Canada, and helping run two summer performing arts programs for people with disabilities. In addition, the group has appeared on numerous national and local television shows including Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight.
As if all of this were not enough to keep him busy, Chris also works for the National Down Syndrome Society as the editor in chief of News and Views, a quarterly news magazine which is written by and for people with Down Syndrome. Chris also serves as the spokesperson for the McDonald's McJobs program, the National Down Syndrome Congress, and the National Down Syndrome Society which, using him as an example, proclaims, "Having Down Syndrome doesn't mean you can't reach the stars... or sometimes even become one."
NRL News spoke recently with Chris and his mother, Marian Burke, about his work using the entertainment industry to bring a message of inclusion and acceptance for people with disabilities.
"I think it's marvelous," Mrs. Burke said. "It has shown a number of people the ability of people with disabilities. His work has opened up doors for others and I hope it keeps going on." She added, "We feel so fortunate. Having Chris was one of the best things that ever happened to our family. He has impacted so many people in the world, bringing a message of hope and ability."
For his part, Chris said that he has "always wanted to be an entertainer just like Michael Jackson."
"To be able to have a music career with my two best friends, the guys who taught me all about music, is a dream come true," he added.
Regarding the issue of abortion, Mrs. Burke said, "We are very strongly pro-life." Noting that abortion was not legal in New York in 1965, when Chris was born, she stressed that "Chris knows that, if we had had a 'choice,' we definitely would have had him."
Chris added, "I'm glad that I have parents."
In fact, Chris knows that he is not only blessed to have parents, but doubly blessed to have the parents and family that he has.
"We were told when Chris was born to put him in an institution," Mrs. Burke said, an option which they never considered, she stressed. Instead, the Burkes brought their son home and showered him with the same love and affection they gave to their other three children. Thriving in this loving environment, and confident of his infinite worth in the eyes of his family and God, Chris began to call Down Syndrome "Up Syndrome."
"Our family was always close, but Chris is the one who brought us that much closer together," Mrs. Burke said. "I cannot tell you how fulfilled our lives are because of Chris."
Chris and the DeMasi brothers will perform at the NRL Convention on June 24, at the General Session at 8:00 p.m.
(Copies of Lollypops and Love Songs, Singer With The Band, and Forever Friends are $12.00 each, plus $3.00 for shipping and handling, and may be ordered through C.J.J. Enterprises, 566 Wantagh Ave., Levittown, NY 11756, or by calling (516) 579-7816. A portion of the proceeds is donated to Very Special Arts, an international organization providing programs in the arts for individuals with physical and mental disabilities.)