Meet a superhero with a soft touch

by Steve Hartman from CBS News:

(CBS News) WILMINGTON, Del. -- Jonathan Stoklosa is a young man who has incredible power -- the power to lift your spirits and just about anything else. We met him "on the road."

Unlike most super heroes, Jonathan, 31, still lives with his parents.


"Come on!" shouted his mother from upstairs in their home.

And unlike most super heroes, Jonathan doesn't wake up ready to save the world.

"Were you sleeping?" his mother asked him as he came down the stairs.

And unlike most super heroes, Jonathan was born with Down syndrome. Nevertheless, he's still one powerful crusader.

Born with Down syndrome, Newark man wins respect powerlifting

by Kelly Bothum from The News Journal:
Sitting at the kitchen table in his family’s Newark home, Jon Stoklosa comes across as a laid-back, almost shy guy. He answers questions with a word, preferring instead to look out the backyard window and let his parents, Hank and Liz, do the talking.
But the medal he clasps in his right hand offers a glimmer of the personality that hides beneath his sturdy 5-foot-5 frame.

It’s from a recent powerlifting competition in upstate New York, one where he bench-pressed a personal best of 402.5 pounds and came in third in his age division. He also picked up the “Most Inspirational” award, a unanimous choice by other competitors, many of whom gathered to watch the 31-year-old make his lifts.
Friends and family say Jon, who was born with Down syndrome, is an example of what is possible when people aren’t tethered by labels.
In addition to being able to bench-press more than 400 pounds, Jon can squat 440 pounds and dead-lift an identical amount. He has excelled at the sport, winning a gold medal in the Special Olympics World Games in 1999.

Newark man goes 'Over the Edge' for Special Olympics

from the Newark Post Online:

Jonathan Stoklosa, a Special Olympics athlete from Newark, participated in the Over the Edge event on May 8 to raise money for Special Olympics Delaware.

Nearly 100 people rappelled 17 stories (221 feet) down the 300 Delaware Avenue building in Wilmington to raise more than $130,000.

Stoklosa was the first Special Olympics athlete to participate in the event's three-year history.