Roloff proves that little people'
can make an impact in a zbig world'
Courtneg Soder
Staff Writer

Photo courtesy The Meadville Tribune

Matt Roloff is the star of The Learning ChanneFs reality
series
ies Tittle People, Big World/
World.'

“Little People, Big World" is
a television series on The
Learning Channel, which airs
Saturdays at 8 p.m. The show
captures the everyday lives of a
family composed of both little
and average-sized people. Matt
Roloff and his wife, Amy are
both "little" people, standing
approximately four feet tall.
They have four children: 15
year-old twins, Jeremy and
Zach, who is just a little less

a college or university. He said
he wanted to familiarize
You could win
himself with colleges because
■ Send an e-mail
the twins are juniors and are
with your name to
planning to head off to college.
eupspectatorl@yahoo.com
He also mentioned that he
for a chance to win a copy
never went to college.
of Matt Roloff's book,
Roloff said that the reality
'Thrive, Don't Just Survive/
show cameras are set up in and
their
homes
than four feet; a 12-year-old around
approximately
12
hours
a day.
daughter, Molly; and their
Sometimes
the
cameras
are
youngest, 8-year-old Jacob.
rolling
as
early
as
7
in
the
When Roloff gave his
morning
and
continue
as
late
presentation Nov. 9 in Louis C.
Cole Auditorium, he said that as midnight. There are two
this was his first appearance at
Roloff continued on page 2

audience.
He made his fans scream for

r
Fans from campus and from
theJ
area
were
not

Roloff

personal
someone's
testimony, he feels glad
he did the show. Roloff
began his career as a
computer programmer
in the z80s and moved
on to selling software.
very
He
was

Continued from page 1

shifts for the camera crews and
they tend to overlap. Roloff says
he wanted to do the show not
because of the money, but
because it is "about educating
tKe public ox\ dwaxiism
dwarfism."
":-

mi 'While enrolled as president of
the Little People of America
nd
(LPA),
a nonprofit organization
he
that
provides
support and
m
information to dwarves, he
id
realized that there was a need to
?d
help educate people about
dwarfism, so he applied for
several grants. He received a
ne 、grant
to
do
community
i*t
outreach.
I't
Roloff's goal was to go into
classes
and
le
fourth-grade
provide what he called, "dwarf
training." Roloff spoke to about
26 classes. He felt as if it made a
powerful impact, but he wanted
to spread the word faster and on
a larger scale. So, he made some
calls and now he is working on
the second season of Z/Little
People, Big World/'
Dwarfism and obesity Roloff
says, are the two most
nationally ridiculed conditions.
By airing the show he hopes
that it will change the opinions
of the public. When he hears

手

thrusfThemselves tcTthe stage
to take pictures and dance to

UarK Horse ana "匕ye or an
Elephant."

board of directors.
He also wanted to
work on his farm,
And so he did just
that. His 34-acre
farm, located outside
Portland, Oregon,
offers peaches in late
selling
.successful,
summer
and
large
software
to
pumpkins.in the fall
companies including
and is closed for
winter and spring.
GE, Toshiba, Toyota One of Matt
and Best Buy. He quit Roloff's goals
Currently; the peach
his job to go to a larger
trees
are
being
is to inform
corporation, where he
ripped out and the
students about
was hired.
Roloffs are focusing
About his first day dwarfism.
on pumpkins.
on the job, Roloff said,
the
Among
"I could see it in their eyes ... pumpkin patch is a world that
these people didn't want me Roloff designed for his children.
representing their product."
He said that wanted to build a
After that initial meeting, he playhouse for the kids, but
was let go from his job. He said wanted it to be unique,
it was "eye opening,and faced
The
structure
of
the
it as just another challenge.
playhouse consists of a western
Roloff said that the six-hour town, a full-size pirate ship, a
flight back home was not a medieval castle and a threemourning process, but an story tree house.
opportunity. He said, "Wow; am
He said building the farm has
I glad that that happened."
been a business success. Around
He told himself, "The first 30,000 people went through the
during
this year's
thing I'm going to do is farm
pumpkin season.
contribute to the little people."
Roloff's new project consists
He did just that, serving as
the president of Little People of of building an elaborate shop
America, and although he is no that he likes to call "the men's
longer president, he sits on the crisis center."

He says there is only one rule:
"There is no criticism allowed."
Afterward, he would like to
construct a mountain bike trail
since his son Zach just got a
mountain bike.
Roloff also wanted to make
an inexpensive kit to offer hotels

the cultural food they where
Asfarah
bv

the opportunity to help make a
—
—■*
J' ""more
little pbrsdri's
stay'

comfortable and safe.
The kit includes a closet
adapter, to lower the closet's
pole to hang clothes; a security
latch adapter, to secure the
latch on the door; a reach
grabber; a push-pull tool; and
a custom step stool all offered
by Direct Access Solutions.
These products are currently
being offered in Marriott,
Hyatt and Radisson Hotels,
and Carlson and Country Inn
Suites. West Coast Hotels and
Shilo Inns and Suites are 100
percent equipped.
Since February, Roloff has
started selling software again.
He continues to work on his
farm, have his life taped and
spread the word on dwarfism.
Roloff said that, "Thriving is
extra." You have to set goals
and then achieve them —
"goals that stretch youz stretch
your intellect."