Cheerleaders Mentor Girls with Disabilities

Just a wonderful program. Hopefully, other schools will follow this model because there's value for the girls with special needs and the cheerleaders. Go Nease Sparklers!

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Adrianna Barranco was jittery and just plain nervous until a 12-year-old in a wheelchair took all of that tension away with one little smile.
When Barranco laid eyes on a "spitfire" named Lily Boone during an informal meeting for the Nease Sparklers, a group that pairs cheerleaders with children who have disabilities, it all fit together. Boone flashed a grin. Barranco's fears melted away, and the first group of its kind in the state was well on its way to becoming a reality.

Cheerleaders With Special Needs

Wonderful story from ABC World News With Charles Gibson. Their Person of the Week segments are truly inspiring and this one is definitely worth checking out.

Watch the cheerleaders at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, and you may want to stand up and cheer yourself. They don't always execute perfect routines; in fact, they may miss steps or clap off beat once in a while. But their fun is contagious.
These cheerleaders are like no others. In the Spring of 2008, cheerleaders Sarah Cronk and Sarah Herr got the idea to expand their varsity squad.
"I got really inspired when I went to a Special Olympics program where they had a bunch of cheerleaders come and we helped them with the clinic and everything," said Herr. "I was like, I want to spend more time with these great athletes."