Sparkles Squad

10/21/2011

 
I'm not really the sparkly type, as you know, and I'm definitely not the cheerleader type. But one of my nicest friends is a cheerleader. (You know who, if you've read "Don't Expect Magic.") And I know that f.g.s -- real and fictional -- usually are sparkly.

Here are some girls who are all three: cheerleaders, sparkly and Real World f.g.s:
Picture
dosomething.org
The whole thing started with two cheerleaders in Illinois with siblings with disabilities. Every year they would spend one night coaching a clinic for kids with disabilities in cheerleading and in other sports. Then, they decided that one night per year wasn't enough. And that's why they formed the Sparkles Squad.

They later created the Sparkles Effect, which helps other kids create their own Sparkles Squad in their communities. The website has a starter kit with tips on creating a local Sparkles program.