Making An Impact at Capitol Hill Day with East Aurora High School

Every year, Special Olympics athletes, coaches, volunteers, and supporters gather in our nation’s capital to advocate for inclusion. It’s called Capitol Hill Day, and it’s an annual highlight on the calendar.

This year, students and faculty from East Aurora High School made the long journey from our Western Region all the way down to Washington D.C. Their names are Sadie Freier, Cameron Jakubec, Tara Arnold, and Clare Cavanaugh.

Sadie is an athlete at East Aurora, competing in Unified bowling and basketball. Cameron, a partner, is the co-president of East Aurora’s Unified Club. Tara is the school’s Unified advisor, and Clare is a Special Education teacher at the school.

Along with staff and athletes from Special Olympics New York, this amazing group spent their day meeting and advocating for the future of their peers.

“I liked sharing my story with the legislators,” said Sadie. “They were very nice. I got to meet new people from all across the United States.”

“My favorite part of the experience was being able to meet so many new people and learn all about their stories and how they got involved in the Special Olympics,” Cameron added. “[It’s amazing] that so many people are able to come together and travel to advocate for what they are so passionate about.”

And it wasn’t just the students who came home with lasting memories.

“Capitol Hill Day was an experience that I will never forget,” said Clare. “The Unified program at our high school, led by Tara Arnold, is the largest club at our high school, and it’s student-run. It is so beautiful to see the authentic friendships that have formed over the years and how our community embraces the Unified spirit.”

So what’s next for the Unified spirit at East Aurora? Sadie put it best.

“We still need to advocate for Special Olympics,” she said. “Because everyone should have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

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