Community Opens Hearts, Pocketbooks to Help Out Special-Needs Cheer Squad

Last week, the O'Fallon City Council read a special proclamation recognizing an O'Fallon teen as a future leader—then they dug into their pockets to help the organization in a more concrete way.

Sara VonHarz started Adrenaline Explosive Cheerleading BOMB squad at age 15.

"Growing up with a brother who has special needs has given me an understanding of how to deal with a variety of sitations," VonHarz states on her website. "It has always been my dream to combine my  love of cheerleading and helping children who have special needs."

VonHarz had volunteered with special needs children before, and she worked hard to find a gym and additional volunteers to make her dream a reality.

The squad consists of 16 special needs athletes with conditions such as ADHD, ADD, Autism, Asperger’s, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Nonverbal Disorders and Epilepsy.

One very necessary aspect of the squad is finding "buddies" for each special needs athlete. The teens that volunteer practice one-on-one with their buddy each Sunday.

Several of the team members and their buddies performed for the city council after the proclamation was read.

When the squad travels for competitions, the buddies attend also. AEC Bomb depends on donations to help with travel expenses and t-shirts.

A local business, St. Louis RV, had already donated money for the t-shirts the team needed for the competition.

City Councilman Rick Battelle, whose daughter is a member of the squad, told Patch that the city council passed a bag around and collected $700 to help the squad with expenses.

"They (the special-needs athletes) thrive on this," Battelle said. "When we ask the community to step up, they always do."