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Abner pushing for Special Olympics at North Putnam
ROACHDALE -- As a varsity soccer player and a student athlete, one could expect North Putnam junior Kaelynn Abner to have a packed schedule. With her status on the honor roll, and her other extra curricular Abner's schedule is tougher than most.
However this year she has added one more responsibly and it may be the most fulfilling yet.
In August, Abner was selected as one of nine students in Indiana to the IHSAA student advisory committee and in her time since has spent a great deal of time working to get more events from the Special Olympics to North Putnam so Cougar Country can be recognized the Champions Together Banner.
"Since I've got on this committee, I've peer tutored at the elementary in the mornings for a period," Abner said. "I walk the track with a girl who has special needs and another who has trouble in school and that kind of thing. Just being with them in the morning, it may sounds cheesy to say 'changed my life,' but it really has. It makes you appreciate what you have and what you can do."
Abner hasn't stopped at improving the lives of a few students. She has began a plan to bring Special Olympic to North Putnam and she has a goal of one each season this year, with more hopefully to come in the future.
"We also worked on a high school flag football game that was unified so half special needs half students from the support group," Abner explained. "It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I think it teaches patience and maturity and things that you don't realize. Things are difficult for them that may come easy for you. It gives you an appreciation for who you are."
Abner said she has received a lot of positive feed back from her mom, who shares links of stories online, and from community members like teachers and students.
"There's so many people (to thank) but the main person I'd like to thank is my mom. She has really pushed me to do everything that I can. She helps me and supports me. Coach (Brandy) Dixon is the one who took me on a convocation where they told me about the committee and she helped me with the application.
"Also Mr. (Jim) Brothers," Abner continued. "He's the one in middle school that took me to leadership convocations and opened my eyes as to what one person can do to change the world."
Abner said she's seen challenges in the early part of this school year and one of her biggest she said will be to follow up the unified flag football game with a unified basketball game in the winter and a unified track and field team in the spring.
Abner aspires for North Putnam to earn a Champions Together Banner.
Champions Together is a partnership between the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Special Olympics Indiana. An award program has been established to recognize schools that embrace this partnership and do exemplary work in the areas of student leadership, respect for persons with intellectual disabilities, inclusion, Unified Sports participation and fundraising to support the goals of Special Olympics.
North Putnam already has one of the four requirements in order to receive the banner, forming an "inclusive student leadership team" and Abner has been working with the team to meet the other requirements including raising $1,500 for the Champions Together project.
"I've tried to bring all of our athletics together," Abner said. "I've made a committee called the supports group. It's one student from every sport. We get together every week or two weeks and go over things that need to be changed or things we can improve."
The group of 18 students began with Abner, Brad Hodges, Abby Spencer and Dalton Krominaker finding student athletes of good character and leadership to form the support group.
The group has been working to establish "whole school engagement" and the unified sports while collecting donations at home football games.
"I just go up and down the stands for the whole football game," Abner said. "The community has been very good and they've helped. We couldn't do this by ourselves."
The money from the banner will go to the equipment for the special Olympic events and Abner said the committee has raised close to $900 at four football games.
"It's just doing that little to show people how great and special these kids are," Abner said. "They're talented. Maybe they know different things we do. They are just as talented at sports as we are and I don't think people realize that. I think it's great to be able to show the school how great that is."