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A Pageant for Champions BY CARLTON REESE
T
he Champions for Champions organization takes much stock in its name, derived from the notion that those who earn the ‘champions’ moniker can do so not just from winning titles and trophies on the field of play, but also for inspiring others in how they live their lives. The Ocala-based charity under the direction of founder Maria Roman is showing champions reside even among the special needs members of the community. Roman started Champions for Champions with other local community leaders 10 years ago with the simple goal of raising money for charity, money that would remain in the community as opposed to seeing a healthy chunk finding its way to a national organizing body elsewhere. Roman, who worked with Special Olympics for 20 years and whose son has Down syndrome, saw a need here to include people like her son in many aspects of life the rest of us enjoy. It started with a program sponsored by Toastmasters International, an organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills. The notion of public speaking lessons for people with Down syndrome perhaps had not occurred to most people, but Roman thought differently. “We want to create endless possibilities – that’s our motto,” Roman said. Initially, it was not easy, according to
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Roman. Mentors, which included Dr. Manal Fakhoury, Laila Fakhoury and Lisa Reilly, wondered if they could reach the students, who had trouble focusing and seemed to lack the desire to be there at first. “I said, give me a few months; give them a little time,” Roman said. “Within three months they all blossomed. Some of them would stand up and give speeches. We even invited some of their teachers from before who couldn’t believe what they were seeing.” The program was the first of its kind in the state of Florida to be sponsored by Toastmasters and led to other programs geared toward not just the physical abilities of the kids, but also their mental acumen that has been largely untapped. With the success of the public speaking program came the advent of the UniversAbility Pageant, which is a beauty pageant for special needs kids and helps them showcase the talents they learn at Champions for Champions, such as music, dancing, arts and
