On Friday, March 21, 2014 in honor of National Down Syndrome Day, St. Mark Elementary School in Cleveland had a rally to “Spread the word to end the R(etarded) Word.” The R-word is hurtful to the individual and to their family and friends. The new R word is “Respect.”
Christy Roubic, a Geauga County Special Olympics athlete, along with Jim Savage, a Euclid Police Officer, and Travis Veleba from Westwood Elementary in Chesterland, carried in the torch to a room full of people with the Special Olympic torch to start the Rally.
Following the torch were Austin Carr (Cleveland Cavaliers), Eric Moten (former San Diego Chargers), Campy Russell (Cleveland Cavaliers), and John Hughes (Cleveland Browns).
Jim Savage started out the Rally by talking about the significance of the Special Olympics torch run and why it is so important to so many athletes and their families. He then introduced Travis Veleba, who talked about how he enjoys watching people compete in Special Olympics because it always looks like they are having fun. He talked about how he has known Christy Roubic his whole life, and enjoys being around her. He then handed the microphone to Christy Roubic who talked about the many different sports she competes in. She explained that she has 65 medals and is proud of each one of them. She says that she will continue competing in Special Olympics for a long time because she makes friends wherever she goes.
There was then a round of speeches from Carr, Moten, Russell, and Hughs. Each one reminded the crowd of the importance of being respectful and compassionate in everyday life. They spoke about their childhood and how they respect others around them everyday.
The rally ended when all students, facility members, and guest speakers signed a pledge to stop using the R-word.
