On weekend afternoons in the fall, Alma College‘s Bahlke Field is the stage for the Spirit Squad and football team to star on.
But this weekend, a different set of stars take the field.
Alma Victory Day, the first in what organizers hope will become an annual event, is set for 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 10. Organized by an Alma College student organization, Victory Day offers special education students in the Gratiot-Isabella Regional Educational Service District (RESD) the opportunity to play football and get cheered on — just like their college-aged heroes.
“I think this is a wonderful idea. Our players who are partnered with special needs students will have a couple of hours they’ll remember for a lifetime,” said Jason Couch, head coach of the college’s football team. “Seeing the sheer joy on their faces reminds us of what we talk about daily: ‘We’re in a privileged position to play football. Life is bigger than what happens on the field. We need to pay it forward and make the lives of others better.’ That will make us better.”
At Victory Day, each student is partnered with an Alma football player or cheerleader, who serves as their mentor for the day. Students are given jerseys and pom-poms, and line up on the 50-yard line with their mentor. A public-address announcer introduces each student as they run through a tunnel formed by other students and mentors into the end zone, and students are given medals at the end of the day.
Natalie Walsh is the president of Partners of Special Education Students (POSES), the Alma College student organization that is putting on the event. A native of Wyandotte, Walsh said she got the idea when nearby Trenton High School hosted a Victory Day event in 2019. Walsh attended the event with her sister, her sister, an autistic person who is in a transitional program for special education students, and was “blown away” by the impact it had on all who participated.
“This gave the special education students their opportunity to have a moment in the sun, while showing the other high school students a different side of their classmates than what they usually see: running around, laughing and having fun,” Walsh said. “That’s the way it should be — special education students are our peers, not simply people who share spaces with us.
“I hope this event is successful and that it continues after I graduate from Alma College.”
After the event in Trenton, Walsh reached out to Sheryle Dixon, Alma College’s director of academic grants support, about how a similar event could possibly happen at Alma. Dixon helped secure an almost-$1,800 grant from the Gratiot County Community Foundation to fund the event.
“We’re really grateful to the Gratiot County Community Foundation for help to make this event, which is bringing together partners from across the county, to become a reality,” said Dixon, the mother of a special education student in the RESD. “We’ll be better off as a community, in the long run, if we all work together.”
Brehanna Ramos, the head coach of the Spirit Squad, echoed Dixon’s sentiments.
“Our cheer team is very active on the sidelines during sporting events, which is great. But what events like this offer is the opportunity to get to know our audience in a different, more personal way,” Ramos said. “When you do that, you hope to see those people you’ve touched come out to your games and support you. It’s about building a system of caring.”
Victory Day is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10 at Bahlke Field, and is free to attend. In the event of rain, Victory Day will move to the Stone Recreation Center.
Those who are interested in volunteering should e-mail Walsh at walsh1ne@alma.edu. If you are the parent of a special education student and would like to participate, e-mail Dixon at sddixon@alma.edu.
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