This weekend, UCA celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida. As a 20-year partner with UCA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) sent their National Goodwill Ambassador, 10-year-old Abbey Umali of Redlands, California, to help celebrate!
Abbey suffers from Chearcot-Marie-Tooth disease, characterized by lack of coordination and balance. But nothing could stop Abbey from being a part of the National High School Cheerleading Championship. She kicked off the awards ceremony on Saturday by singing “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” to a crowd of over 8,000 cheerleaders and spectators. During the rest of the competition, Abbey cheered on the cheerleaders competing.
“The National High School Cheerleading Championship showcases the talents of the top cheerleaders from across the country, but the experience of being a cheerleader doesn’t end with a great routine,” says Jeff Webb, Founder and CEO of Varsity. “Cheerleaders are highly involved in their community, and we hope our relationship with MDA will inspire them to do even more. Abbey’s appearance here was a gift to us and to the thousands of cheerleaders who made it to the Championship.”
UCA, UDA, and Varsity have collected donations for MDA and participated in the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon every Labor Day by bringing cheerleaders and dancers in to perform for 20 years. They have also answered phones and interacted with children at MDA. UCA, UDA, and Varsity have a goal of reaching one million dollars in donations this year.
To learn more about the MDA telethon, get a behind the scenes look with
Tim and Ashley!