Orlando Sentinel

Fans are touched by Angels

As greeters at sporting events, teens with Down syndrome show off their personalit­ies

- By John Marshall

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Matthew Adams and Chase Baird line the entrance to the Arizona Coyotes’ team store like sentinels of joy, bumping fists, slapping backs, energizing every person who walks through.

Decked out in matching Christmas hats, the buddies work their magic with a natural flair, spreading cheer with a dash of hype for fans.

The job is perfect for Matthew and Chase, two teens with Down syndrome. It’s also an opportunit­y for the Coyotes to expand their community outreach and inclusion programs. And, judging by the enthusiast­ic reactions to Matthew and Chase, it’s also a big hit with fans.

“This is what they shine in,” Matthew’s mother, Michelle, said while keeping watch on her son with her husband, Michael, at Gila River Arena. “They love talking to people and seeing people, but there’s not that many opportunit­ies for them out there like this.”

Matthew and Chase were hired with four others by the Coyotes through Angels for Higher, a social-profit organizati­on that facilitate­s the hiring of people with Down syndrome to be greeters across the country.

Angels for Higher had a humble beginning: an affable young man with Down syndrome landing a job as a greeter with the Los Angeles Angels.

Trevor Hendershot wowed the Angels during a job interview and was hired on the spot to work in the 2012 season, becoming nearly as popular as the players around Angel Stadium. He’s since added the Ducks, Rams and University of Southern California athletics to his resume.

Robert Hendershot watched his son thrive and the awareness it raised for people with intellectu­al disabiliti­es, so he founded Angels for Higher in 2019 to expand opportunit­ies for others. The organizati­on started with a minor league baseball and now reached nearly two dozen sports teams, including major profession­al franchises.

Hendershot works with local Down syndrome organizati­ons to find people who are outgoing, strong enough to work fourto five-hour shifts, able to handle the loud noises and occasional­ly obnoxious people.

For most people, interactio­ns with people who have intellectu­al disabiliti­es are limited. Angels for Higher puts people with ID in the forefront, providing a glimpse into the joy for life and purity their families see every day.

“They’re on the front lines of raising awareness,” Robert Hendershot said. “I would gather 90% of the people at sports events never have any kind of meaningful interactio­n with anyone with Down syndrome, let alone conversati­ons.” Angels for Higher also provides answers. School programs for kids with ID have taken huge steps the past few decades, providing the resources and support they need. Transition­al programs help once school ends, but those typically last just a year or two, leaving parents to figure out what’s next for their kids on their own.

Angels for Higher offers an opportunit­y they might not otherwise get, bridging the gap to adulthood.

“It’s not like they have to learn something that’s out of the ordinary like trying to teach me how to fix a computer or something like that,” Hendershot said. “They’re kind of good at it already, just fit in and can be themselves.”

 ?? ROSS D. FRANKLIN/AP ?? Matthew Adams, right, and Chase Baird, middle, greet a fan at the entrance to the Arizona Coyotes’ team shop prior to a Dec. 3 game. Adams and Baird were hired through Angels for Higher, a group that helps people with Down syndrome work as greeters.
ROSS D. FRANKLIN/AP Matthew Adams, right, and Chase Baird, middle, greet a fan at the entrance to the Arizona Coyotes’ team shop prior to a Dec. 3 game. Adams and Baird were hired through Angels for Higher, a group that helps people with Down syndrome work as greeters.

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