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WENTWORTH — When her Special Olympics cheerleaders needed uniforms and mats to practice on, Jessie Sanders came up with a “spare change” fundraiser. It was so successful, the girls could afford to design their own red and black uniforms.

Jessie’s idea to pit homerooms at Rockingham County Middle School against each other in a “Change is Good” competition ended up raising hundreds — largely in quarters, dimes and pennies.

The squad went on to compete in its first national cheerleading tournament last year — with the girls winning first place in the special needs division of a national cheerleading competition at Myrtle Beach .

“The word ‘impossible’ is not in (Jessie’s) soul when it comes to special needs,” said Sybil Landreth , a science teacher at Rockingham County Middle . Landreth has watched Jessie, a high school senior,  grow into a tireless advocate for Special Olympics.

In seven years of volunteering with the organization, the 17-year-old has trained athletes and practiced with participants in sports competitions, picked up trash, recruited volunteers, distributed food, and organized heats.

“She just has this passion when it comes to the girls and Special Olympics,” said Julie Sanders, a teaching assistant in the special needs classroom at the middle school, where her daughter got involved with the organization. “She cries that she’s going to have to leave her cheerleaders to go to college. Believe me, she’s still a typical teenager, but she has a special place in her heart for what she’s doing.”

That includes training athletes as part of the county’s Special Olympics spring track and field event, which draws about 350 athletes, ages 3 to 65. Jessie not only trains and coaches, but she also seeks donations so athletes don’t have to worry about purchasing a meal or snacks.

“Where there is a need — that’s where you’ll find Jessie,” said Landreth, whose husband works at the Madison-Mayodan Parks and Recreation Department , one of the main supporters of the event. “I believe her example can inspire others of all ages.”

Rockingham County never had a Special Olympics cheerleading squad until Jessie got to know the girls in her mom’s classroom. They wanted to be cheerleaders just like Jessie, then in the 7th grade.

The girls, with a variety of physical and emotional needs, had quickly warmed to Jessie, who already volunteered to work with them on their classroom assignments, like dissecting frogs.

She wanted to help them experience cheerleading. Still, she couldn’t keep up with cheering practices and performances while organizing and coaching a squad for special needs children.

So she gave up cheerleading after eighth grade and concentrated on coming up with moves and cheers that the special needs students could more easily grasp.

“They’re so sweet and they are so loving and so willing to try,” Jessie said. “We call ourselves ‘The Lions’ because one of the girls says lions have to be brave, and we have to be brave to get out there in front of all those people.”

The girls start by learning the words to the chants. The cheers are then broken down step by step, with a lot of drilling in the twice weekly practices.

The girls have even been able to safely come up with pyramid routines where they lift each other. The first year, six girls wanted to join. Now, the squad numbers 15 girls who are 8 years and older with one in her 30s.

“It’s amazing what they’ve been able to accomplish — they surprise me every day,” Jessie said. “And they are so optimistic. After we were done at the competition, they started talking about the next year.

“It was the first time, we tried to compete in an event that wasn’t Special Olympics.”

They also have earned two gold medals in Special Olympics state basketball and cheerleading tournaments.

One of her many favorite cheerleaders on the team — actually, Jessie ends up referring to each one of them as her favorite — is the once painfully shy girl who was afraid to speak.

“A lot of their parents have said it’s made them come out of their shell, and they are more willing to meet new people,” Jessie said.

Sometimes Jessie’s other friends don’t understand why she can’t miss just one practice. “It’s become such an important part of my life and theirs,” she said.

Jessie found a way to involve her passion with her upcoming senior project: She organized a cheerleading competition of Special Olympic squads in neighboring counties.

“I want to show everyone that Special Olympics is not only fulfilling to the athlete who participates but anyone who sees the smiles and how much fun they’re having,” said Jessie, now interning in her mother’s special needs classroom. “Hopefully, people will also want to get involved with the organization.”

College, where she wants to major in child psychology and criminology, is expected to take Jessie hours away from Rockingham County. But she’s already found a way to get involved with autistic young people.

One of the mementos she’s ready to pack is the purse her girls bought and each signed.

“I get so much more out of this than they do,” Jessie said.

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com