I love a nice, feel-good story.
The Sparkles, an Iowa cheerleading team, got the surprise of their life when Miley Cyrus invited them to one of her concerts in Indiana.
The cheer squad, comprised of developmentally challenged 8-15 year olds, was started by Pleasant Valley High School varsity cheerleaders Sarah Herr, 17, and Sarah Cronk, 16. They were inspired after volunteering for the Iowa Spring Special Olympics, and wanted to do something “more permanent” for the kids, so they approached their coach with their idea.
The team appeared on Tuesday, November 24th’s broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss their story, where Miley Cyrus surprised them via satellite with her invitation.
“These girls are heroes to me,” Cyrus told the audience.
The excited Sparkles packed their bags and headed to the concert, only to be met by 17-year-old Miley Cyrus herself. The star hung out with the cheerleaders backstage, and even taught them a little of her “Hoedown Throwdown.” The gutsy girls then turned the tables and taught Miley one of their own cheers.
It didn’t end there: Miley invited the whole Sparkles team onstage during her concert to help her sing her hit song, “The Climb.”
Kudos all around: to Miley for going the extra mile to spend time with these amazing girls and giving them a night they will never forget, to Sarah Herr and Sarah Cronk for opening doors for others who might never have had the chance, and finally, for the Sparkles themselves, for their courage, persistence and their sparkly personalities, which no one can deny is contagious.
