Sarah Herr is a 18-year-old student at the University of Arizona. What sets her apart from others is her ability to channel her compassion into purposeful change. Sarah decided to create a cheer team for students with special needs while she was volunteering at the Iowa Spring Special Olympics. Sarah, who served as the captain of the Sparkles’ squad when she was at Pleasant Valley High School, was instrumental in funding the Sparkles’ trip to the Special Olympics by obtaining a Youth to Youth grant from Dosomething.org. The Women’s Connection and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa named Sarah a 2009 Young Woman of Achievement. Recently, Sarah was awarded with the international Giraffe Heroes award, an honor bestowed upon individuals who "stick their neck out for the common good," due to her courage and tenacity in envisioning and creating the Sparkles squad, one of the first of its kind in the nation.

Sarah Cronk, a 17-year-old student at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, serves as the captain of the local Spartan Sparkles team. She is the middle child of three, and because her older brother has special needs, Sarah is passionate about creating socially inclusive opportunities for teens with disabilities. Sarah takes every chance she gets to spread the word that teens are uniquely positioned to help other teens. Her motto: It’s cool to care. Sarah is the winner of numerous local, state, and national-level awards for her philanthropic work. In 2009, she was named a Quad City Leader Under 40, the youngest recipient in the award’s history. She was also named the Iowa Ladies’ Auxiliary, VFW Outstanding Young Volunteer of the Year and the Youth and Shelter Services, Inc., 2009 Iowa Youth Leader of the Year. Sarah was given the “Amazing Kid’ Award by the Kids Helping Kids Leadership Academy, and is profiled in the June 2009 issue of 110 Degrees Magazine. Sarah was also profiled in the May issue of Seventeen Magazine, after winning a national essay contest about the volunteer efforts of her cheerleading squad; she was recognized in New York City in April 2009 for her winning essay. Recently, the International Leadership Network chose Sarah as one of three national Young Achievers of the Year for 2009. And, Sarah was one of five teens in the nation named to the first All-America High School Service Team. Arne Duncan, the United States Secretary of Education, presented Sarah with the award in June in New York City. She now serves on the LEAGUE’s National Youth Commission.

In 2008, both Sarahs were honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award, the Ben Petrzilka Spirit of Giving Award, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Outstanding Youth Group Award. They were profiled, along with the rest of their cheerleading squad, in the October issue of Inside Cheerleading Magazine as “Superstars of Spirit.” In 2009, both girls were awarded the Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award. Family Focus Magazine also chose both girls as “Citizens of the Month” for June 2009. The Bubel/Aiken Foundation will honor both girls at their annual Gala in Raleigh, North Carolina, in October as “Champions of Change.”