Olivia Bloomfield Legacy Seat

About Olivia Past Honorees SUGGEST A NOMINEE

PAST HONOREES

Kaden Griffith - Saturday, March 16 vs. Portland Thorns
Kaden speaks at local grade schools about inclusion and disabilities. He was chosen by Variety KC for the first Variety Tales book about the inclusive soccer field. Kaden started a food pantry and clothing closet at his school for schoolmates in need. He has helped his classmates begin to think about inclusion and accessibility when working on projects. He was part of the opening for the new inclusive airport, as well as speaking at the openings for inclusive playgrounds.

Lily Dickson - Saturday, March 30 vs. Angel City FC
Lily works for a nonprofit organization teaching art to visually impaired youth. She has worked with other organizations and individual groups in Kansas City to teach accessibility art. Her recent solo exhibition was solely based on being accessible to the visually impaired and disabled communities. These works can now be found at Equal Minded, a local black-owned business on Troost.

Daniel Schnacker - Saturday, April 20 vs. Bay FC
A graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. Daniel was a staunch advocate for Unified Sports while in high school – where Special Olympics athletes and their peers compete in sports together. Daniel also served two years as a US Youth Ambassador, representing the state of Kansas to Special Olympics North America, working with other ambassadors to promote inclusion. This included educating athletes and fans at the Special Olympics USA games in Florida and hosting Youth Summits for athletes in Salt Lake City and Albuquerque.

Variety KC - Sunday, May 12 vs. NC Courage
Honored in the Olivia Bloomfield Legacy seats for this game was a family from Variety KC. Variety KC is a nonprofit organization that empowers children with special needs by providing access to therapy, medical equipment, and support programs that help children be social, active, and feel like they belong. 

Leah Enright and Nicole Drake - Saturday, May 18 vs. Racing Louisville FC
Leah is the blind sports coordinator at the Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) and Nicole Drake is the adaptive PE teacher at KSSB. In dedication to the Blind Soccer Field in Kansas City, these two women were instructors at multiple clinics explaining the blind soccer rules to kids. These opportunities are giving visually impaired athletes and students the power to gain confidence while promoting teamwork and inclusivity.

Kate Hwag - Sunday, June 9 vs. Seattle Reign
Kate Hwang is currently the Director of Adaptive Sport Programs for the Whole Person, however has been a long-time advocate for adaptive sports in the Kansas City area both as a coach and athlete. As a retired Kanas City Police Officer who sustained a career ending Traumatic Brain Injury, Kate also sits on the Missouri Brain Injury Council for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in advocacy for TBI survivors. Kate loves assisting others in pushing their limits through sports and fitness.

Stonewall Sports - Friday, June 14 vs. Chicago Red Stars
Stonewall Sports Kansas City is KC's #1 LGBTQIA+ community sports organization, which is managed as a non-profit with a philanthropic heart. Founded in 2019, they've provided over 3,000 people across the metro area access to inclusive, low-cost, high fun sports leagues, while also donating over $50,000 to other local nonprofits serving the LGBTQIA+ community. Their vision is that every person should have the ability to feel comfortable being themselves in organized sports.

Trinity Davis - Friday, June 28 vs. Houston Dash
Founder and President of Teachers Like Me, a non-profit aiming to increase the number of Black teachers. Davis always knew her impact would be in education, her journey from being educated in a rural environment and teaching in a suburban environment led her to her love of urban education in Kansas City. She learned that all kids, no matter their location, deserved a quality education and most importantly a quality teacher in every classroom they entered. That is her mission and her path for educational excellence in Kansas City.

Edgar Palacios - Friday, July 6th vs. Orlando Pride
Edgar J. Palacios is the President & CEO (founder) of the Latinx Education Collaborative (LEC), a nonprofit, start-up organization that works to increase the representation of Latinx education professionals in K-12. According to a report the LEC released in February of this year, there are only 261 Latinx teachers in the greater Kansas City area. When you compare that number to the 51,000 Latinx K-12 students in our community, you recognize the disparity. Data demonstrate that when students see themselves reflected in the teachers that serve them, they have better educational outcomes.

Jasmine Ali - Saturday, July 20th vs. Houston Dash
Since her stroke, Jasmine Ali’s art in Kansas City has become a testament to resilience and creativity, transforming challenges into something beautiful. Through illustrating children's books, creating murals, and using art as a means of communication, Jasmine aims to inspire others. Not having the chance to express herself like others with their voices, she creates pieces that express her passions, thoughts, and views of the world. Her work allows her to be heard in ways she never thought possible. Her work demonstrates that with determination and a positive attitude, remarkable achievements are possible.

Christina McDonough Hunt - Saturday, July 27th vs. Pachuca
Christina McDonough Hunt serves as the Kansas City Development Director for Special Olympics Missouri. Through her role, Christina builds community partnerships and oversees fundraising efforts to support local programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities in the KC Metro Area. Her efforts have brought awareness to the SOMO programs and built a more inclusive community by integrating the KC community with the Special Olympics Missouri programs and athletes. Christina is passionate about Special Olympics Missouri Athletes and desires for everyone to see their amazing talents and for them to be given meaningful opportunities to compete, learn, and grow.

Lou Eisenbrandt - Saturday, September 7th vs. Utah Royals
Lou Eisenbrandt is a former Army nurse and Vietnam veteran. For the past 30 years she has been sharing her Vietnam experience with students and community groups. As a result of being exposed to Agent Orange during her service, Lou was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. Lou is a steadfast Parkinson’s Disease advocate and has been involved with the Parkinson’s Foundation Heartland and travels the country teaching groups how to manage the emotional aspect of Parkinson’s.

Helen Ortiz - Friday, September 20th vs. Washington Spirit
Three decades ago, mother of three, Helen Ortiz immigrantated from Guatemala, risking her life to make a new start in America. Her journey had many twists and turns but through determination and positivity, she achieved faith, family and fitness and developed a successful commercial real estate business. She now works with others new to this country, offering solid advice and encouragement.

Michael Grayman-Parkhurst and Aubrey May - Saturday, September 28th vs. Gotham FC
Michael Grayman-Parkhurst and Aubrey May of the Spinning Tree. The Spinning Tree Theatre provides professional-level theatrical opportunities for Kansas City metropolitan area young artists of all abilities to collaborate in creating, rehearsing and performing plays and musicals. They believe that it is important for all youth to have a theatrical place where they can belong.

Alison Wilhelmi - Saturday, October 19th vs. San Diego Wave
Alison Wilhelmi has volunteered for every YMCA Challenger activity offered including the many sports and social programs, including KC Current Soccer, cheer, bowling, baseball, basketball and flag football. That's well over 300 hours of volunteer service.