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BOUNTIFUL — Farmington High School student Ava Leavitt was struggling with self-confidence and searching for something that would "bring good into her heart" when she met her classmate Sarah, who has Down syndrome, in her ceramics class.
The two girls quickly bonded over their shared love of dance, something Leavitt had been doing since she was 2 years old. Despite both girls loving the activity, one struggled to find a dance class that would adapt to her disability.
"I thought this is a great opportunity for me, and I started what is now Dancers Without Limits," said Leavitt.
Leavitt began teaching a free weekly class, which expanded from one student to 20 students. Dancers from her studio began to donate their time to assist as partners in the class and the owner of the studio, Creative Arts Academy, donated the space to the class. The program has featured guest instructors and mentoring from special education program instructors.
"This way these kids will be learning a lot of dance moves, a lot of material, but they would also be making new friends in each class, and it's worked tremendously. I am so proud of this. My favorite thing is seeing them play video games on weekends, and even at school, students say 'hi' to each other and sit next to each other in class," said Leavitt. "I hope this program will benefit these kids and motivate new kids to start creating things that benefit the state of our nation and generations to come."
The program was celebrated Tuesday by Utah's first lady Abby Cox, who attended a demonstration of the class and performance by the group.
"'I'm so proud of you for who you are, for what you're doing, and so incredibly proud of Ava," said Cox. "This is somebody who has taken initiative and saw a need, saw somebody who needed a friend, somebody that needed an advocate, needed a voice, and that's powerful. She used her abilities to create opportunities for someone else."
Cox recalled a time when she was in kindergarten when students who had intellectual abilities were not allowed in schools, a rule that changed several years later. The change created the opportunity for Cox to meet and become friends with three students who had Down syndrome — Kent, John and Adam.
"They became some of my dearest friends. They're the people that taught me what love, real love is, what connection is, what kindness is and what real friendship is and absolutely changed me," said Cox.
That friendship prompted the pursuit of special education in college. It also has been reflected in her "Show Up" initiatives as first lady. One initiative focuses on Unified Sports, a program that pairs people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same teams.
"Introducing this life-changing program to additional schools and expanding Utah's offerings to include additional sports and activities will foster greater empathy and understanding of our friends with intellectual disabilities, and together we will reduce discrimination and prejudice," the initiative website explains.
The friendship fostered through the nonprofit program was evident on Tuesday as students danced to "We're All in This Together" from the movie "High School Musical." Students laughed and smiled, helping each other through the routine.
"What you're doing is you're creating lasting lifetime friendships that save people's lives. Everybody needs a friend, they're saving you and you're saving them. It's a beautiful thing, and I'm so proud of what you accomplished here," said Cox.
