Brillion reps attend Capitol Hill Day

April 5, 2018

By David Nordby The Brillion News

WASHINGTON D.C. – Jessica Gerhartz and Hannah Roehrig have taken the old adage of be the change you want to see to heart, and state representatives have taken notice.

Gerhartz, a Brillion School District teacher, has been working with Special Olympics for over six years and started the Unified Champion

School in Brillion three years ago. Roehrig, a senior at Brillion High School, is club president. The two were invited to attend Capitol Hill Day in February in Washington D.C. as representatives from Wisconsin.

“This was such an honor as it is the first time anyone from Brillion has been asked to attend Capitol Hill Day,” Gerhartz said. “Special Olympics is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and all 50 states were represented for the first time ever.”

Gerhartz and Roehrig attended with six other delegates from the state including Special Olympics Wisconsin CEO and President Kathleen Roach.

The eight representatives met with state officials including Tammy Baldwin, Ron Johnson and staff members of Mike Gallagher and Jim Sensenbrenner.

Gerhartz and Roehrig were specifically asked to go so they could speak about Unified Champion Schools in Brillion and ask Congress for level funding to help continue to run Unified Champion Schools throughout the United States.

There are currently 58 schools a part of Unified Champion Schools in Wisconsin. It’s a good start, but still a low percentage with over 2,000 schools in the state.

Please see the complete story in the April 5, 2018 edition of The Brillion News.