Sports organizations hiring "Angels" as greeters

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Matthew Adams and Chase Baird line the entrance to the Arizona Coyotes' team store like sentinels of joy, bumping fists, slapping backs, energizing every person who walks through.

Decked out in matching Coyotes Christmas hats, the two best buddies work their magic with a natural flair, spreading cheer with a dash of hype for wave after wave of fans.

The job is a perfect fit for Matthew and Chase, two gregarious teens with Down syndrome. It's great for the Coyotes, too, an opportunity to expand the franchise's community outreach and inclusion programs. And, judging by the smiles and enthusiastic reactions to Matthew and Chase, it's also a big hit with Coyotes' fans.

“This is what they shine in,” Matthew's mother, Michelle, said while keeping a watchful eye on her son with her husband, Michael, at Gila River Arena. “They love talking to people and seeing people, but there’s not that many opportunities for them out there like this. And people really seem to enjoy seeing and talking to them.”

Matthew and Chase were hired with four others by the Coyotes through Angels for Higher, a social-profit organization that facilitates the hiring of people with Down syndrome to serve as greeters sports venues, college campuses and performing arts centers across the country.

Angels for Higher had a humble beginning: an affable young man with Down syndrome landing a job as a greeter with the Los Angeles Angels.

Trevor Hendershot wowed the Angels during a job interview and was hired on the spot to work in the 2012 season, becoming nearly as popular as the players around Angel Stadium. He's since added the Ducks, Rams and University of Southern California athletics to his jolts-of-joy resume.

Robert Hendershot watched his son thrive and the awareness it raised for...

source https://www.chron.com/news/article/Sports-organizations-hiring-Angels-as-greeters-16723666.php