Camrin Sandoz of Loreauville will be among many Special Olympians who will visit with members of Congress this week.

LOREAUVILLE — Camrin Sandoz, a freshman at Loreauville High School, has been an athlete in the Special Olympics program for nearly a decade, and now the student will travel to Washington, D.C., for the annual Capitol Hill Day event.

Capitol Hill Day is event that joins Special Olympics and Best Buddies International in their shared goal of improving the lives and prospects for people with intellectual disabilities. People with intellectual disabilities from 48 states will converge in the capital to rally for continued commitment to the two programs, according to the Special Olympics website.

“It is an honor to see Camrin and his family chosen to represent Iberia Parish, Loreauville High School and Special Olympics Louisiana,” said Cindy Landry, Iberia Parish director of Special Olympics. “This selection is a reflection across the board of the support and commitment we have as a community and a school system.”

Camrin, his parents and President and CEO of Special Olympics Louisiana Pat Carpenter Bourgeois will meet face-to-face with members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans.

“We’re excited to meet with everybody, and we hope that they give us the funding that we want because Special Olympics for these kids is everything,” said Nicole Sandoz, Camrin’s mother. “It’s taught them so much and it’s got them accepted by other peers.”

The family will not have time for sight-seeing, Sandoz said, because they are scheduled to meet with members of Congress every 30 minutes. She said it will be nearly 12 hours of meetings and speeches.

“We haven’t really had time to process it yet, but I think once we get there it will be real,” she said.

Camrin is excited about the upcoming event, Sandoz said, especially because he gets to wear a suit and tie. Camrin said he really hopes he would be able to meet President Barack Obama while he visits the Capitol.

“I don’t think he realizes the magnitude of it yet, but I’m sure once we get there and we’re meeting everybody I’m sure it will sink in, but I don’t think he gets how special it really is,” she said. “We tried to tell him about it and explain what we’re going to do, but I don’t think he gets the whole scope of it yet.”

Sandoz said everyone from the family to Loreauville High School Principal Karen Bashay to Iberia Parish Superintendent of Schools Dale Henderson is excited about Camrin being chosen.

“It’s absolutely terrific. We’re very proud that Camrin and his parents will be representing Iberia Parish in Washington D.C.,” said Henderson. “We’re very happy to have this kind of special recognition for our school system and our parish at a national level.”

Landry said the Sandoz family is a great representation of Special Olympics because the parents, grandparents and Camrin’s older brother are all very active in supporting and participating in Special Olympics.

Sandoz said her husband, Ted Sandoz, coaches basketball, baseball, football and a plethora of other sports and she is the “team mom.” Camrin’s older brother Colin Sandoz, now a University of Louisiana at Lafayette student, plays on a unified lacrosse team, she said.

Camrin participates in the equestrian program and plays basketball, track and field, football and baseball, a sport he has been playing since he was 6 years old, Sandoz said.

“Our concerns are that if not for Special Olympics, some of our ‘differently able’ children and young adults would not have the opportunity to experience what it means to be part of a team, the feeling of acceptance or unity,” she said.

She said one of the athletes at a game last season said, “Mrs. Nicole, who would have ever thought that a kid like me in a wheelchair could ever play sports?”

Sandoz said that summed up her idea of Special Olympics perfectly.

“I believe that most of our Special Olympics athletes have all asked themselves that same question at one time or another,” she said. “Special Olympics has not only helped to build character and courage in these kids, but it teaches us all that individuals shouldn’t be labeled by a disability. These athletes are shattering stereotypes with every event they compete in.”

When the family returns from Washington, D.C., they will travel to Baton Rouge for the state indoor games where Camrin will play tennis.