Extra Special People presents its 14th annual Big Hearts fundraiser virtually this year, amidst COVID-19 pandemic. This event will be available for anyone to stream online. Guest appearances include Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, and the rest of the Holland family. Jake Johnson, actor from New Girl, and Josh Murray and Aaron Murray will also make guest appearances by interviewing ESP performers. The Murrays are long-time supporters of ESP, and have been involved with Big Hearts for nine years.

The participants will be escorted by members of the UGA football team including JT Daniels and Jack Podlesney. Wes Blankenship, a University of Georgia alumnus, podcast host, writer, and sports commentator, will be emceeing this event alongside ESP participant with Down syndrome, actress from Netflix hit series “Never Have I Ever,” Lily Moore. 

The theme of Big Hearts this year is Be Brave and hits home for ESP’s families and individuals across the globe. Parents of children with special needs have had to overcome obstacles and be brave during this unprecedented time. Parents have become their child’s doctor, therapist, teacher, and parent day in and day out.

“This year will be different but different is something we at ESP know well. And yet, we have seen our parents and participants display insurmountable courage over the last 12 months,” said Laura Whitaker, ESP Executive Director. “They have experienced job loss, food insecurity, medical shortages and expenses, and every support for them has become discontinued. ESP is their lifeline, and we are committed to meeting our families where they are.”

Big Hearts, voted Athens Best Community Event in 2020, is ESP’s largest fundraiser of the year. The fundraiser, typically held in-person, will be streamed to viewers across the country where individuals with disabilities will have the chance to showcase their abilities and shine on stage in a heartwarming show. Although there’s no required fee to stream the pageant, Big Hearts is still an essential fundraiser for summer camp. ESP needs to raise $150,000 during Big Hearts to support its essential programs. With the current environment, the non-profit is predicting triple the amount of scholarship requests as opposed to previous years.

The filming will take place at Athens Church and streamed on Saturday, February 13. The beauty of an online pivot will be the opportunity for more people than ever to cheer on their participants of all abilities. The non-profit is working with Pinnacle Productions to bring a high quality, visually stunning pageant performance to viewers. ESP participants traveled to film part of the pageant on Jekyll Island to bring the story and performance to life. As in years past, Big Hearts will be an incredible production and a truly unique show. It has the potential to reach thousands throughout the country.

This year, Big Hearts means more than ever to ESP’s families. ESP created a red carpet experience so families can feel like celebrities. Complete with bouncers, paparazzi, a limo bus, and a DJ, families will get to walk down a red carpet with their child and feel celebrated.

“Our families have been extremely isolated and alone this year. We want to show them they are the true heroes, and are deserving of celebration. It’s time for our community to rally around their favorite event of the year, and be the one to make summer camp possible,” Whitaker said. 

To support Big Hearts, supporters can purchase a watch box to receive official merchandise while watching the show with family, donate to an ESP participant, or enter ESP’s 2021 Kia Telluride S raffle, courtesy of Bulldog Kia. ESP hopes to see thousands of viewers tune in to Big Hearts on Saturday, February 13 to watch individuals of all abilities take flight.