Young woman advocates for people with disabilities, like her sister
NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) - KFOR’s Remarkable Women of Oklahoma annual campaign is back! Our newsroom was flooded with nominations of beautiful stories of women from all across our state. A committee had the difficult task of whittling down the very long list to four finalists. Each Tuesday during the month of March, we will bring you the stories of our 2024 nominees. The following story introduces you to Claire Grace, whom, at just 22-years-young, has already accomplished extensive advocacy work for people of all abilities, like her sister.
News 4 first introduced you to Claire Grace back in 2018, then 16, when she nominated her former Stillwater Junior High teacher, Heather Anderson, for a $5,000 'Thankful 4 Teachers' award.
Claire has been changing lives ever since in honor of her sister Sarah, 28.
"Sarah has a one of a kind chromosomal arrangement. So, she's the only one in the entire world with her specific arrangement because two chromosomes are involved, which makes it very rare," Claire said. "So, that resulted in mental and physical disabilities."
"Not only did I grow up seeing people treat her differently, but despite all of that, she's always been the most joyous person. She's just the biggest hugger you will ever meet, and she will literally bring a smile to anybody's face," she said.
Sarah was Claire's inspiration for helping to raise nearly $100,000 for community projects in Stillwater, including a playground for people of all abilities.
"To be able to go to an accessible playground with my sister and see her able to enjoy that was really, really special" she said.
Claire, now 22, also created her own 501(c)(3) foundation called "See, Stop, Start," which includes a free curriculum for 4th grade teachers, approved by the Oklahoma City Public School District.
"I go to schools and I've spoken to over 11,000 students across the state of Oklahoma about the importance of compassion, and respect and empathy," Claire said. "So, it starts with 'see' people first, 'stop' using derogatory terms - or 'mean words,' for my younger kiddos, and 'start' positive interaction. So, instead of saying, 'Don't bully, don't bully,' like a lot of curriculums are, this gives them something proactive they can do instead."
Claire has served in several volunteer roles with the Special Olympics, in which Sarah has competed many times.
For her service, Claire has won a lengthy list of awards. Singing is another one of her many talents, which contributed to Claire being crowned Miss Oklahoma's Teen in 2019 and 2020.
She has also watched Sarah's pageantry with "Miss Amazing" competitions, for girls and women with different abilities.
"There was a really special moment one year where I was emceeing and Sarah, I was right next to her, kind of watching her do her gown walk on stage. So, it's a really incredible opportunity for women with disabilities to just be on stage and have their moment and shine," Claire said.
Claire graduated from OU in just three years! "Finished with a 4.0 summa cum laude," she said.
Claire is now hard at work in law school, and as an Oxford scholar, she will study in England this summer.
She may eventually pursue a career in family law, to help others like Sarah.
"Just as a human, she is pure joy, and that definitely inspires me in every single thing that I do to carry that joy, and to make the world a better place for her."
Miss Claire Grace is proof that women can be remarkable at any age.
See more stories of News 4's 2024 Remarkable Women nominees below.
News 4 will announce the winner of our Remarkable Women campaign on Tuesday, April 2nd during our live 6pm television broadcast.