As the crowd gathered outside State Farm Stadium on Saturday morning – Gate 2, and to be honest, the shade from the building made it just a tad chilly – it was hard not to notice the smiles.

Smiles from kids, smiles from adults. Smiles from people of all ages with special needs, for a day that was all about them.

There are days when the stadium has held many more people, including every time the Cardinals play. But this was arguably more important than a game, this inaugural Cardinals Climb.

"When we pulled in, we were like, 'Wow, there are so many people here to support people like Kayden," said Adam Simpson, whose son Kayden was in a wheelchair ready for his participation.

"The biggest thing what we wanted to take from this is that he's just like everybody else."

More than 3,500 people climbed the State Farm Stadium stairs in some fashion, more than 8,000 donations came in (The fundraising for this cycle isn't over yet; you can still donate here through March 10), more than $2 million raised for special needs.

When Cardinals Charities rebooted to become the Arizona Cardinals Foundation, the Climb – and the special needs community -- was at the heart of it. The four main beneficiaries are the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, the Barrow Neurological Foundation, Special Olympics Arizona, and, of course, Treasure House.

For those unaware, Treasure House is a residence for special needs adults built by Kurt and Brenda Warner, coming from a need because of their developmentally disabled oldest son, Zack. And as someone who covered Warner from the time he signed with the Cardinals in 2005 until, well, now, there is no one better to crystallize what this all meant.

"To think about us coming here 20 years ago and all the memories we had on the football field, but to have this come together, with the Cardinals and Cardinals Charities and the special needs world, it's home for me," Warner said.

As Zack got older, living at home with Kurt and Brenda, they realized Zack was never going to be able to live the life he was capable of living.

That's how Treasure House was born. But as Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill noted, there is a higher percentage of people with special needs in Arizona than anywhere else in the country. The help is never enough.

"You're trying to figure out what life looks like," Warner said. "Individuals in that situation kind of get pushed to the side. Not many people see them, not very many things are done to allow them to live a full life."

Warner said he was "blown away" when Bidwill told him of the idea of the Climb, and the push for helping special needs.

That was the feeling all day Saturday, as people climbed up and down steps, as people gathered to take pictures on the field after crossing the finish line, as people admired their Climb medals.

There was James Tucker, who said he always wants to help those with special needs and who has volunteered for Special Olympics for 58 years and "doing things behind the scenes." Larry Fitzgerald made an appearance, chatting with Warner early. That too drew plenty of happy fans who caught a glimpse of the new Hall of Famer.

Players were there, Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and Darius Robinson among them. There was a party on the Great Lawn after, with Switchfoot and Gavin DeGraw entertaining the crowd.

Did I mention there were smiles?

"This is not about just climbing stars and the Cardinals Climb," Bidwill said. "It's about lifting up this community. It's about acceptance. It's about awareness. It's about coming together."