Registration is open for the 2017 Walk and Roll for Disabilities to be held at 10:30 a.m. on March 5 at Oak View Mall, 3001 S. 144th St.
The event, which is sponsored by the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities, will feature booths from 11 nonprofits and businesses that perform services and program for individuals with developmental disabilities.
“They can help our families see what’s out there that could assist their child with education, therapy, or just plain old having fun,” said Mary McHale, president of the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities.
But it also will be fun, McHale said.
Click here to register for the event.
Some of the fun, McHale said, will include appearances by the 501st Garrison (a.k.a. Star Wars stormtroopers and characters). Dearheart the Clown and her friends will conduct face-painting, and they will be joined by Mr. Rainbow, a nationally known clown.
The event also will have a photo booth large enough to incorporate assistive devices such as wheelchairs, and team photos will be taken, as well.
The event supports recreational programming for adults at MMI.
“It raises funds for the Thursday night programming at MMI, which provides recreational opportunities for adults older than 21, and also provides respite for their family members if the individual is still living at home,” McHale said.
“Since the Walk and Roll started, working in conjunction with MMI recreational therapy, we’ve been able to help them expand the program offerings so that more individuals can come on Thursday night and participate in the same things that their typically developing peers would participate in, such as cooking clubs.
“After the age of 21, most programs stop funding any ‘fun’ things for individuals with developmental disabilities. The vision of the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities is to provide those program opportunities for adults over the age of 21, so that they can go to the movies or be part of an art project or cooking class, those types of things.”
The event’s Facebook page is already up, and organizers hope to get to 500 likes. Visit the page here to like it.