Easter Seals Central Texas Is Recruiting for Walk & 5K at The Domain

This guest blog post is by Lindsay Mason.

Are you an avid runner, a novice, or just looking for a fun, active event that supports a great cause?

Well, look no further! Easter Seals Central Texas’ Walk With Me event is perfect for people of all athletic abilities and supports our friends, family and neighbors with disabilities.

On November 11, 2012 we will once again take over the beautiful grounds of The Domain in North Austin for a family friendly 1 mile walk and a self-timed 5K run.

Think, for a moment, about how much you love running and being active in your community. Now, imagine that you’ve just been informed that you’ll never be able to do either of these again. 

For many of us, the thought of not being able to do what we love is extremely scary and often heartbreaking. It’s no different for people with disabilities. Most of us know someone who is currently living with a disability. Whether they were born that way or an accident caused the disability, it’s extremely important that we show our support.

At Easter Seals Central Texas, we provide services to adults and children who will light up your world and change the way you look at life with a disability. Our clients exude such strength, motivation and perseverance that you can’t help but provide all the support you can muster to help them succeed and follow their dreams. Those dreams may be physical things such as: to walk without aid, to run for the first time or to participate in sports.

Client Stories

Rosalinda Reazola’s son, Matthew, was only 11 months old when she was told that he would likely never be able to walk on his own or take care of himself. She refused to believe that and immediately sought out the therapy that her son would need. This landed her at Easter Seals Central Texas. Matthew received speech, occupational and physical therapy for the first few years of his life. He began to thrive and improve. Despite what doctors said, he wound up running varsity track and cross country at Vandergrift High School and has recently joined the United States Marine Corps.

Rohan Murphy, an honorary ambassador for Easter Seals Central Texas, had his legs amputated at age 4 because of a birth defect. Just like most young boys, he grew up loving sports, but was always on the sidelines. One day, someone gave him the encouragement that he needed and he gave wrestling a try. Rohan surprised everyone and ended up competing at the collegiate level, for Penn State, and became an international power lifting competitor. Rohan now travels the country speaking to kids and adults about how anything is possible, and he’s currently training for the 2016 Paralympics. He will be a guest speaker at this year’s Walk With Me event in Austin.

Kid Zone

What would a family friendly event be without an activity area for the kiddos? Well, we’ve got you covered there too! Thanks to our wonderful volunteers from Dell, we will offer a Kid Zone full of fun activities for kids of all ages and abilities.

There will be basketball for the bigger kids, a bean-bag toss, ring toss, water gun station, and ping pong pounce. This is not meant to be a day care, but the Kid Zone will have adult volunteers to keep an eye on everyone.

Community Resource Fair

The event will also include a community resource fair. Many local businesses that specialize in serving people with special needs – such as Lone Star Pediatric Dental, CVS Pharmacy, and Capital Metro – will be on hand to answer questions, offer engaging activities and show their support for this event and the community.

Please join Easter Seals on November 11, 2012, and show your support for people with disabilities while enjoying a great event.

Walk With Me Austin is one of Easter Seals Central Texas’ main fundraising events. Every dollar raised stays here in our community, helping Easter Seals Central Texas provide critical services to children and adults in Central Texas.

Additional Event Information

• $25 registration fee (includes event t-shirt)
• Children under 12 are free (still need to register)
• Free parking is available
• Packet pick-up is available November 9-10 at the Microsoft Store in the Domain, from 12-6 PM

Race Day Schedule

7:00 AM – Registration

8:30 AM – Runners start

9:00 AM – Walkers start

8:30-11:00 AM – Community Resource Fair

For More Information

• Register for Walk With Me
• Contact Event Manager Angelica Reyes at 512-615-6817
• Contact Volunteer Manager Lindsay Mason at 512-615-6818

Lindsay Mason is a native Austinite who enjoys live music and staying active in the community. She has worked at Easter Seals Central Texas for almost 2 years and is excited about the upcoming Walk With Me event and raising money to help kids with disabilities.