Walk With Me event set for Saturday
Published 10:33 pm Thursday, March 28, 2013
Mother Amanda Robbins said she cried the day she found out her daughter, Sierra Thompson, was selected to be an ambassador for the 2013 Walk With Me fundraiser for the West Central Alabama Easter Seals.
The Walk With Me fundraiser, a one mile fun walk at Memorial Stadium, will be Saturday morning and is an effort to raise money for children like Sierra who have disabilities in the area.
“I cried because she has just been through so much this year,” Robbins said, who found out Sierra was deaf one year ago when Sierra was 3. “Easter Seals has been great because they just know how to work with her there.”
Sierra has learned some sign language and her parents said she even knows some words they don’t know yet. At the West Central Alabama Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center off of Citizens Parkway in Selma children get help with their disabilities. The rehab center has been helping those with disabilities in Selma since 1957.
Rachel Ratcliff, program coordinator for the Selma unit of Easter Seals said there are two ambassadors for the Walk With Me Fundraiser — Sierra and Kaleb Barnfield. This means those who walk will be walking for the ambassadors, as they are the face of Easter Seals for the year.
The Easter Seals has various therapy programs for all disabilities like physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
There is even a specialized preschool program for children. For Sierra that will mean learning more sign language.
But Ratcliff said the best part for the families at Easter Seals is that the help comes at no cost.
“All of our services are free for the families who bring their children here,” Ratcliff said and added they are helped each year financially through United Way donations.
Registration for the walk on Saturday will begin at 7 a.m. and the walk will start at 8 a.m.
The walk is $15 and participants will receive a T-shirt for attending the event.