We are all too aware that due to the pandemic, we’ve had to reschedule or cancel many of the beloved events held in our great city. Fiesta was no exception to the rule. This year, our city-wide celebration has been delayed to this month of June. Co-founder and Executive Director of disABILITYsa, Melanie Cawthon, is proud to announce the Fiesta Especial 5K and Parade, which will be held on Saturday June 19, 2021, where you can run, walk, roll, (whatever your mobility may be) and support and promote the concept of inclusion and belonging for all involved.
“We work in the community of individuals with disabilities to connect them to resources, to strengthen the disability community. We work on community engagement, and we do a lot of advocacy work to make sure that we’re amplifying the voices of people with disabilities at the planning tables of our community,” states Cawthon with pride.
Carving out spaces for a community which is oftentimes overlooked is essential, necessary, and vital to our city in order for us to learn and grow.
“We believe that the community is for everyone. We’re working to move past that effort of inclusion towards a sense of belonging for the disability community. So, we can always be inclusive, but it’s when people with disabilities feel like they belong that we’ve achieved our goal,” Cawthon comments.
Those who wish to participate in the event will find that Fiesta Especial 5K has an all inclusive adaptive division. Whether your mobility is dependent on a manual wheelchair, a powered chair, a prosthetic device, Fiesta Especial has a space for you. Hand cyclists, trike riders, walkers, runners, as well as traditional walkers and runners are all welcome.
“When you come out and support the Fiesta Especial 5K and Parade, you’re supporting our mission in San Antonio and being a part of our vision to make San Antonio the number one community where people with disabilities want to live, work, and play,” urges Cawthon. With places like Morgan’s Wonderland and foundations such as disABILITYsa, we are headed down the right path.
So take your blankets and chairs and go out to support a beautiful cause June 19, 2021, and be on the lookout for Norteno 210’s very own Natasha Gonzales and her son, Jaiden Gonzales Fiesta Especial King for 2020 while supporting the community para toda la gente.
To register for the event:
http://www.fiestaespecial.com/
To learn more:
https://www.disabilitysa.org
