Saturday morning’s Stroll & Roll at Riverside Park had the atmosphere of a carnival.
Games and activities. Lots of food. Drawings for prizes.
You wouldn’t know the focus was on children born with disabilities.
But it was because of these children that about 200 gathered in a celebratory stroll around the park and focused on the goal of helping the families of disabled children and the uncertain future they each face.
Mothers of Miracles, MOMs, a small group of area women who are mothers of special needs children, organized the event.
“I’m convinced if you want anything done, get the MOMs behind it,” said Matt Skahan, husband to Lesley who helped establish the MOMs group a little more than three years ago.
The Skahans’ son, Mason, 5, suffers from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a condition that leaves him unable to walk or talk.
Last weekend the MOMs group celebrated the installation of playground equipment specially designed for special needs children at Riverside Park. Together with the local Kiwanis club, the group raised about $190,000 to purchase the equipment.
The only other such playgrounds in Kansas are in Winfield and Kansas City, said Kelci Botts, mother of Kason, 3, who suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome. Kason experiences delayed speech, sleep apnea, and overall muscle weakness.
“He’s making ground,” Kelci said, and gives credit to his many therapists with the ANW Cooperative, including Vickie Snavely for physical therapy, Emily Williams for occupational therapy and Sarah Bannister for speech therapy.
Kason attends the ANW preschool two days a week and has Christina Turner as his teacher.
“He loves riding the bus,” said Kelci.
A peculiarity of Kason’s condition is that while he now is below weight, at around age 6 his metabolism is expected to change and he will battle obesity for the rest of his life.
THIS IS the third annual Stroll & Roll. Last year the effort raised about $4,000. Of that, more than $3,000 was distributed to families of special needs children to help not only with expenses but also to take advantage of programs for the disabled.
“This year, we have no startup costs because everything has been donated,” said Lesley Skahan, including food for lunch and items for a drawing.
