This month I got to attend one of the biggest events of my reign- the Spina Bifida Association of Massachusetts’s 1st Annual Walk n Roll on May 23, 2010, which was held at Endicott Estates in Dedham which is a really beautiful property. The weather was somewhat gloomy in the morning but in the afternoon the sun came out and it was gorgeous! It served as a great fundraising and awareness event.
Although the kick-off party in March was a small gathering, there were definitely many more people at the actual event. Ellen Heffernan-Dugan was in charge of organizing it, among many others in the Association as well and they all did such a great job. There were over 100 walkers/rollers spread out over 15+ teams, which was really great to see, not to mention that we fundraised over $28,000 through this amazing event which will no doubt be put to good use for future programs and services for people living with Spina Bifida in Massachusetts.
There was a DJ and the kids got to play games like limbo and musical chairs which was fun for them. I didn’t end up making a team after all, but instead I just went to cheer everyone on and meet the families and others with Spina Bifida. I did get to address the crowd at the beginning along with the Association’s President Cara Packard and Ellen Heffernan-Dugan who is the Executive Director of the SBA Mass, telling my life story and getting everyone fired up to have a great walk which was incredible!
While thinking about what I was going to say, I got to reflect on all my accomplishments and challenges over the years that I don’t think about on a daily basis which was really cool because I realized I have accomplished more than I feel like I have most days. I also wrote a story about my life and Ms.Wheelchair Massachusetts in their press release, and was told that I would be appearing in the Dedham News Transcript the next day, which was really exciting again being able to share my story. Also I got to get my picture taken with some of the teams and families and meet them. They were all impressed by my speech and my story and how far I have come.
I’m really happy to be so involved with the SBAMass, not only because I have Spina Bifida but because of the difference that I’m making for people with SB, and expanding my leadership skills while meeting some really great people in the process. I realize now that I’m not as alone as I think I am most days and that there are people out there who understand what life with a disability is really like.
Being Ms.Wheelchair Massachusetts 2010 has really given me the opportunity to get involved with and help out so many different people; I’m really enjoying every minute of it and really looking forward to meeting everyone at Nationals! :) (74 days left!)
Santara
