Celebrate Differences Taking Steps Toward a Brighter Future Saturday

Slip on a pair of comfortable shoes and exercise for a cause this weekend by participating in the first Steps Towards A Brighter Future Awareness Walk.

Sponsored by Oswego’s Celebrate Differences organization, the walk fundraiser is planned for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 30, at , 116 Old Post Road, Oswego.

While events like these are usually about fundraising, Rebecca Christiansen, founder of Celebrate Differences, said Saturday’s walk is about “trying to raise awareness about all the disabilities throughout Kendall County so we can get more services to individuals who live in the county.”

Christiansen and her husband, Jeff, are the parents of a son with Down syndrome. After Ryan was born, they quickly realized the lack of support groups and activities available in Kendall County for children with disabilities.

In 2007, they began Celebrate Differences, with the goal of supporting those with disabilities while spreading the word on acceptance.

Rebecca Christiansen hopes the walk will become an annual event for the organization.
“If I make it through this year,” she said with a laugh.

The walk has been a goal of hers for some time.

“I’ve wanted to do it for awhile,” she said. “Then one of our board members, Terry Guinn, said it would be cool to do a walk. I said, ‘Really? Because I’ve always wanted to do that.’”

Guinn’s daughter, Kirsten, 7, has Prader-Willi Syndrome. Apart from his involvement with the Celebrate Differences organization, Guinn is also an active board member of the Prader-Willi Syndrome - Illinois chapter.

Guinn said it’s important to host events like the upcoming walk fundraiser.

“Obviously funds are harder to come by these days,” he said. “But it’s even more important to raise awareness. We’ve got to keep having activities, no matter how small, to keep the need out there so we can touch new people.”

Registration for the Steps Towards A Brighter Future Awareness Walk begins at 8 a.m.

A SpongeBob mascot will kick off the walk, and the family event will also include a clown, face painting, raffles, chair massages for moms and dads, and other activities.

Registration for those interested in participating is $20 for each adult and $10 for children ages 3 to 10 year old.

Visit www.celebratedifferences.org for more information.