By Mark Satterwhite

On October 14th at Stephens Lake Park, 35 people joined in the 2nd Annual Walk & Roll-a-Thon. The event is hosted by People First of Boone County, a local self-advocacy group. Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month, event sponsors include Billiards on Broadway, Cottonwoods RV Park, Friends of Boone County Family Resources, Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy, MBS Textbook Exchange, and Lanny Hamilton, DDS.

Donald Zawadzki, an officer for People First, appreciates Disability Employment Awareness Month. “I have a disability,” he says. “I’ve been working at MBS for going on 24 years. People with disabilities can work and contribute. That’s what this is all about.”

The annual event is held on accessible pathways in Columbia for the purpose of including everyone, with any means of mobility. Several participants used walkers and wheelchairs along a scenic pathway circling the lake at Stephens Park. “The event was a success,” says Katie Kinder – who came up with the idea for it, two years ago. “Twice as many people were at our 2nd annual. We hope it will continue to grow.”