Autism Awareness Rally and Walk slated Saturday at local stadium

The Autism Awareness Rally and Walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Liberty-Eylau Harris Field Stadium. The event is being held by Moms on a Mission for Autism Awareness, a local group focused on raising awareness and acceptance for those on the autism spectrum.

This is the first year back for the event after the group took a couple of years off
to regroup.

"So what's we've done in the past is we try to bring all the therapy, health and social agencies into one place where parents could get information and find out about the different services here," said Angela Murphy, event organizer.

"We want them to see what Texarkana has to offer because what usually happens once someone gets the diagnosis is you don't know where to go. We try to serve as an advocacy group and point people in the right direction," she said.

A walk was added to this year's event.

"We wanted to offer a walk to show unity in the autism community. The spectrum is so wide. Every child with autism is different and nobody really understands what a parent goes through like another parent of an autistic child," Murphy said.

The event is free to attend.

Murphy encourages the community to come out and show support for those with autism.

"This is to support family and friends because the number of children being diagnosed with autism isn't going down. The numbers are rising. We want our family, friends and community to show support to these children," she said.

There will be a fire truck at the event for kids to explore. The Liberty-Eylau High School Band will provide the entertainment, and balloons will be released before the walk starts.

"We are asking everyone wear blue because it's the color for autism awareness," Murphy said.

For more information, visit the MOMAA Facebook page or call Murphy at 903-278-4895.

Upcoming Events