The fourth annual “Smart Walk for Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities” took place on Sunday, Oct. 1, at Sherwood Island State Park. Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, a nonprofit organization based in Norwalk, helped organize the event, which was composed of a two-mile walk around the park as well as many vendors and outreach information.
“This is a community-building event, but it is also one of our fundraisers for the year,” Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Program & Event Manager Christine Kurpiel said. “It is really to bring everyone together to celebrate the strengths and talents of kids with learning disabilities.”
This event has brought families who have kids with a learning disability, as well as various other community members, together to celebrate the strengths and talents of all. The popularity of the walk has only increased since it began in 2019 due to the work put in by Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities to plan the event and the desire for individuals and families to support the cause.
“Every year I have come, it grows in attendance,” First Selectwoman Jen Tooker said. “That means the organization is growing from a standpoint of more people being aware about the organization and the support that they offer.”
The nonprofit strives to provide parents who have a kid with learning disabilities with the necessary information and resources to help their kid embrace their identity and thrive in their environment. The organization also creates a support system for these families to connect through similar experiences.
“The amount of help that [the organization] is able to provide is huge,” School Psychologist and emcee of the walk David Sylvestro said. “You’d be in awe to sit back in a room and watch how people in these support groups empathize, encourage and help each other out: it’s a wonderful thing.”
Teenagers were also able to help out with the event. The Staples Service League of Girls (SLOGS and SLOBS) helped to run stations throughout the race and cheer on participants. One of the SLOG volunteers, Grayson Peters ’26, spent her time arranging t-shirts, helping with food and spraying people with color as they walked.
“I think this event is super amazing,” Peters said. “I think what they are doing is really helpful since they are spreading awareness throughout the community.”
