Baker City Nonprofit Hosts Walk for Inclusion, Respect on March 20

Step Forward Activities Inc. is inviting the Baker City community to join a "walk for inclusion and respect" on Saturday, March 20, marking the nonprofit's first participation in the national "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign.

Participants will gather at 10 a.m. at Elkhorn Village, 3085 Resort St., before walking along the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway to Geiser-Pollman Park. "Everyone is welcome to attend," said Alesia Wilson, who works at Step Forward.

The event's central message targets the R-word, the collective term for "retard" and "retarded." Those words were once commonly used to describe people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the population Step Forward serves. The national campaign that inspired the walk was launched in 2009 by Special Olympics and the Best Buddies program with the goal of retiring that language from everyday use.

The March 20 walk is the first time Step Forward has joined that campaign since its founding in Baker City in 1976. The nonprofit currently serves about 35 clients in Baker and owns three group homes in the city, each housing five residents. A fourth group home is currently being remodeled, also designed to accommodate five residents.

Beyond its residential footprint, Step Forward has broader expansion plans. The nonprofit wants to convert the former DMV and Oregon State Police office at 1050 S. Bridge St. into seven studio apartments. Step Forward's main office is located at 3720 10th St.