The wonderful people of L’Arche Mobile, the local affiliate of the international organization of communities for people with intellectual disabilities, will be doing one of their big annual events ONLINE this year, this Thursday night, May 28. It’s L’Arche’s well-known annual football preview dinner, usually a big fundraiser, but this year it’s free of charge. (Of course it would be terrific if you would watch and donate, even donate substantially, but either way, please watch.)
L’Arche describes itself this way: “At L’Arche we celebrate people with intellectual disabilities and build circles of support around them. We go beyond supporting people’s basic needs. It is this focus on building relationships and cultivating a sense of belonging that makes us different.”
Today L’Arche, boasts 154 communities in 38 countries; its sister organization Faith and Light has 1,500 communities in 83 countries. Through both organizations, people with and without intellectual disabilities “live together in a community where they can feel they belon,” according to favorable coverage in the New York Times.
This year’s virtual dinner — go here for it! — will feature a tremendous series of short videos from leaders in the college football world, including head coaches Nick Saban of Alabama, Gus Malzahn of Auburn, Steve Campbell of the University of South Alabama, Kirby Smart of Georgia, Clay Helton of USC, Dave Aranda of Baylor, Willie Slater of Tuskegee, and Mike Leach of Mississippi State. Mobilian Phil Savage, longtime NFL executive and recent head of the Senior Bowl, also will give a presentation, as will ESPN announcers Rece Davis and Todd Blackledge, and others.
Again, it will be a great evening, well worth your time.
To find out more about L’Arche Mobile, a 501(c)(3) charity, please follow this link.
