The Episcopal Youth Community at St. Barnabas in Lafayette, La., hosted its annual Mardi Gras Ball for the Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana on February 17.
“For our youth group, this is one of their favorite events of the year,” said Etienna Wright, the parish’s director of communications and youth formation.
Molly Guidry with Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana said the dance is a highlight for her association’s members as well.
“They all like to eat, they all like to dance, they all like to dress up and have a good time,” he said. “It just shows them that people with Down Syndrome — or any disability — are more alike than different.”
Adapted from the Diocese of Western Louisiana
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
