The Mission Project community came together for another memorable Independence Walk, celebrating friendship, fitness and independence for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Kansas City area.
This year’s event looked a little different—and brought a fun new way to participate. The 2026 Independence Walk moved to Broadmoor Park in Mission, Kansas, where participants could choose their own combination of walking laps and completing fitness activities throughout the morning.
Whether participants walked, stopped at the fitness stations or did a little of both, the goal was the same: get moving, have fun and celebrate independence together.
A New Spin on the Independence Walk
We Added Fitness Stations this Year
Instead of following a traditional one- or two-mile route, participants received scorecards and earned stickers as they completed activities around Broadmoor Park.
Each lap around the park counted as one activity, with three laps equaling one mile and six laps equaling two miles. Participants could also step off the trail throughout the morning to try different fitness stations.
The flexible format allowed everyone to participate in a way that worked for them while encouraging participants to challenge themselves and try something new.
There was a little extra motivation, too! Participants who completed five activities earned a $5 Casey’s gift card, while those who completed 10 earned a $10 Casey’s gift card.
The morning also included group photos, fundraising prizes and a raffle before wrapping up another successful Independence Walk.
Thank You to Our Rockhurst University OT Volunteers
Rockhurst OT Volunteers
A huge thank you goes to the Rockhurst University occupational therapy students who volunteered their time to help make this year’s new format possible.
From helping with the fitness stations to encouraging participants throughout the morning, their involvement added energy and support to the event. Community volunteers play an important role in creating opportunities for Mission Project participants to stay active, build connections and be involved in their community.
Thank You to Our 2026 Independence Walk Sponsors
The Independence Walk would not be possible without the generous businesses, organizations, families and individuals who believe in The Mission Project and the importance of creating opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A huge thank you to all of our sponsors!
A heartfelt thank you to our 2026 Independence Walk sponsors:
- At Home Apartments of Kansas City
- Herre Holistic Dental KC
- Homoly Design + Build
- BridgeFit
- Arvest Bank
- Shake Shack
- A-Bill Glass Service
- Cowell James Forge Insurance Group
- HAPPYtown
- Holistic Planning – Kansas City
- Mid-America Contractors
- Security Bank of Kansas City
- Vicky & Howard Mayer
- Wales Wealth Management Group
- Playper
Your support helps make events like the Independence Walk possible while furthering The Mission Project’s work to help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live independently, build meaningful relationships and participate fully in their community.
We are incredibly grateful to each of you for investing in our participants and helping us build a more inclusive Kansas City community.
Thank You to Our Raffle Donors
Drawing the Raffle Winners
The fun continued off the trail with this year’s Independence Walk raffle! We are incredibly grateful to the local businesses, organizations and individuals who generously donated prizes and helped make the morning even more exciting for our participants and supporters.
Celebrating Independence in Our Community
The Independence Walk has always been about more than completing a mile.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate what The Mission Project is all about: independence, inclusion, friendship and community.
This year’s new format gave participants even more ways to get involved, challenge themselves and cheer one another on. Thank you to everyone who walked, volunteered, sponsored, fundraised and helped make the 2026 Independence Walk a success.
We can’t wait to do it again!
2026 Independence Walk Photo Gallery
Take a look back at the 2026 Independence Walk! From laps around Broadmoor Park and fitness stations to volunteers, friends and plenty of smiles, here are some of our favorite moments from this year’s event.
