{"id":261639,"date":"2026-04-22T20:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/261639\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:16:15","slug":"el-paso-to-host-17th-annual-autism-walk-and-5k-at-ascarate-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/261639\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso to host 17th annual Autism Walk and 5K at Ascarate Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">EL PASO, Texas (<a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ktsm.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:KTSM;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">KTSM<\/a>) \u2014 The Autism Society of Texas El Paso is set to mark Autism Acceptance Month with its 17th annual El Paso Autism Walk and 5K Fun Run on April 25 at Ascarate Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The event, scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is open to individuals and families across the community, including caregivers and supporters of people on the autism spectrum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Organizers say the annual gathering has grown into one of the region\u2019s largest community events focused on autism awareness and support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Proceeds from the walk and run will fund programs offered by the organization, which provides free resources and services in both English and Spanish to individuals with autism and their families in the El Paso area, according to officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThis is more than just a walk,\u201d said Executive Director Jacquie Benestante in a statement to KTSM. \u201cIt\u2019s a place where families can connect and feel supported by others who understand their experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Participants can choose between a non-competitive 5K fun run or a one-mile walk. Both routes will begin at 10 a.m., followed by an award ceremony. A resource fair will also be held throughout the event, offering access to local service providers and community organizations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Organizers stated that a highlight of this year\u2019s event will be the distribution of free sensory kits, which include items such as fidget tools, stress balls, and noise-canceling headphones, designed to help individuals manage sensory input.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Registration costs $15 per person and closes April 24. The event will take place rain or shine. Participants can sign up at <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/runsignup.com\/Race\/TX\/ElPaso\/ElPasoAutismWalk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:runsignup.com;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">runsignup.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ktsm.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) \u2014 The Autism Society of Texas El Paso is set to mark Autism Acceptance&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[90821,138,140,139,61493,498],"class_list":{"0":"post-261639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-el-paso","8":"tag-autism-acceptance","9":"tag-el-paso","10":"tag-el-paso-headlines","11":"tag-el-paso-news","12":"tag-individuals","13":"tag-ktsm"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}