SANDS Walk 2025
By Drew Milne
On November 15, 2025, the 25th annual SANDS Walk for Down Syndrome took place at the Tucson Convention Center. Presented by the Southern Arizona Network for Down Syndrome (SANDS), the SANDS Walk (formerly Tucson Buddy Walk) is an opportunity to go out into the community and share info and resources, all while raising funds for SANDS. Although the Walk is less than one mile, it is the largest walk of its kind in Southern Arizona and anyone can participate. Funds raised from the walk allow SANDS to continue offering their programs at little or no cost to families.
First held in 2001, the event now hosts nearly 1000 people. In addition to being the largest fundraiser of the year for SANDS, it is a resource fair for our families to help connect them to critical services that can help their family, such as Social Security, Department of Economic Security, the Division of Developmental Disability, Arizona Long Term Care System, Special Olympics, doctors, respite providers, and more.
In the 2025 SANDS Walk, Sonoran Center program aides Gabe Martinez and Paavlena Madhivanan, and Administrative Assistant Lupita Loftus represented the Sonoran Center. They met with attendees, handed out flyers, and enjoyed seeing the disability community come together.
“Paavi, Gabe and I had an amazing time at the SANDS Walk for Down Syndrome in Tucson on November 15th,” said Lupita, “This event featured a resource fair, an arcade, face painting, dancing, and food trucks!”
Thanks to everyone who helped make SANDS Walk 2025 such a success! .