The certificate has arrived! Of course, the winners of the 2021 Littleton Western Welcome Week Grand Parade were announced back in August, but now that we have that piece of paper we can’t help but crow a little!
And so we won first prize in the Group/School category! Hooray!
Was it the noisemakers? Was it the matching T-shirts? Was it the goofy object Gene wore on his head? Those probably all helped, but it was more likely the excitement and the sense of release as we shook our tamborines and maracas and chanted, “Who are we? CCB!” as we marched the parade route.
Since the center moved to Littleton in August of 2000, the Western Welcome Week Grand Parade has been a highlight of our summer. We didn’t march in that 2000 parade (we were still unpacking), but we have every year the parade has been held since then. It’s a moment of triumph, a culmination in a celebration for many of our staff and students, a big chance to show the community of Littleton which has always been so welcoming to the center, that we can indeed learn the skills to enable us to live the lives we want. And live them with confidence and independence!
And it was so this year more than ever as we forged ahead with that same confidence and self-determination, even as we follow safety protocols and remain vigilant throughout the pandemic.
Thanks to the judges, and thanks to all the folks who cheered us this year and every year. After all, as one center wag loves to quip each year when the parade comes around, “It’s the only time you can walk down the middle of Littleton Boulevard and not get honked at!”
In the end, though, the biggest thanks have to go to our students and staff. Didn’t we have fun!
Jordan grins and rattles his tambourine. Casey stands beside him. 
Ellie laughs as Gene carries a box upside down on his head. He is walking with Iris, Stephanie and Ellie. 
Duncan and Julie hold white canes with arms around each other’s shoulders before the parade starts. 
Jackson gives his Maracas a two-fisted shake as he and Mason prepare to start the Parade. Jackson’s mom Chris kneels beside the boys, and Mason’s parents, Jen and Dishon stand behind them. 