“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”
-Nathaniel Branden
SINCE 2012, THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN HAS DRIVEN ITS MISSION OF RAISING AWARENESS FOR THE MOST COMMON NEUROLOGICAL AND PERMANENTLY DISABLING CONDITION, SPINA BIFIDA. THE STORY OF OUR ORGANIZATION BEGINS WITH AN ELEMANTARY SCHOOL PLAYGROUND AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT. FROM THE INITIAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN OUR FOUNDER AND HER TEACHER, AT THE TIME, TO ENCOURAGING A CHANGE IN EQUALITY AND INCLUSTIVITY AT AN ELEMANTARY SCHOOL PLAYGROUND BY WRITING A LETTER TO THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL TO RECOGNIZING WORLD SPINA BIFIDA AWARENESS DAY AS OUR ORGANIZATIONS ANNUAL YELLOW OUT DAY ON OCTOBER 25TH. THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN HAS GROWN FROM SURROUNDING ITS EFFORTS ON OUR ANNUAL YELLOW OUT DAY TO CONTRIBUTING TO OUR COMMUNITY AND OFFICIALLY BECOMING A 501(C)3 NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2018, WHILE EXPANDING OUR MISSION TO HELP PRODUCE INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND PROJECTS, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2019, TO RECOGNIZING OUR NATION’S HONORABLE HEROES AND DISABLED VETERANS WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN’S YELLOW RAMP UP FOR VETERANS PROGRAM, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2020.
OCTOBER MAY BE OUR FAVORITE MONTH AT THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN BUT FOR OUR TEAM, EVERY DAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT AND CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND ONE DAY SOON, BEYOND.
OUR FOUNDER
REAGHAN VELASQUEZ
REAGHAN VELASQUEZ IS A SOPHOMORE IN COLLEGE AND CURRENTLY COMPLETING HER GENERAL STUDIES BEFORE MAJORING IN MUSIC BUSINESS AND ARTIST MANAGEMENT. REAGHAN WAS BORN WITH SPINA BIFIDA BUT SHE ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD HOW SIGNIFICANT IT WAS TO GROW UP KNOWING THAT HER CONDITION WOULD NOT DEFINE HER, AND THAT SHE COULD SIMPLY ACCOMPLISH WHATEVER HER HEART DESIRES. AT THE AGE OF 11 AND WHILE IN 5TH GRADE, REAGHAN WROTE A LETTER TO HER GRADE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WITH THE HELP OF HER SCIENCE TEACHER, REQUESTING A TRANSFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE INCLUSION TO THE PLAYGROUND AND AROUND IT AS SHE EXPERIENCED HARDSHIPS DUE TO THE TERRAIN AND INACCESSIBILITY. WHILE PEERS WERE OUTSIDE AND ENJOYING THEIR RECESS, REAGHAN WAS CALING FOR CHANGE - NOT JUST FOR HER, BUT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF STUDENTS WHO MAY EXPERIENCE THE SAME CHALLENGES OF ACCESSING THE PLAY AREA OR WHO MAY NOT YET BE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT INCLUSTIVITY LOOKS LIKE. BUT, WITHIN TWO DAYS OF WRITING THE LETTER AND SHARING IT WITH HER PRINCIPAL, AN ASPHALT RAMP AND SIDEWALK WERE BUILT LEADING TO AND FROM THE PLAYGROUND.
WITH THE SUPPORT OF HER FELLOW PEERS, THE NEXT YEAR, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WHAT WOULD BECOME AN ANNUAL TRADITION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY BEGAN. ON OCTOBER 1ST OF 2013, THE LOCAL COMMUNITY CELEBRATED ITS FIRST YELLOW OUT DAY IN HONOR OF SPINA BIFIDA AWARENESS MONTH AND TO HELP ENCOURAGE THE CONVERSATION SURROUNDING THOSE LIVING WITH DISABLITIES. YEARS LATER, THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN WAS ESTABLISHED AS AN OFFICIAL ORGANIZATION AND ONE WITH A BIG MISSION. YELLOW OUT DAY EVENTUALLY BECAME A DAY OF CELEBRATION ON OCTOBER 25TH IN RECOGNITION OF WORLD SPINA BIFIDA AND HYDROCEPHALUS DAY AND THAT IS WHEN THE BRAND OF THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN STARTED. THE ORGANIZATION NOT ONLY FOCUSES ITS EFFORTS ON RAISING AWARENESS FOR SPINA BIFIDA BUT WITH THE CONTINUED GROWTH IN LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT, REAGHAN HAS DEVELOPED NUMEROUS PROGRAMS WITH MUCH HELP AND ENCOURAGMENT. TODAY, REAGHAN OPERATES THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN AND ITS INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND PROJECTS AS WELL AS THE ORGANIZATION’S YELLOW RAMP UP FOR VETERANS PROGRAM, WHICH IS DEDICATED TO HER GRANDFATHER.
REAGHAN MENTIONS LOUDLY JUST HOW INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL SHE IS TO HAVE SUCH A SUPPORT SYSTEM AND DEDICATED TEAM TO WORK BESIDE TO HELP CONTINUE THE GROWTH OF THE ORGANIZATION. FOR HER, AT TIMES, IT IS CERTAINLY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE YELLOW OUT CAMPAIGN WAS A PIECE OF HER THAT NEEDED TO BE HEARD BUT YET WAS NOT INTENTIALLY ESTABLISHMENT… BUT, SHE AND HER TEAM ARE MOST DEFINITLEY PROUD OF WHAT IT HAS BECOME TODAY.
