Fuerza celebrates 40 years of helping parents of children with disabilities

Archbishop José H. Gómez led a Mass at St. Matthias Church in Huntington Park on Oct. 18 to mark the 40th anniversary of Fuerza Inc. The nonprofit organization supports Spanish-speaking parents of children with developmental disabilities.

Rosario Marín founded the organization after finding a lack of developmental resources available in Spanish for parents of children with Down syndrome. While the group initially focused on Down syndrome, it expanded its services through conferences and symposiums to include families of children with autism, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy.

During the celebration, Marín spoke to the assembly about the value of life and the hope that sustains families of children with special needs. Hundreds of families attended the anniversary Mass.