COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — On Saturday, August 2, families gathered in Colorado Springs for the Second Annual Day in the Springs festival, a celebration filled with music, community, and a meaningful message.
Hosted by the De La Vega Foundation, the event raised awareness about autism and neurodiversity while highlighting a growing network of support for families navigating similar challenges.
For Jonas Gonzales, founder of the De La Vega Foundation, the organization’s mission began with a deeply personal journey.
“I was in denial for like, a couple years, which means no therapy for my kiddo because of my ego,” he shared.
Gonzales and his wife, Ann, founded the nonprofit in 2024 after experiencing firsthand the struggles of finding the right support for their children on the autism spectrum.
“We’ve seen it through hard times, through thinking about it at night, through going through countless IEPs, to asking the teacher,” said Gonzales.
Motivated by those challenges, the couple launched a nonprofit to support families like theirs throughout the region.
That mission has already made a significant impact. Russell Cordova, father of a son with developmental needs, moved to Colorado Springs in search of better resources, but quickly realized how difficult they were to access.
“We found there were more waiting lists. We’ve felt alone in this journey a whole lot,” said Cordova.
After reaching out to the De La Vega Foundation, Cordova immediately connected with Ann Gonzales.
“She’s been there to support us in every which way possible,” he said. “We have in-home therapy now for my son, my other son has therapy, goes to the NTSOC here in Colorado Springs, and we’re being connected to the Resource Exchange. I mean, there’s just so many moving pieces, and the De La Vega Foundation has been incredible.”
The foundation also works alongside advocacy groups like the Help Autism Center to ensure families can access long-term resources.
“We actually refer the families to the resources,” said Brian Hall, CEO and co-founder of Help Autism Center. “Then the family has to follow up with that organization or business or the Resource Exchange to get those resources taken care of.”
For many families, the foundation has become more than a support system, it’s a community.
“The De La Vegas came in and made us feel like we weren’t alone. Now we have this other family,” said Cordova.
Gonzales says that sense of connection is key.
“We bring them that calmness to say, ‘Hey, it's gonna be okay. This is how it's gonna be. Let me just walk you through it,’ and lastly, we bring them compassion," said Gonzales. "Not everybody is gonna understand what you're going through.”
What began as a personal mission has become a growing movement, one that continues to guide and uplift neurodiverse families throughout Colorado Springs.
Click here to learn more about The De La Vega Foundation.
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Brain cancer survivor summits Pikes Peak in an adaptive wheelchair with help of 40 volunteers
Mary Perkins, a childhood brain cancer survivor using an adaptive wheelchair, reached the summit of Pikes Peak around 10:45 a.m. on Saturday.
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