My Heart Lies in the Hands of a Very Special Child

Dolores G. Zarate is President and Co-Founder along with her husband Sergio of the organization Down by the Border. Her connection to children with Down syndrome and special needs is her daughter Zariah who will be ten years old this year. They also have a four year old son, Ezekiel Zarate, who opens their world to children without disabilities. Zariah was born on September 11, 2001, and since that day Dolores has searched for answers to many questions her family had. In 2004, when Zariah was three, Dolores and Sergio attended a conference for children with Down syndrome in Washington, D.C. Dolores was inspired and felt a need to share the knowledge she gained that day with other parents of children with Down syndrome in the Rio Grande Valley. This is the fifth year for Down By The Border and it has become much more than the Zarate family ever envisioned. Dolores is an attorney by profession. She graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1994 and went on to work for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor one of the most prestigious District Attorney’s offices in Texas. She has been in private practice in Brownsville for 15 years. Her general practice includes criminal, personal injury and employment law. However, her true concentration is family law and issues involving special–needs children. When Dolores is not working she enjoys spending her time with her husband and their two children kayaking, spending time outside and reading. The Zarate family also enjoys spending time at South Padre Island, TX, since they live only 20 minutes away. Recently they took a trip with her sister in an RV to Florida, and are now RV enthusiasts themselves. They recently went to San Francisco, California in their RV and were on the road for 23 days. They traveled to Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mrs. Tejeda serves as a Special Education teacher at IDEA Sports Park College Preparatory and as a RGV Special Education Course Leader. In her years of experience as a teacher, she has developed expertise in supporting students in both the general and special education settings, developing and presenting special education professional development opportunities for teachers, and supporting with the roles of managing teachers and co-teachers from both: the special education and the R.I.S.E. departments. She is passionate about the topics of Neurodiversity, Inclusion, and Philanthropy and Anye supports with the organization of our Ambassadors Program and will also lead our summer programs to keep our children active and healthy. Mrs. Tejeda adheres to the belief that every child with special needs deserves a nurturing and inclusive living experience that empowers them to reach their full potential regardless of their exceptionality, diversity and/or socioeconomic status.