Hello everyone! I am hoping to recap whatever we do/discuss at our monthly meetings for those who are not able to attend the meetings. If you haven't joined us yet for our meetings, we welcome you with open arms as we fellowship with other parents/caretakers/siblings of those whose lives are touched by someone with Down syndrome. We meet every 2nd Sat of the month from 10 am- 12 noon. If a meeting is canceled or a special activity is taking place instead of the meeting, we will give you advance notice as they occur.
We are gearing up to take a team to Tallahassee, Florida on October 8th, 2011 for the Buddy Walk. The Buddy Walk was established in 1996 by the NDSS. This is done to celebrate Down syndrome awareness month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people living with Down syndrome. We kept the name that we used last year--Title Town Tots and we added Down syndrome Association of South Georgia to the name so that we could also get our group some exposure to those who do not know we are up and running. The walk is from 9 am- 12 noon. You can register your team members here. Each person can register for a fee of 12.00--a shirt will be given to those who register ahead of time. You can also refer your family and friends to the site if they would like to donate any funds in honor of your family member. We would love to see you there! The Buddy Walk will take the place of the October meeting.
We will also be announcing a special meeting that we hope to have in October. Tammy Greenway of SOSkids of Valdosta is coordinating a joint meeting/group discussion concerning special needs trusts for our children. (SOSkids is a general support group for parents of a special needs child here in Valdosta.) We will have a lawyer speaking at this group and the kids will be able to play at a local play center here while the parents listen to the discussion. Date to be announced as soon as all the details are worked out.
We are still looking for some adult volunteers to help watch the kids while we meet on Saturdays. If you are willing to help out or know someone who would be able to help, please contact us. We are fortunate to have some students helping us from the local high school too, so if you know of a teenager who is looking for volunteering opportunities, we welcome the chance to talk with them too.
Next month we will present a technology presentation. This will be full of great resources for those looking for the best apps for your child, websites to reference and groups to join. Our next meeting will be September 10th, 2011. Meeting place to be announced.
We had a special guest join us at our August meeting, Stephanie Meredith, co-author of the book Diagnosis to Delivery--A pregnant mother's guide to Down syndrome. You can find a link of her book here. I actually read this book online months ago as I was looking for rescources we could share as a group for any new moms with a prenatal diagnosis. It is an excellent book and we recommend this to any expectant parent. Thank you Stephanie for sharing with our group. We look forward to you coming to visit again.
We have many things we are working on as a group. Please continue to share any feedback you have with us. We welcome all comments as we look forward to serving our Down syndrome community.
The Buddy Walk® was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Today, the Buddy Walk program is supported nationally by NDSS and organized at the local level by parent support groups, schools and other organizations and individuals.
Over the past sixteen years, the Buddy Walk program has grown from 17 walks to nearly 300 expected in 2011 across the country and around the world. Last year alone, 285,000 people participated in a Buddy Walk! They raised more than $11.2 million to benefit local programs and services as well as the national advocacy initiatives that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome.
The Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. It is a wonderful, heart-warming event that celebrates the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. Whether you have Down syndrome, know someone who does, or just want to show your support, come and join a Buddy Walk in your local community!
Over the past sixteen years, the Buddy Walk program has grown from 17 walks to nearly 300 expected in 2011 across the country and around the world. Last year alone, 285,000 people participated in a Buddy Walk! They raised more than $11.2 million to benefit local programs and services as well as the national advocacy initiatives that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome.
The Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. It is a wonderful, heart-warming event that celebrates the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. Whether you have Down syndrome, know someone who does, or just want to show your support, come and join a Buddy Walk in your local community!
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