Indy Buddy Walk

Today is the Buddy Walk in Indianapolis, IN.  Will's uncle and godfather is volunteering in honor of Will.  Thanks Uncle Ricky:)  Their event is a little different than ours but the goal is the same...raise money for Down syndrome programs and research and promote awareness.  In fact, there are more than 300 Buddy Walk's going on around the country that all are a little different but all with this same mission.  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.  In 2010, 285,000 people across the country raised more than $11.2 million to support local programs and services, as well as National Down Syndrome Society advocacy and public awareness initiatives that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome.  There is however, still lots of work to do.  Down syndrome is one of the most grossly underfunded disorders.  The Buddy Walk and the funds raised help with local and national programs but also help to better the position of the Down syndrome community, enabling us to positively influence local and national policy.
So plan ahead for next year and walk with Will or in honor of Will at your local Buddy Walk.  We will walk the Columbus Buddy Walk in September and also hope to participate in the Indy, Fort Wayne and Cleveland walks as well!  Thank you all for your support of our Buddy:)
http://www.buddywalk.org/
http://www.columbusbuddywalk.org/  and http://www.dsaco.net/ (Columbus)
http://www.dsindiana.org/ (Indianpolis)
http://www.dsani.org/ (Fort Wayne)
http://www.theupsideofdowns.org/ (Cleveland)