AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Upside of Downs local chapters are using all of their recent event funds to further their services for Down Syndrome children and families.
The Upside of Downs Augusta and Aiken groups hosted their national event, the 15th Annual Buddy Walk, in honor of Down Syndrome awareness month on Saturday, at the Evans Towne Center Park.
According to Augusta’s chapter, The Buddy Walk is their primary fundraiser for the year. They use the funds that are raised to pay for recreational activity fees, informational packets for new parents of babies with Down syndrome, conference fees, family social events, and summer camps.
Karen Strite, President of the Augusta group, shared, “The Buddy Walk is more than a fundraiser. We want our community to recognize that the best unity is through diversity. Our children with extra chromosomes have needs, dreams, and emotions like everyone else. But they also have differences, and it is these differences that we fiercely value because they have taught us so much about truth, beauty, and love.”
“Differences are not scary; they are simply invitations to see life in new ways. The best goal of our Buddy Walk is for our communities to join us in the joy of celebrating diversity and applying what they learn to the rest of the world,” Strite continued.
The chapter is also trying to increase our support to families by offering scholarships for children with Down syndrome to receive educational opportunities at recognized schools or programs such as Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Aparro Academy, and Steps of Grace Ballet, and others, according to the group.
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