Come Buddy Walk with us, please?

Our Buddy Walk is a fundraiser for the local (Oregon & SW Washington) Down syndrome parent and self-advocate group, NWDSA. They are a great group that we were happy to find when we moved to Portland. Even though our son is 6 so is technically a year too old, we still go to their Open Arms playgroup because we love the people so much. If you would like to donate to our team, Biscuit Patrol, you can get there through tinyurl.com/BiscuitPatrol2011.

However, we'd rather see you there that day than have your money. For me the Buddy Walk is about building community. Coming out that day says to me that you accept people with Down syndrome as part of your world. They are your neighbors; WE are your neighbors. You can register to walk (which can be done for free if that's an issue) by following that link then clicking "My Team Page"  above our photo, then clicking "Join Our Team" and following the instructions.

[I want to apologize right here for the convoluted process required on that website. I have no control over how Kintera sets things up and no control over NWDSA's choice of Kintera to run things. I've struggled with it for years, but that's just how it is. Making that custom TinyURL was the best I could come up with to make navigation semi-reasonable.]


If you aren't in the SW Washington/Oregon area, feel free to throw a donation our way. The money will be well-spent! One of the many good things they do is to provide packets to families who are new to the area or have just received a diagnosis. And those snacks at playgroup don't buy themselves. :-)

Another option is to find a Buddy Walk in your area. Go to Find a Buddy Walk Near You to do just that. There's a U.S. map, links to list the walks by state, and a link to International Walks if you aren't in the U.S. Wherever you are you can walk "by our side" and show that people who happen to experience life with Down syndrome are not invisible to you.

Thanks for reading.