It’s Time – Civil Rights Reception and Award Ceremony

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In September of 2010, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation hosted the first “It’s Time — Civil Rights Reception and Award Ceremony” celebrating the achievements of The Honorable Patrick Kennedy for his leadership on the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus in Washington, D.C. At this event, we were delighted to present Rep. Kennedy with our foundation’s Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award for his life’s work helping people with developmental disabilities and for his important role as a founding Co-Chair of the Down Syndrome Congressional Caucus.

Keynote speakers included Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dr. Alan Guttmacher, Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Kareem Dale, Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement & Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. The reception’s special guest was Supermodel Kathy Ireland, whose niece happens to have Down syndrome. The reception was well-attended with more than 100 Members of Congress, House and Senate staff, self-advocates and other key government officials in attendance.

Thank you to the generous Honorary Chairs of this reception:

Senator Michael F. Bennet
Senator Mark Udall
Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer
Republican Leader John Boehner
Republican Whip Eric Cantor
Representative Mike Coffman
Representative Diana DeGette
Representative Doug Lamborn
Representative Betsy Markey
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative David Obey
Representative Ed Perlmutter
Representative John Salazar
Representative Pete Sessions

Sujeet Desai
DeOndra Dixon
Karen Gaffney
Quincy Jones
Jamie Foxx
Jaime Rucker King
Kimberly Andrew
Carmelo Anthony
David Braddock
Norman Brownstein
David Duval
John Lynch
Yvonne Maddox
Ed McCabe
Ed McCaffrey
Timothy Shriver
Anna and John J. Sie
Billy Van Heusen
Michelle Sie Whitten