Archive for March, 2017

Writing essays, calculating fractions, and studying history— these are what fill a typical middle-schooler’s day.

But, Wednesday afternoon seven middle-school students joined forces with Global Down Syndrome Foundation to work towards a goal: get signatures for Global’s Petition of Support for Down syndrome research. And, the young scholars more than accomplished this. For two hours, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from Stanley British Primary School (BPS) gathered 185 signatures at Lowry Town Center. The students weren’t alone in their efforts. Global guided them, and 3 self-advocates palled up with the students— a collaboration that was helpful and fun for everyone involved.

This teamwork originates from Global CEO and President Michelle Whitten’s daughter, Sophia, who attends Stanley BPS. Sophia’s homeroom class decided to do a Service Learning Project to learn about Down syndrome and why research for it is so important. Sophia also happens to have Down syndrome.

The students were enthusiastic to have a hands-on approach to understanding more about Down syndrome. Prior to the petition signing the students wrote speaking notes and role-played to prepare. And, their preparation paid off. Overall, there were positive reactions and the people to turn down signing the petition were far and few.

The face-to-face interaction students and self-advocates had with the community was successful in helping Global gain strides to our overall goal of 5,000 signatures. While Global made leaps in the number of signatures, we are still short of our target. Now more than ever it’s important to show lawmakers their communities support Down syndrome research. Help us reach our goal so we can present a compelling petition in D.C. later this year!

Local media outlets highlighted the collaboration between Global and Stanley BPS to gain signatures. Whitten, Sophia , and Sophia’s classmate Addie Boyer all sat down with 9News to discuss the petition. Sophia and Addie explain why their class was involved in gathering signatures. You can watch the interview here!

Dr. Tom Blumenthal, executive director for the Linda Crnic Institute – a Global affiliate, and  Whitten also discussed the importance of World Down Syndrome Day and the details of Global’s WDSD event on March 21 with CBS 4. You can watch the discussion here!

Global honored to receive $100K from Daniels Fund

DENVER (March 14, 2017) – Global’s Health and Wellness Programs hit the ground running in 2017 with a game-changing grant from the Daniels Fund for the second year. The grant will help Global improve and grow its eight life-skills programs.

Global will use this generous resource to deliver on both short and long term goals to help continue to serve people with Down syndrome at the highest level. Short term goals include implementing additional formal instructor and Pal trainings, as well as participant safety seminars at each camp. Long term goals focus on reaching new individuals with Down syndrome and to continually spread Global’s mission of improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through Research, Medical Care, Advocacy and Education.

“The Daniels Fund has offered us the opportunity to provide more individuals with Down syndrome the ability to participate in the same sports and activities as their peers,” said Michelle Sie Whitten, President and CEO of Global. “We are incredibly grateful to the Daniels Fund for supporting Global’s Health & Wellness programs again and look forward to another successful year of fun, growth, and inclusion at this year’s camp and programs.”

In 2016 the grant assisted Global’s Health and Wellness Programs in launching three new programs: Global’s Dare to Play Football and Dare to Cheer camps with the CU Buffs, and Global’s Dare to Play Tennis camp with Gates Tennis Center. These new camps were overwhelming successes with athletes with Down syndrome scrimmaging and performing at halftime of the CU Buffs Season Opener, and learning from former #1 tennis player Mats Wilander.

In 2016 participants in Global’s Health and Wellness programs increased by 61% and, thanks to the Daniels Fund, grant, quantitative participant performance evaluations were incorporated to help increase participants’ physical skill and cognitive retention.

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. Formally established in 2009, Global has the primary focus of supporting the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first academic home in the U.S. committed to research and medical care for people with the condition, and the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado, the largest multi-disciplinary team in the U.S. providing medical care for people with Down syndrome. Fundraising and government advocacy that corrects the alarming disparity of national funding for people with Down syndrome is a major short-term goal. Global organizes the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show — the single-largest annual fundraiser benefiting people with Down syndrome. Global organizes and funds many programs and conferences, including the Dare to Play Football Camp with Ed McCaffrey, Global’s Denver Broncos Cheerleaders Dare to Cheer Camp, the Global Down Syndrome Educational Series, and the Dare to Play Soccer Camp. Global is an inclusive organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.