Posts Tagged ‘Halloween’

Mady

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is happy to announce the winner of our first Halloween Costume Photo Contest: Mady Kirkpatrick of Illinois dressed as a ladybug for Halloween, and her photo led the pack with an amazing 639 likes on our Facebook album page!

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is donating $250 to UPS for DownS, the local Down syndrome nonprofit organization selected by Mady’s parents, Vicki and Gregg. UPS for DownS stands for United Parent Support for Down Syndrome, serving families that love someone with Down syndrome.

Mady is 2 years old and will turn 3 on Christmas Day. This was the first Halloween that Mady was able to walk up to the doors while she was trick-or-treating. Her speech therapist made her a sign that said “Trick or Treat,” and she proudly show her sign and say “TREAT!!!” Then she’d turn the sign around, and it read “Thank you.” She would then use sign language to say thanks for the treats.

She has three older sisters, and her mom says she loves to follow their lead. One night, her oldest sister was dancing, and Mady watched and repeated her moves. Then Mady would do a move, and her sister would copy her. After going back and forth a few times, Mady did the splits, and her sister couldn’t duplicate it, so Mady got up, clapped and said, “Yea!,” feeling like she won the “competition.”

Mady’s mom says Mady is a fighter. “She was close to death a couple of times, and thankfully she fought back … AND WON!!!” she says. “She doesn’t give up on learning, even when she has had enough. We always joke and say instead of having plenty of Attitude, she has plenty of Mad-a-tude.”

Mady loves learning new things and playing on the iPad. Her favorite food is cookies of any kind.

“Gregg and I feel so lucky to have Mady and her sisters in our lives,” Vicki says. “They have changed us for the better. We treasure every moment with them!”

Thank you to everyone who shared their photos in the contest. Every photo showed the world a precious child and put smiles on countless faces.

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation invites you to share your spookiest, scariest, cutest, funniest, strangest or all-around best Halloween photos for our Halloween Costume Photo Contest!

Over the next week, we encourage families to submit photos of their child with Down syndrome in his/her costume, and the photo with the most “likes” on our Facebook page before midnight on Monday, November 12, will be the winner! The winning photo will be featured in our new newsletter, and $250 will be donated to the local Down syndrome organization of the winner’s choosing!

To submit a photo, email mbryant@globaldownsyndrome.org, or send a photo to us via Facebook or Twitter.

Check back to our Facebook page often as new photos are posted, and vote for your favorites.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!