Skagit County Buddy Walk 2008 - Huge Success

This is the photo and captioning from the front page of the Skagit Valley Herald - Sunday Edition for October 12, 2008. Click here to visit the Skagit Valley Herald.

The Second Annual Skagit County Buddy Walk was a huge success, drawing approximately 400 people from around the county. We walked to raise awareness that people living with Down syndrome are equal contributing members of society, (not sick, ill, diseased or worthless "r*t*rds" [I HATE that word!!!] as some are led to believe). They are integral family members and valuable contributors in schools, churches, communities, and workplaces throughout our communities. Their participation adds so much value to everyday life throughout our communities in so many different ways.

Jessica's contribution is one of encouragement. She is the biggest and best cheerleader for her friends and family members. She is always the first one to say, "Good job!" or "Yay!". She thoroughly enjoys watching others succeed, whether in sports, music, at recess, in school, whatever effort she observes. Thank you, Jessica, for reminding us that we can enjoy life as we encourage others to do the same - "life is about enjoying the success of others... not all about me and my success".

We couldn't have ordered better weather for the event as we walked and celebrated the day's festivities in the warmth of the Fall sunshine, hardly a cloud in sight with just a nip in the air - perfect light sweater (& rainbow scarf) weather. [Not too sure how Jessica keeps getting the feature picture...maybe it was our bright rainbow colored scarves that attracted the reporters' attention...? For the past two years, I have made scarves especially for members of "Team Jessica" to wear as we walk together. This year the fabric was bright rainbow colors as seen above. Of course, I couldn't be more proud, though, we would be very happy to share the "spotlight"!]

Beyond the obvious, getting to celebrate Jessica for who she is... Yesterday was so much fun for me as a parent of a child with Down syndrome for so many other reasons as well. First, it was a huge blessing and encouragement to have so many of our friends, family, church family and community contacts come out and walk with us. It is this kind of love and practical support that makes all the difference in the world when raising a child with special needs.

Second, it is always a joy to see individuals with Down syndrome enjoying life at all ages and stages - from the youngest to the oldest. There were several musicians (with ds) who assisted Jon Dalgren and his band "Out of the Ashes" as they kept us all entertained with lively, amazing music throughout the day. These young (and old) musicians are very talented and obviously thoroughly enjoyed their most important role of the day! The day would have been very boring and dull without them!!! Thank you, Jon & band for the gift of music!

Thirdly, I was so inspired by the positive attitudes of all the volunteers and walkers! The way that so many community members came out and volunteered of their time, energy, and financial resources to make the lives of our ds community so much brighter was truly motivating. I heard so many compliments about the organization of the event and how it reinforced the message: "steps for a brighter tomorrow". One walker commented that, "I didn't realize until today how many people there really are in our county that have Down syndrome". Yes, there really are and there are many, many more who weren't even present.

So to each one of you who supports and encourages our community members with Down syndrome, from the youngest to the oldest, not only for annual events like the Buddy Walk, but on every level every day - in our hospitals, schools, workplaces, recreation venues, homes, and elsewhere - THANK YOU for taking "steps for a brighter tomorrow"! Each one of you make a difference! Thank you!