Buddy Walk promotes inclusion, support for local Down syndrome community
Buddy Walk promotes inclusion, support for local Down syndrome community
Advocacy and support are the main goals for a yearly walk that gathered parents, children and friends last weekend to praise milestones and achievements of their own.
The Buddy Walk began as an effort sprouted from the Southern Maryland Down Syndrome Association in 2006. Nationally, the Buddy Walk was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
This year’s local walk took place Sunday, Oct. 3 at Gilbert Run Park in Charlotte Hall. About 200 people attended the event — a mixture of new families and longtime association members.
Colleen Morrill, Southern Maryland Down Syndrome Association board member, said it is the participation from new families that makes her smile.
“It helps raise awareness that we’re here and for new families coming to the area, they can have a point of contact and connect with someone,” Morrill said. “When your child is first diagnosed with Down syndrome, you’re thrown into a whirlwind and there are so many emotions and you think you’re the only one… a lot of parents have a fear about the unknown and with Down syndrome they fear their child will not have the life they envisioned. They will have a good life, it just won’t be what you expected.”
Funds raised from the walk go toward summer camp scholarships and various events and activities the group funds, including indoor swimming, bowling, going to baseball games and the Fall Festival coming up later this month.
Jessica Dixon said she and her husband Andy found the group soon after their son, Aaron, was born. The Buddy Walk was their first big event.
“We didn’t know Aaron would have Down syndrome when he was born so it was a surprise and we wanted to find a group to get involved with to find parents with similar experiences and celebrate those milestones with their kids,” Dixon, of Waldorf, said.
Dixon said soon after she joined the group she met a family with a daughter the same age as Aaron and they’ve been friends ever since. In addition to making friends, she said she’s learned about Down syndrome in a way she never thought she would have before. As a teacher at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, Dixon said she knew about the condition “but didn’t really know anything.”
“It’s kind of a shock to your system. You don’t expect your kid to have anything wrong, you just want them to be perfect,” Dixon said. “And he is perfect, just not in the way I expected.”
Dixon said being able to interact with families she doesn’t see in her day-today life, sharing stories and advice, talking about struggles and celebrating the childrens’ achievements year after year is rewarding.
Maria Henneck, of Waldorf, agreed.
“I enjoy talking with the other parents because we share information and help each other. You get a lot of help talking with other parents who have children that go through the same struggles as yours,” Henneck said.
Henneck said misconceptions about the syndrome are prevalent in society and she hopes through events like the walk that awareness will be raised.
“A lot of people have no idea,” Henneck said. “Others see children with Down syndrome as a burden and they don’t know what to do around them. They’re scared of them. We like to spread awareness because it’s completely the opposite. These children are capable of everything that other children are and they are such loving children and worth taking the time out to pay attention to.”
Several high school students volunteered with the walk this year, which will help lessen that “fear of the unknown” in the future.
“It allows them to see what it’s like to have a child with Down syndrome because they will be the next generation having kids,” Morrill said. “It’s so important for future generations to see what it’s like to have a child with Down syndrome. We’re still living and going out and having fun and so are our kids. They’re just like everyone else.”