It's Down Syndrome Awareness Week 2008 !

On behalf of everyone at Down Syndrome NSW I would like to wish you all a Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Week 2008!

Down Syndrome Awareness Week is an opportunity to celebrate our love for our children, grandchildren, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, schoolmates and workmates who have Down syndrome.

It's an opportunity to help all of society better understand, appreciate and value people with Down syndrome as individuals, with individual needs, talents and abilities. Its also an opportunity to raise funds for Down Syndrome NSW to provide more services and greater support for all people and families affected by Down syndrome.

Down Syndrome Awareness Week commenced with the Inaugural Newcastle Buddy Walk and the second annual Buddy Walk in the Gong. It was a wonderful day at both Walks. Full Reports will be posted soon on the links below.

Buddy Walk is the big focus of this year's Awareness Week. It is the first ever national Down syndrome event held in Australia - a non-competitive, family friendly heart-warming event that the whole community can take part in. Walks are taking place in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, and other communities around the nation. In NSW, we will have a record 4 Walks this year in Newcastle, Wollongong, Sydney and Wagga.

This year, we celebrate with the theme AAA - 'Access All Areas'. We want to improve Down Syndrome NSW's services to all areas of NSW. We also want to make sure no area of family and community life is off-limits just because someone has Down syndrome. We want to increase opportunities for children and adults with Down syndrome to access all areas in society - whether opportunities in education, in sport & recreation, in employment, in accommodation - opportunities to fully participate in 'all areas' and to lead rich, diverse lives.

If you are unable to take part in any of the official events in the program below, you can still join in the celebrations in a number of ways:

* Send us your reports or stories about what Down Syndrome Awreness Week means to you: events@dsansw.org.au

* Support a Buddy Walk Hero this year at http://heroes.buddywalk.org.au

* Make a donation in celebration of DS Awareness Week at https://payments.dsansw.org.au/donations or call 02 9683 1900

* Take part in our DS Awareness Week Raffle. Buy a book of 25 tickets for $50, or buy any number of individual tickets for $2 each. https://payments.dsansw.org.au/payments (please note number of tickets you are purchasing in 'comments' box. Online sales close at midnight on Sat, 18th October). Great prizes include: Conia 22" LCD television, 3 BridgeClimb double passes, 5 Citizen Watches, 3 CD gift packs from Warners Music, Sydney Theatre Company double pass, Studio photo shoot. For full updated prize list email raffle@buddywalk.org.au

A full program of events is below. However you mark this special week, I wish you all the very best and thank you for all the support you have given DS NSW and people with Down syndrome.

Kind regards

Steve Clarke
CEO - Down Syndrome NSW
Tel 02 9683 1900 Mob 0424 044 930
Email steve@dsansw.org.au

Down Syndrome Awareness Week 2008 Program
(12 October - 19 October)

Sunday, 12th October
Buddy Walk - Newcastle http://newcastle.buddywalk.org.au (support local Buddy Walk heroes - full reports posted soon)
Buddy Walk in the Gong http://gong.buddywalk.org.au (support local Buddy Walk heroes - full report posted soon)

Thursday 16th October
'The Christian Brothers' Special DS Awareness Week performance, starring Geoff Morrell Flyer.pdf

Fri 17th - Sun 19th October
Families Weekend 2008, in Dubbo

Sun 19th October
Buddy Walk - Wagga http://wagga.buddywalk.org.au
Buddy Walk - Sydney http://sydney.buddywalk.org.au