Mitch is a very active adult with Down syndrome.  He is a great mentor, friend and advocate. (Here is a photo of Mitch with one of his younger pals).  Mitch was recently elected as the 1st self advocate to the Board of Directors for the Triangle Down Syndrome Network which serves the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and surrounding areas in North Carolina.  Mitch is sharing ideas and informat ion about young adults with Down syndrome to help direct the Board with appropriate programs for that age group. 

 

Mitch also attends the Wake Tech Compensatory Education program two days a week and volunteers at the Finley YMCA once a week.  He is employed at Target and typically works two mornings a week and also at  IMAX where he works one afternoon a week. 

  

Mitch bowls weekly with a group of individuals with special needs, their workers and/or parents.  He also gets together bi-weekly with a group of friends and some of their workers for a social activity.  Mitch is a truly a wonderful inspiration and a tremendous example of the endless and boundless abilities of people with Down syndrome.

 

   

   

Andrew is 18 years old. He has Down syndrome and packs a lot of fun into his life. He goes to school at Cardinal Carter Secondary in Leamington, Ontario, Canada. Andrew is in a bowling league, takes drum lessons, and after-school he volunteers at the Leamington Hospital. One day Andrew was talking to his mom about his cousin who recently went to college. Andrew said he wanted to go too and got an idea to raise some money. He originally wanted to make a lemonade stand, but then his mom noticed one of Andrew's recent rock and roll drawings. (Andrew is a serious fan of music and playing the drums.) Andrew's mom thought it would be neat if Andrew sold t-shirts with one of his cool draw ings. She helped him get some shirts, and have them printed. They turned out really cool and have become a hit.

  

Andrew is having a great time and meeting lots of new people, and he donates part of the proceeds to various groups. He recently was at the Windsor Regional Hospital selling his shirts over the March break and he donated to Project HOPE at the hospital. Andrew's t-shirts are being introduced to F.J. Brennan High School as a uniform option for the students to purchase. Rock On F.J. Brennan!  With every item sold at Brennan High School, Andrew will donate a portion of the proceeds to Brennan's Special Education Department. Andrew has been selling his shirts at his school on his lunch and giving to the Day Of Champions. This is a day when about 120 students with special needs come together for a day of fun and games. They are students from 6-9 high schools within Windsor and Essex County.

  

Andrew enjoys giving back to the community. Andrew will be selling his shirts at Wal-Mart in Leamington. He will be giving to the Children's Miracle Network, they support the London's Children's Health Foundation that supports the sick kids hospital in London, Ontario, Canada. Andrew has been in the London Sick Kids hospital over the past 18 years on many different occasions. We are very grateful for everything they have done for him so this is something that we are definitely looking forward to doing! Andrew will be also selling his shirts at London Sick Kids Hospital in June and July. He will be donating to the Children's Health Foundation.  Andrew's goal of going to college one day has also become a personal challenge to him. The Challenge and the goal is to see how many people will "rock on" with him and how much can he donate back to the community while achieving his goals!

   

  

    

Karen is the president of a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the championing the journey to full inclusion for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities.

   

Karen is a frequent speaker at various conferences, meetings, and gatherings across the United States. She has spoken to our parent support group several times, as well as one of our Buddy Walks®. She works to help organizations build community involvement and awareness to promote inclusion and support for all people with disabilities.

   

Karen is a dedicated and accomplished swimmer. In 2001 Karen completed a relay swim across the English Channel. She has since completed a number of swims across San Francisco Bay and the "Escape From Alcatraz" relay triathlons. This past year she took on a new challenge. She made history again as she swam across the waters of Lake Tahoe. Karen says she wanted to show others that people like her can accomplish anything they put their heart to! She certainly has lived her life as to exemplify this.

  

Through her non-profit organization Karen and a professor at Portland State University produced two powerful videos; "Journey of a Lifetime, Beginning with the End in Mind" and "Opening Doors of Tommorrow, Today". They were created with important messages for new parents, their families and friends that help them see the positive and rewarding challenges they have in front of them. They instill hope for a full and productive life in the hearts and minds of new parents. The videos motivate families to new thinking and positive actions in building up the potential of their child.

   

Another innovative and thoughtful program Karen has worked on through the foundation, is Friends First Network. She works with high schools to create a club for all students. Students with disabilities team up with students without disabilities. They come together, form a club, and they work together on social service projects. In the process, they all learn more about each other, and what it takes to be a friend. It is her hope to have a network of Friends First clubs all around the country all making a difference every day.

   

The Get Moving Program is yet another addition to the powerful workshops and programs created under the umbrella of the foundation. This program provides motivation and support to people with developmental disabilities and their families who want to maintain and or achieve a high level of physical fitness. Karen presents a workshop as an introduction to this program that is designed for self advocates, their parents and family members. She teaches that physical fitness impacts social and academic development. Participants have the opportunity to design a workout plan that meets their own goals and interests.

   

Karen has made a huge difference for those children and families born with Down syndrome since her birth. We are all grateful and inspired by her and her family. The future certainly is brighter for all us because of her!

    

   

      

Katie serves on the Board of Directors for Omaha Down Syndrome Parents Network (ODSPN). She is the 1st Self-Advocate on the Board. Katie works part-time in Food Services five days a week at Alegent Lakeside Hospital. She is the first person with a cognitive disability to be employed at the Hospital. She has received 2 raises since becoming an employee of Alegent Lakeside. Katie was named Miss Amazing Jr. Miss in the Nebraska Miss Amazing Pageant. She had made numerous appearances because of this title including welcoming attendees at The ARC of Nebraska Annual Nebraska Senator Appreciation dinner and at The ARC of Nebraska State conference.

   

Katie volunteers for many activities for ODSPN and other activities including the National Wheelchair Olympics and visiting with other families about Down syndrome. She is also actively involved in several Adult Recreation Programs with The ARC of Omaha and the Munroe Meyer Institute. Katie likes to go shopping, eating out, going to movies and hanging out with friends. She also sings in the Celebration Chorus.

   

  

    

Tony joined the Board of Directors of the Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana one year ago and has served faithfully since. He is a very active Board member with much input, good advice and always has new ideas to share. His role as a self advocate was a feature story in the local paper recently. He was an integral part of our new Young Adults Committee (“YAC”) which involves activities for adults 21 years of age and older. He is also the lead in a new video highlighting our children and young adults in real life situations, showing just how much they can accomplish. We are very proud of Tony and all that he brings to our board!