Dear MDSC Member,  

Our Buddy Walk Chairs - the Trottiers and the Tabaskys - have been hard at work throughout the summer and into the fall getting ready to greet you at our two autumn Buddy Walks. 

See below for two letters from our Chairs - Russ and Kelly Trottier for the Buddy Walk & Harvest Fair (Sept. 22 in Uxbridge) and Kerri and Jon Tabasky for the Buddy Walk & Family Festival (Oct. 13 in Wakefield). 

Dear Friends,

We are honored and delighted to chair the Buddy Walk & Harvest Fair, the 1st ever buddy walk in Central Massachusetts! The walk will take place at Uxbridge's River Bend Farm on September 22, 2013 @ 10:00AM. 

This old-fashioned country fair-themed event will include a hay stack maze, field games, children's music and entertainment, refreshments and other activities and games for the entire family.

It promises to be a fun-filled day, but it is more than that. The purpose of the event, of course, is to raise awareness about Down syndrome and to promote inclusion. Even more important, it is a celebration of our friends and family in the Down syndrome community.  

We are so very pleased to co-chair this inaugural event as we ourselves are just at the beginning of our journey as parents of a child with Down syndrome - Colin turns 2 on September 29th.

When Colin was born, we were told he would probably need to have heart surgery to close a hole in his heart. However, during a visit to Boston Children's Hospital this summer, we learned that the hole had actually closed on its own. We realize that these ups and down are all part of our journey. Colin (below) is the rock of our family and none of us would trade this life for anything.

Already, we realize how much we've benefited from the hard work of those who came before us. That's why we believe in "Paying It Forward." The MDSC has been central to so many advancements, like fighting for legislation to support people with Down syndrome, and building programs that help new and expecting parents.

"Paying It Forward" is why we are working tirelessly to raise funds to reach our overall walk goal of $50,000 to support the MDSC's programs and services. It is our way of giving back and helping ensure that the MDSC will be around for our children and children's children for the years to come.

So please join us on Sunday, September 22nd for the 1st ever Buddy Walk & Harvest Fair. 

Go here to Register Today! 

We hope to see you there.... Let's Pay It Forward together!

Best,

Russ, Kelly, Mason, Mitchell, Colin, and Cole Trottier

Whitinsville, Mass.

P.S. - T-shirts are only guaranteed for participants who pre-register before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 19.  

Dear Family & Friends,

We are honored to once again co-chair the 17th Annual Buddy Walk.  Last year, as the sprinkles began to fall on our drive home from beautiful Lake Quannapowitt, we agreed that the walk had become much more than just a leisurely stroll to raise awareness and to promote inclusion.  

It had become a celebration of our friends and family in the Down syndrome community.  It was, really, a "festival," in every sense of the word.  The MDSC Buddy Walk Task Force agreed, and decided that the new name of this special event would be the "Buddy Walk and Family Festival."

We are especially pleased to co-chair this year's Festival, as this is a particularly important year in our family's Down syndrome journey.  This fall, our daughter Anna began her elementary school education.  We knew in our hearts that Anna could only reach her full potential by being an active participant in a fully integrated, mainstream kindergarten classroom.  Getting the school district to agree with us was not an easy process, something to which we're sure many of you can relate. 

It would have been difficult if not impossible for us to accomplish this goal without the support and resources made available to us by the MDSC. For example, there was a lot we didn't know about the IEP process, or what exactly constituted the least restrictive standard to which Anna was entitled.  The MDSC provided us with up-to-date literature on what we could expect, the roadmap to succeed, and what benefits the "typical" kids would get by Anna's participation in the classroom. 

When things got complicated, the MDSC gave us a list of advocates, medical and psychiatric professionals who truly understood Anna's capabilities, the importance of maintaining high expectations from her teachers, and why she deserved a chance in a mainstream classroom.  The MDSC also put us in touch with several wonderful families from this community who were incredibly generous with their time and knowledge.  We are forever in their debt.

Today, the Down syndrome community is facing new challenges.  Whether it be prenatal testing, medical treatment designed to improve cognition, or decreased funding of jobs and education programs, the importance of the MDSC has never been greater. 

This is why we have set a lofty but attainable personal fundraising goal of $20,000 to support the MDSC's programs and services such as the Parents' First Call Program, Advocates in Motion (AIM), and the affiliate groups Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome (D.A.D.S) and Down Syndrome Autism Connection (DSAC).

It is up to all of us to ensure that the MDSC will be around for our children and friends for many years to come.

Please join us on October 13th at scenic Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Massachusetts for the festival. We hope to see you there!

Go here to Register Today! 

And THANK YOU to all of you who continue to walk, fundraise, raise awareness, or donate so that people like Anna are accepted and given the chances in life to be happy and live out their dreams.

Warm regards,

Kerri, Jon, Jordan, Maya and Anna Tabasky
Sudbury, Mass.