Dear MDSC Members,  
 

Our Buddy Walk & Family Festival Chairs - the Tabaskys - have been hard at work throughout the summer and into the fall getting ready to greet you at our October Buddy Walk. 

 

We wanted you to have the chance to hear from them directly.

See below for a letter from Kerri and Jon Tabasky for the Buddy Walk & Family Festival on Oct. 13 in Wakefield. 

 

When you're at Lake Quannapowitt next month, be sure to introduce yourself to Kerri & Jon. They are instrumental in making this event meaningful and fun for your entire family.

A Letter from Kerri & Jon Tabasky

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. 

 


About the Buddy Walk® Program

The Buddy Walk® was developed by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. The Buddy Walk has grown from 17 walks in 1995 to nearly 300 walks planned for 2013 worldwide. In 2012, more than $11.5 million was raised nationwide to benefit local programs and services, as well as the national advocacy and public awareness initiatives of NDSS that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome. The MDSC Buddy Walk Program is New England's largest public awareness platform to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. 


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Promoting Acceptance & Inclusion

Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Mission

We work to ensure individuals with Down syndrome in Massachusetts are valued, included, and given the opportunities to pursue fulfilling lives by providing information, networking opportunities, and advocacy for people with Down syndrome and their families, educators, health care professionals, and the community-at-large.

 

www.mdsc.org