Savannah’s ultimate Southern Mama, Paula Deen, will be the Grand Marshal for the 2012 Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk on Oct. 6 in Forsyth Park.
Deen will be leading walk participants in the one mile fundraising event. Thousands of people are expected to attend the event, which raises awareness and funds for local programs, including Camp Buddy, that benefit people with Down syndrome and their families. Last year’s LDSS Buddy Walk welcomed over 4,000 participants.

The Buddy Walk Program welcomes participants of all ages and abilities. Bring your carriage, strollers, wheelchairs, little red wagons and pets. The goals are to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome and to positively influence local and national policy and practice. Last year alone, Buddy Walk events nationally raised more that $11.2 million to benefit education, research, and advocacy initiatives, as well as the Night of Champions, Camp Buddy and many other services right here in the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire.

The walk begins at 10 AM. The Family Fun Festival, which starts immediately following the walk, will feature a variety of activities such as face painting, pumpkin painting,the BOO Boutique, bouncy houses, games, music and refreshments and last until 2 PM. The LDSS Buddy Walk is one of more than 300 Buddy Walks taking place across the country this October to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

Registration forms for the walk are available online at www.ldssga.org or sign-up starting at 8:30 AM day of the event. Registration is $12 per person or $40 for a family of four. Registration includes this years limited edition T-Shirt, Lunch and admission to the festival. To learn more, visit www.ldssga.org or contact John or Candy Bogardus at (912) 728-8505.

About the Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society: The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society (LDSS) is a support group to benefit people with Down Syndrome and their families through local leadership in support, outreach, education and advocacy. Meetings are held every 4th Tuesday of the month, typically with a guest speaker and social time for families to meet and interact with one another. People are encouraged to bring their children. The group is an affiliate of the National Down Syndrome Society. www.ldssga.org

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2012 at 7:51 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.