F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Ready…Set…Walk! It’s time to celebrate this fun filled day with family and friends and celebrate all individuals with Down Syndrome!  We will have activities the whole family can enjoy such as a petting zoo, moon bounces, ice cream truck, fun games, entertainment, food, speakers, and much, much more.  Darcie Carson and her staff from KIDZART will be back again this year with a new mural for kids to color.  Top fundraiser/teams will be announced shortly following the walk.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. will be hosting it’s 10th Annual Buddy Walk on Saturday, September 17, 2011 near the band shell at Baker Park, located near beautiful downtown Frederick, Maryland.

Check-in/Registration begins at 11:00 am.  Walk begins at 1:00 pm.  When you check-in/register, you will receive your tee shirt(s).

The approx. one mile/one-block walk begins and ends at the band shell in Baker Park.

• BUDDY WALK BROCHURE

Click 2011 Buddy Walk Brochure to download brochure/registration form.

If you are having difficulty viewing the brochure, please click the link below to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

• BAKER PARK BUDDY WALK LAYOUT

Click here for a layout of the grounds at Baker Park for the Buddy Walk.

• BUDDY WALK PATH

Click here to see the path around the park that we will be walking.

 • MUMS

In a wonderful partnership with Chloe’s Cause Foundation, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. will be selling mums.  Click here to download the Mums order form.  It will also be mailed out with the brochure if you gave your name and address at last year’s walk.  You will be able to pick your mums up the day of the Buddy Walk (11am-4pm)!

To order MUMS online at Chloe’s Cause Foundation, please click here.

• PRIZES AND RECOGNITION

Special recognition and prizes will be given shortly after the walk to the following:

The most creative team tent – Your team has worked really hard up to this point at fundraising, recruiting and walking. But the fun isn’t over yet! We know that your team is overflowing with spirit and fun, so show it! This is your chance to get creative by coming up with your tent theme and going all out to make your tent a true party. Make your tent stand out above the rest! A random panel of judges will be visiting each tent the day of the Buddy Walk and will be awarding a large ribbon that afternoon recognizing the Best Team Tent! Please email Dean at dcoccia12@yahoo.com prior to the walk if you plan on bringing and setting up a team tent.

The most creative team –Show your team spirit and make your team stand out. Be creative, be silly, and just have fun! Let’s see who has the most creative team!

The largest school team –The top school team will lead the 2011 Buddy Walk. What are you waiting for kids…. get out there and spread the word to all your school friends and get your teams formed!  Ask Mom & Dad to help.

The largest team – Get as many family, friends, co-workers, etc. to join your team. The goal is to raise awareness and support inclusion in our community.

The team with the most money raised – Send an email to all your friends, family, co-workers, and school friends and see how many people are willing to sponsor your winning team.

The “Top Dog(s)” – The top three fundraisers will receive special recognition and prizes, 1st Place, 2nd Place & 3rd Place

All winners will be featured in the 2012 Buddy Walk Brochure and recognized in our October newsletter.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and register and get your team formed online at www.firstgiving.com/frederickfriends

Please help our organization bring together a wide range of concerned individuals to reach out to friends, family and co-workers to promote awareness and inclusion for people with Down Syndrome and to raise money for research, education and advocacy programs.

Please check back often to our website for updated information.

• BRAD HENNEFER

This year, we are very pleased to welcome, our special guest, Brad Hennefer and his family.

“Brad Hennefer is a young man with Down Syndrome.  Brad lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, with his family.  In 2008, he was the first individual with Down Syndrome to graduate from Cherry Hill High School East.  Brad also works part-time for Aramark at CH East, as well as at Wegman’s Supermarket in Cherry Hill, NJ.  Brad enjoys listening to music, watching movies, hanging out with his many friends, and playing sports.  He has participated in Special Olympics basketball, golf and weight lifting, winning several gold and silver medals.  He also was a member of his high school varsity basketball and golf teams.” Please visit The Brad Hennefer Golf for Life Foundation website at www.golfforlife.org.

• MARGIE SMELLER

This year, we are very pleased to welcome, another special guest, Margie Smeller.

Margie Smeller does outsider art in Frederick County, Maryland. Born in 1984 with Down syndrome, Margie developed a keen color sense through her constant freehand drawing of abstract crayon studies.  Her work today is usually mixed media on canvass or water color paper as purely abstract art or semi representational.  She distorts perspective and tends to present all dimensions of an object in a two dimensional format. She works from home, at Art Enables in the District of Columbia and at Scott Key Center in Frederick, Maryland. Please visit her website at www.margiesmellerart.com.

 
• FIRSTGIVING

Let us know you want to walk! Click on the FirstGiving link below to register yourself, setup your team, and create your own fundraising page.  Online registration is simple, fast, and secure.  If you prefer not to register online, simply fill out the registration form (click on the brochure link) and mail in no later than 8/25/11 to be guaranteed t-shirts.  Invite your friends, family, co-workers, school friends, and others to walk with you.

Click here or logo above to go to our FirstGiving fundraising page for the Buddy Walk.

• 2011 SPONSORS

We would love to thank some of our awesome sponsors for this year’s Buddy Walk.

• EXHIBITORS

We are happy to welcome back exhibitors from previous years and some new ones too.  These are businesses or organizations that have products and/or services related to special needs individuals.  If you would like to exhibit at the Buddy Walk, please click here for a letter to exhibitors.

• SPOKESMAN’S MESSAGE

Welcome to the Buddy Walk®!

I’m John C. McGinley, Ambassador of The National Down Syndrome Society.

My son Max has taught me that people with Down syndrome are more LIKE the rest of us than they are different. They have feelings, talents and dreams just like everyone. And they deserve to be accepted and appreciated for who they are and what they contribute to our communities.

Thank you for visiting this Web site to learn more about the Buddy Walk®. I hope you’ll consider joining a Buddy Walk® in your local area. It’s an incredible day of celebration with family, friends and people who, like you, want to raise awareness, raise funds, and raise the hope of a better world for all people with Down syndrome. With your support and involvement, our goals of acceptance, inclusion and empowerment will become a reality!

Sincerely,
John C. (and Max!)

P.S. Don’t forget to visit the National Down Syndrome Society’s Web site, www.ndss.org, to learn more about Down syndrome and other NDSS programs.

 • PARKING

Click here for map of parking garages.  The locations are:

The Court Street garage is located at 2 S. Court St. and is accessible from S. Court St. and Citizens Way.

The Church Street garage is located at 17 E. Church St. and is accessible from E. Church St. and off of the 100 block of N.Market St. behind the Brewery Pub and Restaurant.

The Carroll Creek Garage is located at 44 E. Patrick St. next to the C. Burr Arts Library and is accessible from the 1 st block of E. Patrick St. and off of the 1 st block of S. Market St.

The West Patrick Street garage is located at 138 W. Patrick St. next to the Fredrick County Courthouse on the west side, and is accessible from 2nd block of W. Patrick St. and the first block of S. Court St.

The East All Saints Street Garage and is located at 125 East All Saints Street on the corner of East All Saints and South Carroll Street.

(exerpt from www.cityoffrederick.com)

• BUDDY WALK HISTORY

The Buddy Walk® was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Today, the Buddy Walk program is supported nationally by NDSS and organized at the local level by parent support groups, schools and other organizations and individuals.

The Buddy Walk program has grown from 17 walks nationwide to nearly 300 expected in 2011.  Last year alone, 285,000 people participated in a Buddy Walk!  They raised more than $11.2 million to benefit local programs and services as well as the national advocacy initiatives that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome.

For more information on the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) Buddy Walk click here.

• ABOUT F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is a Down Syndrome Advocacy Group of parents re-formed in 1999 in Frederick County, Maryland to:

- Be a support and resource group for expectant parents, new parents and extended families of babies born with Down syndrome;

- Provide age-appropriate activities for our children and their friends;

- Advocate for community awareness and acceptance;

- Have monthly meetings with professional speakers experienced in issues relative to Down syndrome;

We meet monthly at the Middletown United Methodist Church at 6:30 PM to share the joys and challenges of parenting.

Please come out and join us!