BRATTLEBORO — Organizers here are hosting Brattleboro's sixth annual Buddy Walk on the Common this Saturday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. All are welcome.
The walk, developed by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month and to promote inclusion of people with Down syndrome, has grown from 17 walks in 1995 to nearly 300 planned worldwide this year.
This year's Brattleboro Buddy Walk, a celebration of local accomplishments and goals for raising awareness and promoting community inclusion, includes a gentle, mile-long walk, a keynote address, lunch, live music, games, prizes, and vendors.
Funds raised will support Brattleboro's newly opened Inclusion Center, a participant-focused and -led nonprofit drop-in center for those living with and without disabilities.
Organizers say the center, open Friday afternoons at the Gibson-Aiken Center, provides a fun, safe environment for people of all ages to come together to engage in social, recreational, and educational activities.
Registration for this year's Brattleboro Buddy Walk is free for anyone who collects $100 or more in pledges for the Inclusion Center.
Brattleboro's Buddy Walk website notes that Down syndrome occurs when an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.
The site says Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition and that one in every 733 babies is born with the condition.
“Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual … People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways,” the site adds.
In 2013, the National Down Syndrome Society raised $12.2 million nationwide through its walks and other outreach efforts to benefit all with Down syndrome.