Annual DS Walk

Today we are joining our team Dana's Daisies along with 1600+ other people from the community to celebrate those born with one extra chromosome & help raise awareness Down Syndrome. 

My niece Dana is one of those being celebrated today! I absolutely love being able to come & help support my family & help raise awareness for those with Down Syndrome. 

During this annual event individuals & families are able to learn more about Down Syndrome, browse through resource vendors, network with other families & enjoy tons of family entertainment. It is always a great time & the kids end up having SO much fun!

This year almost $70,000 was raised for DSAW-Fox Cities community through sponsors, pledges & donations! 

The weather wasn't too bad for once. There were moments of sunshine, it wasn't raining & it wasn't super cold or windy - unlike the past 2 years. We got to the park late morning, collected our t-shirts, food tickets, goody bags & let the kids run around playing in the park & participating in all the fun activities the event had to offer.

There were clowns who made fun balloons for the kids, face painting, mini-train rides, giant slides, rock climbing wall, trampoline bungee jumping, bounce house, photo booth & a petting zoo.

After we all ate lunch, we headed over to the stage area where the speaker announced the top 10 teams who had the most donations. Our team Dana's Daisies proudly raised $4295 which put us in 4th place of all the teams.

After the announcements it was time to line up & begin the 1 mile walk around the river front of Lake Winnebago. It was at that moment that it started to lightly sprinkle :(

We got about a 1/2 mile in & it started to pour down rain....of course. We took a short-cut back to the park & ended up packing up our stuff quickly & heading home to dry off & warm up. It was a bit disappointing that it rained but we were thankful it had held off until that moment!

All in all, it was a fun event & the kids had a great time playing & hanging out together. Next years' event is already on the calendar & once again we will be making the trip to WI. Let's just hope for some sunshine next year while we are there!?