#BuddyFestNW 2021

Saturday, October 8, 2022

10:30 PM to 1:00 PM

Facebook and YouTube

This year we bring our annual celebration of acceptance and inclusion to the community in a safe and accessible way via Facebook Live and YouTube for our 2nd virtual #BuddyFestNW and 23rd annual celebration! We need your participation to make it a successful community celebration!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 8, 2022, like us on Facebook and YouTube, register as an individual or create a team, engage your community in team building and fundraising, consider corporate sponsorship, throw on a past #BuddyFestNW t-shirts (or make your own), and show us how you are celebrating. 

Create your #BuddyFestNW team or individual fundraising profile beginning August 8, 2022 -- Registration is FREE -- at www.buddyfestnw.org! This is NWDSA’s largest fundraiser of the year to support the work we do that values self-determination, relationships, social justice, equity, and diversity!

Come enjoy some online fun and festivities with entertainment, messages from individuals with Down syndrome, videos from the community, and music to kick off Down syndrome awareness and acceptance month in October! Invite your family and friends to participate by donating and joining the live celebration to show their support. Your efforts mean so much to us, and we are beyond grateful to be celebrating another #BuddFestNW with you, and sharing Down syndrome pride.  

Your support of #BuddyFestNW can earn you a variety of incentives including an Apple Watch, Apple Airpods Pro, Apple iPad Mini, or Buddy Bear. Donations toward incentives and raffle tickets must be received by October 06, 2022. 

For more information contact Angela Frome at buddyfestnw@nwdsa.org or 503-238-0522 (English) or Maria Rangel at mrangel@nwdsa.org or 503-262-4029 (Spanish).

Funds raised by October 06, 2022 will count toward incentives and raffle tickets. Donations received after and throughout the month of October, will continue to support #BuddyFestNW.

#BuddyFestNW promotes acceptance and inclusion of all people with Down syndrome. The walk brings together family members, friends, professionals, community leaders and individuals with Down syndrome from Portland Metro, SW Washington, and beyond!

NWDSA's mission is to create and nurture a loving and inclusive community celebrating every individual with a disability, including Down syndrome.

*Donations for earning incentives and raffle tickets must be received by October 6, 2022. Top teams and individuals will be selected based on status as of 10/06/22 at 11:59 pm. 

Funds Raised at #BuddyFestNW help empower and support families and individuals, connect new parents to the community, increase education and promote public understanding and acceptance, increase competence of professionals, work toward full inclusion, and defend the civil rights of individuals with disabilities.  Key programs and activities, offered in English, Spanish, and now virtually,  nclude:

• New Parent Outreach and Ongoing Support
• Healing Hearts Booklets
• Open Arms Playgroups 
• Winter and Summer Socials
• Medical and Genetic Outreach
• Youth Leadership Group
• Parent and Self-Advocacy
• Reciprocal Learning Community Workshops
• Community Training Opportunities
• Resourcefulness Center Access and Drop-in Hours
• Event Calendar, Newsletters,  and Website
• Community Partnership and Education
• World Down Syndrome Day Celebration

Kristen Behlings is a performer in numerous arenas: acting, dancing and puppetry, to name a few! 

She loves crafting, whether it’s a funny hat for Tony Starlight or 300 snowflakes to hang from the ceiling of his performance space. 

She is thrilled to be invited to emcee this year’s #BuddyFestNW and can’t wait to be a part of the fun!

Individuals with Down syndrome and their families can be part of the community keynote during the 2021 #BuddyFestNW celebration!

Please send us a 15-30 second video sharing Down syndrome pride, what #BuddyFestNW and Down syndrome acceptance and inclusion means to you, or your love for someone with Down syndrome! 

It could be one word or a sentence, picture, or dance.  It can be simple or fancy. You can wear a #BuddyFestNW t-shirt from a previous year, something blue and yellow for Down syndrome awareness, or whatever you want.

We can’t wait to see your faces, hear your voices, see your messages, and feel the love and pride you have for your life with Down syndrome! Feel free to share your name, team name, and team sign with your video and email it to buddyfestnw@nwdsa.org by September 12, 2021! 

Creating a good, usable video is easy! Record with your phone horizontal, not vertical. Make sure you are close to the phone to be heard clearly. Avoid recording where there is background noise (television, traffic, lawn mower, barking dogs, etc.). Just have fun and share your #BuddyFest spirit! 

Thank you for sharing and being an important part of our day!