18th Annual Chippewa Valley Down Syndrome Awareness Walk 2024

Where to Go

Irvine Park
- Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
When you arrive, only ONE member of your team needs to check in and pick up shirts. Everyone else can go right to enjoying the activities!

Our event takes place rain or shine! Please dress for the weather!
We recommend bringing cash for our amazing raffles!
Please do NOT bring rollerblades, skates, pets, balloons, glitter, or confetti as these items are strictly prohibited.

T-shirts are included with registration. Register by 11:59pm on August 31 to be guaranteed a t-shirt on Walk Day.
T-shirts are pick up only and can be picked up at the Walk on September 29th
We will have a limited number of shirts available at the event for those who registered after the t-shirt deadline, but we do not order many extras as to avoid wasting shirts.
Virtual Walker shirts will be shipped directly to the address your provide if you register before August 31.

Our Family Festival includes music, games, raffles, prizes, activities, and more!

Before the walk begins, we will host a 21 Showcase where individuals with Down syndrome of ALL ages will get a chance to walk the red carpet in front of their family and friends.
Children who are not yet able to walk on their own can walk with a parent, caregiver, or sibling!
Click here to sign up.
Deadline to submit is Friday, September 13.

It's incredibly easy to fundraise on Facebook! After you register for our event, you will have the option to link a Facebook fundraiser to your team on Qgiv. Thermometer totals will be updated automatically as you receive donations thru Facebook fundraisers. Make fundraising extremely easy for your networks!
Note that you must create your Facebook fundraiser via Qgiv's My Fundraising Dashboard and not directly through Facebook. If you create the fundraiser on Facebook first there is no way to connect your fundraiser to our event.
If you don't connect to Facebook when setting up your profile, you can connect at a later time. Navigate to your personal fundraising dashboard then click the link to connect your fundraiser to Facebook. The button is located toward the bottom of the personal fundraising dashboard.

Your friends and family are able to make a donation via text! Text cvwalk24 to 50155 to make a donation.
If you would like to set up text giving that goes directly to your participant or team fundraising page, head to your participant profile, click on the "Text Giving" tab, and create your own keyword. Donors will then need to text cvwalk24, enter a space, and enter your unique keyword to have the donation go right to your own thermometer!

Our top fundraising team will receive $300, and our second and third place fundraising team will receive $200 and $100, respectively.
The cut-off for donations that qualify for the Top Three Fundraising Prizes is noon on Friday, September 27th. All cash and check donations must arrive at the DSAW office by noon on Friday, September 27 to qualify.

Your team can be as large or as small as you want. Plus, your fundraising changes lives. Although fundraising is optional, the difference you make in the lives of more than 5,500 familiess across the state is tremendous. Whether you raise $10 or $10,000, YOU are making a difference for people with Down syndrome and their families in Wisconsin. Remember, fundraising does not have to be scary! Most people are happy to give to a cause that is important to you and your family.

Make a list of people you know best - family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. Ask the people on your list to join your team! You could ask them via email, social media, or phone. Explain why it's important to you and your family, and encourage your team to fundraise. Giving them a sample fundraising letter (see below for an idea!) and a picture of your loved one to send to their networks can be incredibly helpful. In addition, remind them that business sponsorships can count towards your team's total!! Ultimately, this process is not just about fundraising: it's about spreading awareness and acceptance of people with Down syndrome.

The majority of our programs and events are fully funded by fundraising that takes place at this annual Awareness Walk. We need YOU to come out strong at this Walk, and we have some fun ideas of how to fundraise!
- Host a trivia night with your friends
- Donate your talents! If you are a yoga instructor (or another fitness coach), or have an artsy hobby that you can teach people (knitting, painting, cooking a dish) offer a virtual class for a donation
- "If I raise $____ for DSAW in the next week, I will..."
  - Share a video of my kid throwing a pie in my face
  - Participate in a viral Tik Tok dance challenge with my kids
  - Do 21 minutes of live stand-up comedy on Facebook
  - Have my kid give me a hair cut
- "If you donate $___ to my Walk team, I will go one mile in any way you choose!"
- The sky is the limit! If you have other fundraising ideas or use one of these, share with us @DSAWisconsin

Thank you for your interest in sponsoring this event! If you would like to talk more about sponsorship opportunities, you can email us at info@dsaw.org.