Introducing our 2017 Walk Royalty!

Lila Dummer

Lila Dummer is 11 years old.  She will be a 5th grader in the fall, at Blair-Taylor Elementary School.  Her favorite parts of school are lunch, gym, music and art.  Lila lives with her mom (Angie), dad (Jacob), brothers CJ (9) and Jonny (2), and her sister, Vivian (4).  Her favorite foods are pizza and lasagna.  Her favorite color is pink.  Lila's favorite sports are volleyball and basketball and she played in both this past year.  She also loves her family, dancing, singing, writing songs, and having girls night.  She will begin gymnastics this summer.  Her future dreams include being a babysitter, going to college, being a teacher and also a doctor.

She often refers to herself as the queen (having graduated from princess), so she is very excited about this!

Sam Malin

Sam is 20 years old and lives with his parents Paul and Laura Malin.  Sam has two wonderful older sisters, Brittany and Caitlin, along with a great brother-in-law, Justin.  Sam graduated from Westby High School in 2016 and has been a member of the Seas Branch Smithies 4H club for 11 years.  Sam enjoys showing his sheep at the Vernon Co. Fair, along with being involved in Special Olympics bowling and track.  Sam loves music and is currently involved in Life In Harmony music therapy.  His future dreams are to find a community based job.  Sam is very outgoing, fun loving and has a contageous smile!! 

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Eliza Levendoski (Jenny Levendoski and Jamie Frausto, road managers) and Levi Finney (Andrea and Jerry Finney, road managers) on vocals.  Samantha Dawson (Nichole and Derrick Dawson, road managers) on tambourine and Greta Rouvel (Rachel and Jason Rouval, road managers) on electric guitar.  
 

Eliza Levendoski had the top fundraising team in 2016 that enabled her to be on a bill board to promote the 2017 Awareness Walk.          

Event Schedule

10:00am - 11:00am

Registration

10:00am - 2:00pm

Family Festival

10:45am

Announce Team Winners

11:00am

Walk led by our Walk Royalty Sam Malin & Lila Dummer

1:00pm

Announce Raffle Winners

2:00pm

See you next year!

 

15th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk

Awards Ceremony

Help us kick off the walk at 10:45am with our awards ceremony! We will introduce our Walk Royalty and announce the winners of both prizes: one for the team with the most walkers AND one for the team with the largest fundraising total.

15th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk

The 15th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk will be held rain or shine at 11am. This is a 1 mile, leisurely walk at the Onalaska Omni Center. 

Family Festival

This year we're hosting a giant 80's themed party -- you won't want to miss this fun, family event! The party will include a DJ from Music Mix of Lacrosse, the Big E Bounce House, facepainting, raffles, games, a photo booth, exciting prizes, and more! 

Food will be available for purchase from Big Boar Barbecue. Sodas and water will be available for purchase, too.

A limited number of Walk t-shirts will also be for sale on walk day. However, we STRONGLY recommend that you preorder your t-shirt online

 

Registration Information

Pre-register online until 12pm CST on September 15, 2017.

Pre-order t-shirts online by August 31 at 11:59pm. Late pre-orders will not be accepted. There will be very limited availability for purchase on walk day, so we recommend you purchase online. 

While registration can be done on site the day of the event, pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Registration will open at 10am.

We will have two dates for early t-shirt pick-up and donation drop-off:

  • September 9 from 11am - 2pm at the Onalaska Omni Center
  • September 14 from 4pm - 7:30pm at UWL-Mitchell Hall

NEW: Sign Up to Walk Virtually!

New this year, we will offer the option to register as a "virtual" walker. When you sign up for this option, you commit to run or walk in honor of your loved one with Down syndrome from anywhere in the world.

Your activity can be any distance you want: 3.21 miles or laps around your block, 321 yards or 21 miles. Get creative and have fun! Then, post photos of your activity on DSAW-La Crosse's Facebook Page.

"Virtual" walkers can also purchase shirts to be mailed to their home. Purchase t-shirts online (and select the shipping option) by Thursday, August 31st to receive your shirt by Walk day. (Please note, we will do everything we can to get your shirt to you by walk day, but this cannot be guaranteed)

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Top Fundraising Prizes

We have exciting prizes for our teams who raise the most money and recruit the most walkers:

  • Top 3 Fundraising Teams will receive prizes
  • Top 3 Largest Teams (most walkers) will receive prizes

The cut-off for registrations to qualify for Top 3 Largest Team prizes is Friday, September 15 at 12:00pm (noon).

The cut-off for donations that qualify for the Top 3 Fundraising Team Prizes is 11:59pm on Friday, September 15. All cash and check donations must be turned in by Friday, September 15 at 12:00pm (noon).

To learn more about the fundraising rules and regulations, click here.

How Your Donation Helps:

$50 Provides a New Parent Welcome Basket

$250 Provides a Member Grant to help with therapies, technology, and more.

$500 Provides a school Peer Sensitivity Training to 100 students

$2,000 Funds an educational seminar or training for parents, members, and the community

$5,000 Funds Young Leaders Bootcamp to help Self-Advocates learn employment skills 

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Just Like You

Who We Are

There are more than 8,000 people in Wisconsin with Down syndrome. Over the course of the year, DSAW touches the lives of more than 4,500 of these individuals and their families through the provision of services, education, resources, and support. DSAW is able to make a difference in thousands of lives because of the incredible support of our community. We are a 27-year-old volunteer driven organization -- we have more than 800 volunteers across the state!! It is their energy and passion that fuels our mission forward. 

Why We Walk

Our Down Syndrome Awareness walks, which occur across the State of Wisconsin each year, draw more than 7,000 walkers, runners, racers, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and partners across the State under one collective mission -- to raise awareness and promote inclusion, diversity, and acceptance of people with Down syndrome and other special needs in our communities and in our lives. At DSAW we strive to guarantee access to a full life for all through education, information, programs, services, and the exchange of ideas and experiences. For the past 21 years, the Annual Awareness Walks have been the key fundraising mechanism that allow us to enter and serve communities across the state to help individuals and families with special needs prove they are stronger than the obstacles they face. Your support strengthens our programs, and our resolve.

We walk to tell their stories. That our children are remarkably gifted, talented and beautiful creations. We walk because, our sons and daughters battle every day for the same liberties that are so often taken for granted by our society. We walk to create new programs and services in under-served communities. We walk to tell our stories to the world. DSAW is 100% funded by private individuals and concerned corporate citizens and foundations who believe just as we do that with appropriate investment and just the right amount of supports, our loved ones can accomplish amazing things!