Take Part in this Year's Walk

1. Register Today!
It's easy! Register online or fill out our registration form and mail it to the DSAW-La Crosse address.

2. Create a Team
Create a team of coworkers, friends, and family members. Register online to create a personalized fundraising page with your story and photos, making it easy to grow your team and fundraise. Create a team even if you can't walk! If you don't want to create your own team, you can join an existing team.

3. Raise Funds
Set individual and team goals! Use the easy online fundraising tools to spread the word, or use the pledge form to easily gather donations at family parties, work functions, or kids' sporting events.

4. Celebrate!
Enjoy the day, and celebrate the opportunities you have created for individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Registration Information

Pre-register online until 12pm CST on September 14, 2018.

Pre-order t-shirts online by August 16 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 8 from 11am - 2pm at the Onalaska Omni Center
  • September 13 from 4pm - 7:30pm at UWL-Mitchell Hall

Event Schedule

10:00am - 11:00am

Registration

10:00am - 1:00pm

Family Festival

10:45am

Announce Team Winners

11:00am

Red Carpet announcement and Walk 

12:00 and 12:15

Announce Raffle Winners

1:00pm

See you next year!

 

Enjoy entertainment from:

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16th 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.

16th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk

The 16th 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. 

This year enjoy lunch from Rooster Andy's
This year enjoy lunch from Rooster Andy's

You can purchase lunch tickets under the t-shirt and lunch tab. For $8.00 you will get chicken, baked beans, potato salad and dinner roll.

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Family Festival

This year’s walk will be a special luau-themed party, so wear your leis and grass skirts! The party will include awesome music, food, activities and crafts for all ages, t-shirts, raffles, top fundraising prizes, and MORE! You don’t want to miss the most exciting event of the year!

Food will be available for purchase - stay tuned for information on this year's vendor. 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. 

 

NEW This Year: 21 Showcase

We want YOUR loved one with Down syndrome to be featured in this year's "21" Showcase! Individuals with Down syndrome of ALL ages are invited to walk the red carpet in front of their family and friends and be recognized for their individual gifts and talents. Children who are not yet able to walk on their own may walk the red carpet with a parent, caregiver, or sibling - the more, the merrier! 

Click here to sign up!

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Sign Up to Walk Virtually!

Back by popular demand, 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 Friday, 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 14 at 12:00pm (noon).

The cut-off for donations that qualify for the Top 3 Fundraising Team Prizes is 11:59pm on Friday, September 14. All cash and check donations must be turned in by Friday, September 14 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 

Downloads

Offline Registration & Fundraising Packet

Walk Terms & Conditions

Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities

Corporate Marketing Agreement

Donor Leaderboard

  • 1 Matching Donation $1,265.42
  • 2 In memory of Donna Dummer $1,245.00
  • 3 Matching donation $1,024.58
  • 4 Mayo Health System $1,000.00
  • 5 Anonymous $835.00
  • 6 Matching donations $700.00
  • 7 The Breakfast Club Fundraiser $650.00
  • 8 Eliza's Supporters $540.00
  • 9 Rose Levendoski $500.00
  • 10 Matching donation $500.00
  • 11 Hulse Dental $500.00
  • 12 Barbara Barnard $500.00
  • 13 Badger Mining Corporation $500.00
  • 14 Winona Controls $500.00
  • 15 Matching Donation $440.00
  • 16 David Stark $420.60
  • 17 matching donation $405.00
  • 18 Matching Donation $375.00
  • 19 Matching donations $370.00
  • 20 Matching Donation $310.00
View Full Leaderboard

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 22 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!