Event Details

COVID-19 Precautions

  • Per CDC guidance, face masks are optional at outdoor events. Guests are welcome to wear face masks within their own comfort level.

  • If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, headache, cough, nausea, etc.), have come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or are awaiting your own COVID-19 test results, please keep everyone safe by staying home.

Where to Go

  • Capital Credit Union Park: 2231 Holmgren Way, Green Bay, WI, 54304

  • 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!

Parking

  • Please respect all neighbors and residential areas when parking on residential streets, cars cannot block any part of resident driveways.
  • There are over 1000 parking spaces within a 5 minute walk to Capital Credit Union Park. The Village of Ashwaubenon lots, Epic Event Center, Ashley Furniture, Grainger Industrial Supply, and Restoration Church have all given permission for the community to park in their lots free of charge. Street parking on Bayland Court and Marvelle Lane will also be available. Please only park in lots that are approved for parking. Parking at a business not listed on the map may lead to your vehicle being towed at your expense.
  • Please see map for parking

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Food

  • Snacks and water will be provided!
  • The Festival Foods Grill will be open for cashless purchases. 

What to Bring

  • We will be outside rain or shine so dress for the weather!
  • We recommend bringing cash for our amazing raffles!
  • Please do NOT bring rollerblades, skates, pets, glitter, or confetti as these items are strictly prohibited.

Event T-Shirts

  • T-shirts are included with registration. Register by 11:59pm on August 31 to be guaranteed a t-shirt on Walk Day. 
  • 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.

Walk & Family Festival

  • Our 2023 Walk theme is "Rocketing Beyond Limits!" We hope to see Walk Teams and participants rocking their DS awareness colors (blue & yellow) or dressing up in a space theme! 
  • Our Family Festival includes music, games, bouncy houses, balloon artist, raffles, crafts, activities, mascots and more! 

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! 
  • This event kicks off the walk at 2:00pm. 
  • Click here to submit a photo/video of your loved one with Down syndrome so that we can introduce your loved one to our friends across the state!
  • Deadline to submit is August 31!

Connect to Facebook Fundraisers

  • 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.

Text Giving

  • Your friends and family are able to make a donation via text! Text gbwalk22 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 gbwalk22, enter a space, and enter your unique keyword to have the donation go right to your own thermometer!

Fundraising Incentives & Prizes

  • First Place Fundraising Team will have their loved one’s photo on a DSAW billboard ahead of the 2024 awareness walk (cutoff for fundraising totals is 11:59 pm on Friday, Sept. 29th)
    • Past winners from the last two years are NOT eligible to win this prize. Ineligible teams are Dexter & Chromies and Dorothy Strong. 
    • Winning team will be ineligible for the billboard prize for the next 2 years. 
  • Prizes for Top 5 Fundraising Teams!!!
  • The cut-off for donations that qualify for the Top Five Fundraising Prizes is 11:59PM on Friday, September 29th. We have fantastic prizes for our top five teams! 

Forming a Team

  • Forming a team is the perfect way to celebrate your loved one with Down syndrome! 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.

Recruiting Team Members

  • 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.

Fundraising Template

  • Fundraising is scary to many people, but it doesn't have to be! It can be as simple as sending an email or posting on social media. Try using this template to ask for donations from your friends and family:

    “Dear Friends,

    This year, my family has formed a team for the 15th Annual DSAW- Green Bay Down Syndrome Awareness Walk, which will be on Saturday, September 30th at Capital Credit Union Park. The goal of the Walk is to spread awareness and acceptance of Down syndrome throughout Wisconsin, and to raise funds for the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin's life-changing programs and services. As you may know, this cause is very important to us. [insert personal story]

    Would you consider joining our team and/or making a donation to support our team and [insert name of loved one with Down syndrome]? Your donation will have a large impact on thousands of lives in Wisconsin. Please forward this email to your friends and family, too! In addition, if your business would be interested in sponsoring the walk, the funds will count towards our team's total! Visit https://secure.qgiv.com/event/1agbdsaw2/sponsors/ to download sponsorship benefits.

    Use this link to join our team and make a donation: [insert personal link]

    Thank you for supporting Down syndrome awareness! [Your name]”

Fundraising Ideas

  • 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 

Sponsorship Opportunities

  • 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.