Event Details

Where to Go

  • Myrick Park 
    2020 Myrick Park Drive, La Crosse, WI, 54601

  • 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!

Food

  • Lunch will be available for $5.00 per person

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, balloons, glitter, or confetti as these items are strictly prohibited.

NEW This Year...

There will be local ROYALTY along with local CELEBRITIES joining us at our Walk!

Returning this year for our Family Festival activities:

  • Horse drawn carriage rides 
  • Magician performances 
  • Face painting 
  • Balloon artist 
  • Music
  • Lunch will be available for $5.00 per person

Event T-Shirts

  • T-shirts are included in your registration fee
  • T-shirts are pick up only and will be picked up at the Walk on October 7th
  • You can purchase hoodies and other merch in the store. Those items will be shipped right to the address you provide. 
  • Virtual Participants will receive a t-shirt directly shipped to the address they provide at registration if they register before August 31.

21 Showcase

  • Before the walk begins, we will host our 21 Showcase where individuals with Down syndrome of ALL ages will get a chance to walk the catwalk 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 September 11, 2023.

Text Giving

  • Your friends and family are able to make a donation via text! Text lcwalk23 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 lcwalk23, enter a space, and enter your unique keyword to have the donation go right to your own thermometer!

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.

Fundraising Incentives & Prizes

  • $100 will be awarded to the top team with the highest fundraising amount!
  • Top 3 fundraising teams will have their team name listed on the back of the walk t-shirt!
  • The cut-off for donations that qualify for Fundraising Prizes is 11:59PM on Friday, October 6th. All cash and check donations must arrive at the DSAW office by noon on Friday, October 6th to qualify. 

Forming a Team

  • 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 21st Annual DSAW La- Crosse Down Syndrome Awareness Walk, which will be on Saturday, October 7th at the Myrick 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/lacrossewalk2023/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 

Matching Periods 

  • Make your donations go even further by donating during our TWO mathcing periods!! 

  • An amazing donor is generously matching ALL walk donations (up to $5,000) made during the first week of August and the first week of September! Donations will be matched dollar for dollar and count towards your team goal. Recruit your friends and family to donate towards your walk team during this time so their donation goes TWICE as far!

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.showcase .jpg