Event Details

COVID-19 Precautions

  • Precautions will be taken at this event to ensure the safety of all guests. Per our contract with the Zoo, all unvaccinated guests will need to wear a mask when indoors at the event. There will be hand sanitizer and wipes stations located throughout the event. Queues will have 6ft spacing. Bathrooms and high touch items will be sanitized frequently. All activities, crafts, and snacks will be pre-packaged. We will not have any activities that do not allow for social distancing, like bounce houses. Instead, we will have activities that can ensure physical distance such as rock climbing and inflatable obstacle courses. Please contact Rachel at rachel@dsaw.org if you have any questions or concerns about COVID-19 precautions.
  • 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.
  • We ask that participants wear masks when indoors or in crowded areas where social distancing is not possible, such as at registration. Thank you!!

Where to Go

  • Milwaukee County Zoo
    10001 W Bluemound Rd
    Milwaukee, WI 53226

  • When you arrive at the Zoo, you will pull up to the admission gate and let them know you are attending DSAW's Awareness Walk. Our event will be held in the Maple Cove and Oak Grove picnic areas at the far south end of the parking lot. Tell the parking attendant that you are with the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin, and please tell them the number of adults and children (ages 12 and under) in your car. We are charged less for children!

  • 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

  • Parking at the Zoo is included in your registration fee. 

Food

  • This event is held in the picnic areas near the Zoo parking lot. We will have stations of pre-packaged snacks throughout the event for you and your families to enjoy! Feel free to either bring a picnic lunch (there is even a competition for Best Picnic Spread!!) or purchase concessions from the Zoo if you would like. You are welcome to stay and picnic with your group even after the DSAW event ends! We also encourage you to bring a reusable water bottle to reduce our impact on the environment.

What to Bring

  • You are welcome to bring your own food, drinks (non-alcoholic please!), filled reusable water bottles, camping chairs, wagons, and strollers. Wear comfy shoes. We will be outside rain or shine so dress for the weather! You may also bring decorations, posters, and signs to celebrate your loved one and compete in our friendly competitions (see below for more info)! In addition, 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.

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. If you do not receive one on Walk Day, we will order you one after the event. Attendees of the in-person event can pick shirts up on Walk Day (you only need to send ONE member of your team to registration to pick up shirts for your whole team), or at the DSAW office on September 23 (5-7pm) or September 24 (9am-3pm). Virtual Walker shirts will be shipped directly to the address your provide.

Walk & Family Festival

  • Join us for the BIGGEST Down Syndrome Awareness Walk in Wisconsin!! Our Family Festival includes music, games, raffles, prizes, inflatables, activities, and more! At 1pm, our group will walk into the Zoo together. After the walk begins, feel free to explore the Milwaukee County Zoo using your included all-day access pass! 

NEW This Year - Walk Contests

  • Get into the spirit of Walk Day and compete against other teams in friendly contests to win $100 gift cards! We will have special guest judges strolling the grounds to assess teams in the following categories. The winner in each category will win a $100 gift card! 

    • Best Team Theme (Pick a fun theme for your team and come decked out in theme! Ex: 80's, zoo animals, etc.)

    • Best Food Spread (Bring your own picnic spread - go all out!)

    • Down Syndrome Spirit Award (Wear your blue & yellow and Down syndrome awareness swag!)

21 Showcase

  • Before we all head into the zoo together, 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! We will also share our 21 Showcase participants on social media this year! Make sure you follow us on Facebook so you don’t miss out. Click here to sign up. Deadline to submit is Friday, September 10!

Download the DSAW App

Virtual Challenges & Drawings

  • In June-September, join us on Facebook every second Friday of the month at 12pm Noon for a live video introducing a weekly challenge with an amazing prize! Tune in to see self-advocates, staff, and sponsors introducing fun challenges that YOU can participate in to win! Make sure to follow us on Facebook for the latest updates.

Virtual Event Components

  • Although this year's Walk is back in-person, we will have some virtual event components too! 
  • You also have the option to launch a virtual team and join us as a Virtual Walker!! Virtual Walkers will receive an event t-shirt shipped directly to the address they provide, and they'll have access to our virtual activities and team fundraising pages!

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

  • NEW this year, your friends and family are able to make a donation via text! Text zoowalk21 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 zoowalk21, enter a space, and enter your unique keyword to have the donation go right to your own thermometer!

Fundraising Incentives & Prizes

  • "Early Bird" Deadline: Register by July 1 for a raffle to get your team name on the back of your shirts
  • New Participant and New Team Deadline: If you are a new walk participant or launching a new team, register by August 1 to be entered into a raffle for your loved one to kick off the 21 Showcase! 
  • August 31 is an important deadline for fundraising prizes. 
    • If your team raises at least $1,000 by August 31, you will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad!
    • If your team raises at least $2,000 by August 31, your team captain will receive a yard sign with their loved one's picture to help raise awareness and acceptance in their community!
    • If your team raises at least $3,000 by August 31, your team will receive a personalized banner with your team name and pictures! 
    • If your team raises over $3,500 by Walk Day (9/26), your team will be entered into a drawing to win your loved one's face on our 2022 Awareness Walk billboard!
  • If your team raises $5,000 or more by September 15, your team captain will receive a gift card to buy lunch for your team on Walk Day! 
  • The cut-off for donations that qualify for the Top Five Fundraising Prizes is 11:59PM on Saturday, September 25. All cash and check donations must arrive at the DSAW office by noon on Friday, September 24 to qualify. We have fantastic prizes for our top five teams! As a special thank you, the First Place Team will have their child's picture on the DSAW Billboard before the 2022 Awareness Walk! (Past winners from the last two years are NOT eligible to win this prize).

Forming a Team

  • Forming a team is the perfect way to celebrate your loved one with Down syndrome, and you get to participate in the BIGGEST Down Syndrome Awareness party in Wisconsin! 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 25th Anniversary Down Syndrome Awareness Walk, which will be on Sunday, September 26 at the Milwaukee County Zoo. 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 www.dsaw.org/events/zoowalk2021 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.