Last year’s Buddy Walk was a record-breaking success. Over 1000 people attended the event and more than $80,000 was raised. Andrea and I were proud to have almost 60 people come out and join us. Team Lauren’s Smiles raised more than any other team that day. This year we hope to do even better.
While there are many events similar to the Buddy Walk that are held throughout the year in support many different charitable causes, this one is unique. The funds raised stay right in our community. They are used to underwrite programs that provide individuals with Down syndrome an opportunity to reach their full potential. These programs are geared to infants only days old all the way through adulthood. Our daughter, Lauren, is a testament to the difference these resources provide. Shortly after she was born several medical professionals told us she would walk between the ages of 3 and 8. Lauren proved them wrong! Within a few weeks of her second birthday she was walking, unassisted, all over the place.
Please take the time to consider making a donation of any amount. If you would prefer to pay by check just send me an email and I can provide you with the address. It will also help us keep track of donations that are coming in outside of this website. We also encourage everyone to come out and join us at the Buddy Walk. There will be food, a silent auction, face painting, crafts, live entertainment and more.
The following is a short piece that I was asked to write for last year’s event.
Why I Walk by Brad Hecksel
On May 11, 2008 my wife gave birth to our second child, Lauren Christine. It was Mother’s Day. From the moment the nurse placed her in my arms I knew something was different this time around. It wasn’t long before hospital staff confirmed my suspicions. They were “fairly certain” Lauren had Down syndrome. In an instant I went from being on a roller coaster I’d willingly hopped into the front seat of, to wanting nothing more than to get off as I crested the first hill. I felt all alone, sitting on a runaway train about to plunge down a near vertical drop with no bottom in sight.
But by the end of that first day, I remembered I was not alone. My wife was right there next to me, scared as I was. Slowly, I came to realize that Lauren’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and other loved ones were along for the ride too. Every day that passed, we could see more clearly that we weren’t going to run out of track. But I’m embarrassed to say that it wasn’t until Lauren’s first smile – her first real smile - that I remembered she was there too, right there with us fully confident we’d take care of her.
About a week before the 2008 Buddy Walk we decided to ask for support and put together a team. Given the short notice we were giving, we weren’t sure what to expect. The response was overwhelming. No fewer than 25 people joined us in our walk that beautiful Saturday morning while several dozen others voiced their support with thousands of dollars in donations. By the end of the day I was officially enjoying the roller coaster ride and so were hundreds of others present, different in so many ways yet connected by a common thread.
While I look forward to the Buddy Walk for all the reasons that I enjoyed it the first time, this year feels a little different. I walk to honor those who have come before, worked hard and made sacrifices, blazing the trail to a brighter world for Lauren. I walk to raise financial contributions that provide individuals with Down syndrome and their families resources to help them learn to enjoy this ride. I walk to raise the awareness of the general public. I walk to educate the medical and educator communities. I walk to give the Down syndrome community a voice in the legislative process. But most of all I walk for Lauren’s smile. The world is a better place for it.