Four Ways to Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day…

World Down syndrome Day is Wednesday, March 21^st (3/21), only a few days away! World Down syndrome day (WDSD) was first observed in 2006 in many countries around the world. In December 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared March 21^st World Down syndrome Day to raise awareness and create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down syndrome (http://dsamn.org).

This year marks the 13^th anniversary of WDSD!

Here are four ways to celebrate this amazing day:

1. Random acts of kindness: on WDSD, many families celebrate by completing random acts of kindness to raise awareness of the special day.
   • Hand out gift cards with notes about WDSD.
   • Provide coffee or snacks for nurses at a local hospital
   • Make a meal to deliver to local police or firefighters
   • Send a special thank you to the teachers at your child’s school

1. Take the Generation G Pledge: to always be accepting, be kind and be generous!
   • I accept you as you are
   • I choose to be better every day
   • I will fight for you and have your back
   • I will be generous with my time and my heart
   • I will be heroic and speak up if someone needs help
   • I will invite 21 people to join Generation G
   • I will make Generation G a part of my life
     1. Write a “G” inside a heart on the palm of your hand to show the world your pledge. Encourage friends, family, coworkers and students at your child’s school to also take the pledge

1. Rock your Socks! Encourage friends, family, classmates and coworkers to rock their silliest and most mismatched socks as a way of raising awareness for WDSD. You can purchase inexpensive brightly colored socks at Target for your family and friends.4. Join us at our WDSD/5^th Anniversary party on 3/21 at the Playhouse. Enjoy socializing and playing with other families from our community, share a pizza dinner and dance to music by the band Rock of Ages: a band made up almost entirely of individuals with different disabilities.

No matter how you celebrate this special day of awareness and acceptance, make sure to enjoy the people in your life who are rocking that extra chromosome!

Please share pictures of your celebrations on our Facebook page on Wednesday: https://www.facebook.com/GigisPlayhouseTC/