Welcome to Up With Down!

Up With Down is a non-profit support and advocacy group for individuals with Downsyndrome and their families. We are based in Des Moines and serve more than 250 families in central Iowa.

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Up With Down
Buddy Walk
August 27, 2011
At DMACC in Ankeny

Thanks for making our walk a success!!

We had 1289 registered walkers/runners!

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Gigi's Playhouse Des Moines has now been open for one year!

If you haven't heard about Gigi's before, you can check out their website at www.gigisplayhouse.org

Gigi's Playhouse is a Down syndrome awareness center. It is a place where we can gather and our kids can play and learn.

Our address is 10430 New York Ave. Ste A. Urbandale, IA 50322. You can get directions from google maps.

There are now 9 Gigi's locations! And we are about to go international! There is a Gigi's Playhouse in the works in Mexico!

Our Gigi's Playhouse is operated by volunteers. We have one part time paid employee, our site coordinator, Lauren Reeves. All the board members are volunteering their time and energy to keep this fantastic place open for our kids and families. We need more volunteers! If you want to see activities for your child's age group, volunteer to host a gathering once a month at Gigi's.

If you want to have a play day on a certain day, volunteer to host it that day so others can join you!

Our Gigi's will only have the programs that we have volunteers for; if we want to have a great selection of programs for all age groups, we need volunteers to help. We also have a list of items that we need for Gigi's Playhouse. Let us know if you can help out.
 

The Buddy Walk^® was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

Over the past sixeen years, the Buddy Walk program has grown from 17 walks to nearly 300 expected in 2011 across the country and around the world. Last year alone, 285,000 people participated in a Buddy Walk! They raised more than $11.2 million to benefit local programs and services as well as the national advocacy initiatives that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome.

The Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. It is an inspirational and educational event that celebrates the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. Whether you have Down syndrome, know someone who does, or just want to show your support, come and join our Buddy Walk in Ankeny!