The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Grand Bahama Down Syndrome Society organised a successful ‘Virtual Buddy Walk’ raising awareness and support in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day, which is observed on March 21.

Wende Hanna, founding president of GBDSS, said the event went well and marked a rejuvenation for the organisation, which has been inactive for the past two years due to the COVID pandemic.

She said the virtual Buddy Walk was held on Saturday, March 26, with people participating from far as Canada, and the United States.

World Down Syndrome Day is held March 21 in recognition of the three copies of the 21 chromosomes. Down Syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome.

Mrs Hanna said: “Due to COVID, we decided to go virtual. But this was a blessing in disguise because family from abroad was able to support the event, and we really had supporters from all over the world as far as Canada, New York, and New Jersey participate.”

The ‘Rock Your Socks’ was another activity that people recognise and support World Down Syndrome Day.

She explained that the wearing of mismatched colored socks is just symbolic of the way the Down Syndrome chromosomes look under a microscope. “They sort of look like socks and so mismatching of socks is usually a way that people show support and awareness for those living with DS, and a lot of people supported that,” she said.

Mrs Hanna said local schools, including the ICAN Academy, Walter Parker Primary, and the Beacon School supported ‘Rock Your Socks,’ and made donations to the organisation through that activity.

The GBDSS was formed in 2012 by Mrs Hanna, whose son has Down Syndrome and was two years old at the time.

Although inactive in the last two years, the organisation has accomplished a lot within the past years when it was active.

The GBDSS printed an early intervention handbook to assist parents about what they should be doing with their babies who have DS and how they can get them to meet all their milestones. It has also produced a television commercial, ‘We are Just Like You,’ which is still in rotation on the air on ZNS.

Mrs Hanna also said that they had held Buddy Walks for about five years, and free summer camps in conjunction with the Freeport City Council for kids with special needs.

“We will reinstitute summer camps this year with the funds raised from this year’s virtual Buddy Walk,” she said.

The GBDSS president said at the summer camps they provide therapeutic services, including speech and occupational therapy which so many children special needs require.

“Because we don’t have those services readily available on the island, we had to bring in therapists to provide those services and assess the kids and give parents direction. This is a tremendous resource we do not have that we need on the island so kids can receive therapy on a consistent basis,” she said.

When asked about corporate support, Mrs Hanna said they did not request corporate sponsorship this year, but it has been historically strong.

“We got an unsolicited donation from FTX Digital Markets, which was welcomed and appreciated. It was a jumpstart to our fundraising this year. And whenever we request corporate support, it always comes and our support from the community has always been very good,” he said.

Mrs Hanna thanked the community for its support. “I want to encourage the community to continue to do so. Our eventually goal beside raising awareness and getting support from the community is create a consistent path to independence for DS kids and individuals so that they are able to be functional and contributing citizens to the country and not be a burden to society,” she said.

GB Down Syndrome Society founding president Wende Hanna, far right waving and wearing pink and gray, is seen with participants in the Virtual Buddy Walk on Saturday, March 26 on Grand Bahama. The event marked the rejuvenation of the organisation following the last two years of inactivity due to the COVID pandemic.