Walk season options

With summer and fall being big months for Down syndrome advocacy walks and other events, we'd like to remind everyone of the different ways Down Syndrome Footprint (DSF) can be a part of your event!


There are three ways that you can involve DSF in your upcoming events:


1.  NEW! The Mobile Down Syndrome Footprint Store can come to you! We are going mobile and will bring our items to your walk or event if you are withing an 8 hour radius of our corporate office in Menomonie, WI. This will allow your attendees to purchase merchandise bearing the footprint advocacy symbol which will help to highlight the awareness theme of your event. This is a first come, first serve so reserve your event date today!


2.  NEW!  Down Syndrome Footprint will co-sponsor your event! As a co-sponsor, we will provide you with materials for your attendees including footprint tattoos, stickers, balloons and a coupon code which will not only the buyer 10% OFF their entire purchase, but also give your group a 10% kick back on the purchase made using the code!! In addition, we will have the option to have your event t-shirts printed with your logo and the footprint, at cost. This will assist you in your awareness campaign by coupling a strong and memorable image of the cause - the footprint!


3.  Purchase in Bulk at Wholesale Prices! Purchasing in bulk, with up to a 40% discount, will give you control in the success of your fundraiser. You will receive lower purchase price on ALL items in the store. And it's your inventory! You control pricing and your inventory!

Contact the Down Syndrome Footprint Store TODAY!


Fundraising@DownSyndromeFootprint.com
1-877-597-0820


Sharing the power of the Footprint,


Katia

Everyone should be treated equal?

Having three children at home Mike and I frequently find ourselves talking to the kids about treating one another equal. We talk about including everyone, not judging people based on any differences that we may have, and making sure that even though Annaliese has Down syndrome that the boys treat her the same as they treat one another. 

he other day I was paging through some Facebook notes that I had written last year and had to chuckle about a note I came across. Maybe it is time for a little more education at our house and yes we have had the conversation now that no matter what we do not hit girls.

Conversation from last year...

I overheard the boys talking after Nathaniel twisted Anna's arm tonight. Maxwell to Nathaniel "Are you not of the right mind that you would twist a girls arm with Down syndrome you could really hurt her because she is not as strong as us." Nathaniel "No, I'm not of the right mind because I am left handed so I'm probably of the left mind and if someone hits my eye I'm going to bring it. Anyway, mom says we should treat her the same way we treat everyone else so she was asking for it." What????!!! Love having a 6,7, and 9 yr. old...never a dull moment.

Sharing the power of the Footprint,


Katia

The store goes to Canada!

One of the neatest things about our experience with Down Syndrome Footprint (DSF) has been seeing the geographic reach of our products! We have frequent Facebook visitors and orders from many different countries. Our neighbors to the north in Canada, have been very good DSF fans!


For the first time ever, we are planning to take the Store outside the country!  Look out Canada, here comes the Down Syndrome Footprint store!


The Down Syndrome Footprint store will be in attendance at Canadian Down Syndrome Society Conference beginning May 18, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario! We will have product samples on hand as was as the ability to place internet orders on site.


We are very excited to meet some of our good friends from Canada. 


Sharing the power of the Footprint,


Katia 

Grant awarded!

Down Syndrome Footprint Foundation is pleased to announce our most recent $500 grant that was awarded to us through the Chippewa Community Foundation.

The grant will be used towards our "Educator and Family Opportunities Project" which assist families and educators in our area to attend the DSAM Family Conference and the DSAM Educator Conference in 2012.

Thank you so much to our many supporters at the Chippewa Community Foundation (St. Vincent de Paul Endowment Fund), Down Syndrome Association MN for their conference offerings, and also Down Syndrome Footprint  for putting great value on Down syndrome awareness and education in our community!

Sharing the power of the Footprint,


Katia

Just another day in paradise...or the bathtub

From day one our house has been crazy, busy, lots of work, and also lots of fun. So many days I envy the calm and quiet households of my friends who have perfect children. Their children listen so well, rarely make messes, and always stand so nicely next to their moms as they talk to me. I on the other hand frequently have a messy house when someone comes to our door, kids racing around us as I am trying to talk, the constant hum of the words "mom, mom, mom, mom" in my ear, and we can usually guarantee that one will start fighting with the other whenever people are watching.

We haven't been able to figure out if it is the close spacing of the kids (3 kids in 4 years), the high energy levels they were just born with, having a daughter with Down syndrome who requires just a little more, great payback from our youth, or quite simply our parenting. Yes, I admit it, there are some days that I am jealous of those wonderfully normal perfect people and wonder "why us?" But then we sit back, readjust our perspective,  put on our "footprint" glasses and say "thank you" for letting it be us!

At our house today we are thankful for wild boys, we are thankful for the angel with Down syndrome (by the way you won't see her in picture #2 because she is majorly into tattling and although she helped create this mess, she came to tell me that the boys made a mess and she had nothing to do with it), we are thankful for messy bathrooms, and I am personally thankful that we can all look back and laugh at the fun they were having and the memories they make each and every day!

Sharing the power of the Footprint,


Katia

Jacob Lemke is our new employee!

The Down Syndrome Footprint store is very excited to announce our first direct hire of a employee with Down syndrome. Jacob Lemke will be assisting the store with merchandise related tasks (such as tagging) and will also be joining us at upcoming conferences where he will work in the store! Down Syndrome Footprint already subcontracts out work to agencies that provide employment supports for people with Down syndrome, who also do tagging and bagging of our merchandise. Jacob, however, is the first direct hire!

On his first day of work, Jacob provided us with some information to share with you all about himself:

"Hi. My name is Jacob and I am 18 years old. I am the first employee Down Syndrome Footprint has hired with Down syndrome and I am very excited about my new job.

I live in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin with my family – including one older sister, two older brothers and one younger brother. I am a junior in high school and during football season, I am one of the Football Managers for our high school football team. I get to go to all of the games, even the away games!

For fun I participate in many Special Olympics events; basketball, bowling, track-n-field, and last year started swimming, too. When I am not in school, at a football game or at a Special Olympics event, I like to go to the YMCA, play with my dog, Copper, and watch TV. My favorite shows are Drake & Josh and iCarly.

After I am done with high school, I have not decided what I want to do next. I am still exploring my options."

Jacob was fitted for his Down Syndrome Footprint work clothing, which he will wear while at events in the community. He will be traveling to the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) convention in Washington, D.C. in July to help staff the store.

Please join me in saying congratulations to Jacob on his new job!!   

Sharing the power of the Footprint,

Katia

Apply for our scholarship!

One of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had so far as a foundation is distributing checks to scholarship winners. We blogged a few weeks ago announcing our winners for the 2010-11 school year.  We were thrilled to get an email from one of the winners, Rebekah Maulding, attaching a photo of herself with the check.  What an absolutely beautiful smile!  Thank you, Rebekah, for the photo.  

At the midpoint of the 2011-12 school year, it’s time for scholarship applications to start coming in!  The deadline for submission is May 1^st, 2012.  Scholarship awards, including winner and school notification will take place May 15^th, 2012. With permission of the winners, a press release announcing the award will be sent to the home media outlet of the winners.  Congratulations again to our inaugural scholarship winners and best of luck to all new applicants.   You can find our application at www.DownSyndromeFootprint.org  or you can follow this link:  http://www.downsyndromefootprint.org/apply_scholarship.html

Sharing the power of the Footprint,

Katia