FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
25th Annual National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk to Take Place September 14th in Two Historic New York City Locations – Times Square and Central Park
Flagship NDSS Buddy Walk To Bring More Than 2,000 People In New York City To Raise Awareness For Down Syndrome
New York, NY (Sept. 14, 2019) – The National Down Syndrome Society will hold its 25th Annual Buddy Walk in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 14. The day will start in the bright lights of Times Square where the annual NDSS Times Square Video will be displayed on two video boards in Duffy Square (7th Avenue & West 47th Street), with almost 500 images of people with Down syndrome from all over the world.
Following the preview of the 2019 NDSS Times Square video, advocates will head to historic Central Park where the annual Buddy Walk and other festivities will take place on the Great Hill (106th Street and Central Park West).
“The Buddy Walk is such a magical event,” Kandi Pickard, President and CEO of NDSS said. “It brings so many people together in our community and the unity and excitement is palpable. I love that this event brings an extraordinary amount of momentum to our community that continues to build throughout the rest of the month propelling us into one of the most important months of the year -- October, Down Syndrome Awareness Month. I’m grateful to all individuals who participate and for our amazing signature sponsors like Voya and Gillette.”
“We are so excited to partner with NDSS for the NYC Buddy Walk this year,” Sushant Trivedi, co-founder of Gillette TREO, said. “We have been inspired by many members of the NDSS community, who we met this year while launching our new Gillette TREO razor, which is the first razor designed specifically to shave someone else. We’re looking forward to continuing to learn from the incredible people in this community as we work together to create a small but meaningful change in the everyday lives of those with Down syndrome and their loved ones.”
The National Buddy Walk program has more than 250 events yearly with more than 325,000 participants across the globe. It has been ranked in the top 30 peer-to-peer fundraisers nationally since 2008 when records of the top fundraisers were being kept. Funds from the event directly support NDSS’ efforts to advocate for all individuals with Down syndrome (and their families) at the federal, state and local levels.
About NDSS
The National Down Syndrome Society is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive programming to all individuals with Down syndrome and their families with four main areas of programming which include: the National Advocacy & Policy Center, the National Buddy Walk® Program, Community Outreach and Resources and Public Awareness. NDSS envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities. For more information visit www.ndss.org.
###