10 Reasons.

If you haven't ever been to a Buddy Walk--you are seriously missing out.  The annual Buddy Walk is one of our favorite family days of the year.  They really are awesome.

Here are my 10 Reasons Buddy Walks are the best.

10.  The T-shirt.  While usually they are pretty cool and Dr. C and I wear them throughout the year with pride, this year, I think they were going more for the "get noticed" factor.  And they definitely got that right.  Dr. C and I decided that we will wear these shirts again when:

a) We decide to go for a nighttime run and all of our other clothes are missing

b) We become hunters and don't want to buy the orange vest

c) We find out someone is taking pictures from space and we want to make sure they can see us.

They did make us easy to find each other when we did a little post-Walk visit to Target.  And we easily spotted some other people that had been at the Walk too. 

9. There are plenty activities for everyone.  This year they did a carnival type thing.  The kids got to play the games as much as they wanted.  Heck, I could have played the games as much as I wanted.  Everyone is encouraged to participate however they want to.

8. All the money raised helps people with Down syndrome.  It funds scholarships for summer enrichment programs, educational seminars, family events, and more. 

 7. When a 20-something woman hops on the horse ride and yells YEEEE-HAAAWW at the top of her lungs in true wild-west style while moving at about .3 miles an hour...everyone thinks it's awesome. That cowgirl was living the moment to the fullest. 

Most of us could learn a lesson from her.

  

6. You could talk about Down syndrome the whole time...or you could not talk about it at all...and both options are completely acceptable and understood.  Our first year, I think we talked about it the whole time.  This year, I don't think it came up in conversation once.

5. When you speak in funky acronyms (AVSD, OT, ST, PT, IFSP, IEP, etc.) everyone knows what you are talking about.

4. No one is too cool, too old, or too self-conscious to have a good time. 

3. It's completely appropriate to hug everyone you meet.

2. The entertainers stay long past their original quitting time, just to make sure no one is disappointed.  

1. In a sea of 300+ individuals whose lives are somehow touched by Down syndrome, we all become "typical".  We bond together, support each other, and we celebrate the blessings that we have been given.

There are still Buddy Walks going on across the country.  To find one happening in your area, search here.

YEEE-HAAAAWWWW!!