The Wyoming Buddy Walk started as a small gathering of 170 people with the purpose of raising awareness about Down syndrome, and became the first step toward a statewide network of support for families in Wyoming. Since that first walk in 2001, the Wyoming Buddy Walk has grown, evolved, and become a gathering of almost 900 people from around the country that come together to celebrate the lives of people with Down syndrome and to support the Wyoming Down Syndrome Association. As we look forward to this year’s celebration and continue to work on behalf of people with Down syndrome and their families, we wanted to look back at our beginnings and our achievements over the years.
Each year following the first walk in 2001, the number of people who came out to celebrate grew from 230 in 2002 to 350 in 2003 to 400 in 2004. The Wyoming Buddy Walk also raised more and more money each year, which was used to support families around the state and provide them with opportunities to learn and network with each other. To provide those opportunities each year, a portion of the Buddy Walk money would be used to send a Wyoming family to a national Down syndrome conference. The Buddy Walk committee also sent out an informational newsletter, The Buddy News, to everyone who had registered for the Buddy Walk. All of the remaining money would be used to fund the next year’s Buddy Walk.
In 2004, the Wyoming Buddy Walk committee realized that there was a need to expand those opportunities for families even further so the Wyoming Down Syndrome Association (WyDSA) was established. The goal of WyDSA is to use the resources provided by the Wyoming Buddy Walk and other grants and donations to provide education, information, networking opportunities, and support for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. The first project that WyDSA completed using the funds from the Wyoming Buddy Walk was to send a copy of the book "Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey" to public libraries in Wyoming.
In 2005, the Wyoming Buddy Walk received its first year of sponsorship from Encana. Encana made the commitment to send all registered walkers to a UW football game and provide them with lunch and a hat. Encana has continued to be a major sponsor of the walk and 2010 will mark their 6th year as a sponsor. The 2005 walk had 500 walkers and 60 sponsors from around the state, and was able to raise $37,500 in funds for WyDSA. 2005 also saw the start of some projects that allowed WyDSA to provide information and opportunities to an even greater number of people around Wyoming. These projects included:
In 2006, the Wyoming Buddy Walk continued to add walkers with 600 people joining us that year. WyDSA also continued its growth and made a change that would allow more families in the state to have access to professionals and information in the field. After a lot of discussion and thought, it was decided that rather than sending one family to a national conference it would be more beneficial to bring the experts from those conferences to Wyoming. This led to the creation of WyDSA’s Annual Family conference, which was held the first year in Lander, Wyoming. The conference is a chance for parents to come together, learn from experts, network with each other, and have some fun in the process. The conference marks its fifth year in 2010 and over the years has included internationally known speakers including Dr. Brian Chicoine, Dr. Dennis McGuire, and Joan Medlen, who have provided families with the same information that is included in the national conferences.
In 2007, the Wyoming Buddy Walk had 700 walkers and support from 70 businesses around Wyoming. WyDSA continued to expand the network of support to families by including small half-day education sessions in different locations around the state. The intent of the sessions was to introduce new families to the staff of WyDSA while providing information and networking opportunities to all of the families in the area. The small sessions were held for three years in Rock Springs, Gillette, Cody, and Thermopolis. WyDSA also used funds from the Buddy Walk to expand the Buddy Box program. Letters and return cards were mailed to physicians, developmental centers, and public health offices around the state. All of the people receiving the cards were asked to give them to families who have a child with Down syndrome so they could receive a Buddy Box. Contact was also made with hospitals to see if they still had their Buddy Box, and a replacement was sent if needed.
The walk has added walkers each year; there were 800 in 2008 and almost 900 in 2009. With the growth in numbers, we have seen a growth in the amount of money raised to support WyDSA. In 2009, the Wyoming Buddy Walk raised an astounding $92,033!
2010 was not only a celebration for our 10th Annual Wyoming Buddy Walk it was the largest walk to date. We were joined by over 1000 walkers who came together to celebrate the extraordinary lives of people with Down syndrome.
In 2011, 1079 people gathered for a beautiful day of football, fun, and (most importantly) the celebration of Wyoming’s citizens with Down syndrome! The Wyoming Buddy Walk was sponsored by 70 businesses and organizations from 13 cities in Wyoming and Colorado. The 2011 Wyoming Buddy Walk raised: $32,735 from Encana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc (Matching Program Sponsor, Buddy Walk Hats, Dinner, and Football Tickets), $35,950 from event sponsors, $29,147 from pledges, and $9,528 from registration. For a grand total of $107,360!
