31 for 21: Day 22 Buddy Walk Here We Come!

tomorrow is our local buddy walk.  in case you're not familiar with it, "the Buddy Walk^® was established in 1995 by the national down syndrome society to celebrate Down syndrome awareness month in october and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome" according to the NDSS website.  it's so fun to join with other families who have kiddos with Ds for this fun day!

last year i was VERY nervous at this point, having never participated in a buddy walk before!  we did have a HUGE team last year...almost 60 people...and we raised the most money for our group!  we had tremendous support from our church family.....at least 45 of those folks were members of our church!   we were overwhelmed with the support that we received!   it was a beautiful and fun day...we felt very loved and encouraged!  

this year we have a much smaller team....about half that size!   i know that many folks are busy, and i just didn't "push" for anyone to join our team.....i put out the announcement about the walk, and let it go at that!   our group is not using the online mechanism for fundraising, which makes a huge difference in the financial aspect.   the economy is very different this year too, so i didn't want anyone to feel obligated to join us!    i don't know how other walks go, but you pay to walk in ours.....curious if that's the "norm"....

i'm looking forward to seeing our friends with kiddos with Ds.....and to spending time with our friends and family.  it's supposed to be a beautiful day!   i know that as wyatt gets older, this event will mean a lot to him, and i look forward to many future buddy walks.....

wyatt's first buddy walk last year!  
what a cutie!