5/7 Be Beautiful Be Yourself Global Down Syndrome Foundation DC Gala

Be Beautiful Be Yourself Global Down Syndrome Foundation DC Gala Funding groundbreaking Alzheimer's disease & Down syndrome research at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome Renaissance Mayflower Hotel 1127 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Wednesday, May 7, 2014 6:00 PM – Cocktail Reception 7:15 PM – Dinner, Fashion Show, Live Musical Performance   Global Down Syndrome Foundation Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award Recipient The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus Co-Chair 12-term congresswoman representing District of Columbia Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Member of Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure First woman to chair U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Global Down Syndrome Foundation Ambassador 2014 Ambassador Katherine Felicia Norton and inaugural Ambassador Alex Sessions Live musical performance to be announced soon! Honorary Host Committee* The Honorable John Barrow The Honorable Joe Barton The Honorable Michael F. Bennet The Honorable Roy Blunt The Honorable Sherrod Brown The Honorable Michael C Burgess, M.D. The Honorable Richard Burr The Honorable Dave Camp The Honorable Andre Carson The Honorable Robert P. Casey Jr. The Honorable Howard Coble The Honorable Thad Cochran The Honorable Mike Coffman The Honorable Chris Collins The Honorable Gerald Connolly The Honorable Ander Crenshaw The Honorable Charles Dent The Honorable Diana DeGette The Honorable Lloyd Doggett The Honorable Michael Enzi The Honorable Eni Faleomavaega The Honorable Chaka Fattah The Honorable Jeff Fortenberry The Honorable Cory Gardner The Honorable Bob Goodlatte The Honorable Sam Graves The Honorable Tim Griffin The Honorable Tom Harkin The Honorable Jeb Hensarling The Honorable Michael Honda The Honorable Steny Hoyer The Honorable Johnny Isakson The Honorable Lynn Jenkins The Honorable Ron Kind The Honorable Doug Lamborn The Honorable Rick Larsen The Honorable Tom Latham The Honorable Blaine Luetkemeyer The Honorable Carolyn McCarthy The Honorable Patrick McHenry The Honorable Michael Michaud United States Senator Barbara A. Mikulski The Honorable Jim Moran The Honorable Richard Neal The Honorable Ed Perlmutter The Honorable Jared Polis The Honorable Dave Reichert The Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader The Honorable Scott Rigell The Honorable Loretta Sanchez The Honorable John Sarbanes The Honorable Brad Schneider The Honorable Pete Sessions The Honorable Albio Sires The Honorable Adam Smith The Honorable Lamar Smith The Honorable Patrick Tiberi The Honorable Scott Tipton The Honorable Mark Udall The Honorable Fred Upton The Honorable Greg Walden * - List in formation To see photos from the 2013 Be Beautiful Be Yourself Global Down Syndrome Foundation Gala in Washington, DC, go to GlobalDownSyndrome.org Model auditions for the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Global Down Syndrome Foundation DC Gala are Thursday, February 27 - Register now Also be sure to mark your calendars for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show in Denver - Saturday, October 25, 2014 To learn more about sponsorships, contact Global's Development Team at 303-468-6663 or development@globaldownsyndrome.org

Fashion show puts spotlight on amazing children

By Kyra Phillips by HLN:

It's a star studded event. The energy is electric. The crowd always goes wild.
There are members of Congress, Senators, famous athletes and television personalities.
But nothing or no one is more beautiful than the models.
Each of them struts down that runway, wearing the fashion designer's most exquisite piece.
They wave to the crowd, flash a smile, blow a kiss, take a bow and even twirl underneath the spotlights.
These models are proud, they are confident... and they have Down syndrome.
I can't even begin to tell you what joy this gala brings me. As the emcee of the "Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show" in Washington, D.C., I am honored to say that this is the single largest annual fundraiser benefiting people with Down syndrome.
I have volunteered with Special Olympics for more than 20 years, I have co-workers and friends with children who have Down syndrome and I never realized that, according to the National Institute of Health, it is the least-funded genetic condition in the United States. The Global Down Syndrome Foundation was formed with the goal to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome through advocacy, research, medical care and education. Foundation supporters work to empower governments, educational organizations and communities around the country to affect legislative and social changes so that every person with Down syndrome has an equal chance at a fulfilling life.
As a journalist and as a parent, I need to be an advocate. If you have never been touched by a child who has Downs, let me tell you... their compassion, their love, their ability to see joy within every obstacle will not only humble you, but challenge you to be a better human being.
Check out the video above on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and our fabulous fashion show fundraiser.
I hope you'll support GDSF and share this article to help spread the word.
As Co-Founder and Executive Director Michelle Sie Whitten said so eloquently:
"I come from a somewhat over-achieving family. I don’t know for sure, but I believe that if my daughter had been born typically, I might have put her and her younger brother on a similar track: focusing more on achievement than quality of life. I honestly believe that having a child who is differently-abled has made me an infinitely better parent – one who is clued into my child’s needs, strengths, motivators, and self-esteem. I enjoy every minute with both of my children! And now I really have patience for all children. What an amazing gift."
An amazing gift indeed.
Love,
Kyra