BY COLTON DAVIES
PALS Communications Coordinator
This Down Syndrome Awareness Month, PALS is excited to spread awareness through four distinct initiatives. We hope you’ll celebrate with us all month long! Here’s how you can get involved:
Spread Awareness and Support PALS with a new swag item!
A socially-distanced and camp-less 2020 left campers and volunteers unable to add to their annual collection of camp tees. Instead, we’re encouraging our community to invest in a one-of-a-kind PALS shirt commemorating Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2020. The front of the shirt features the message “we all belong” – a reference to PALS’ mission of inspiring a world of belonging. Three hand drawn lines beneath “all” are symbolic of trisomy 21, the genetic condition that causes Down syndrome. The shirt is available through October 22 for $15. All proceeds benefit PALS Programs, and patrons can expect their order to arrive in early November.
Send words of encouragement to families of children with Down syndrome.
In collaboration with The Congratulations Project, PALS is undertaking an inspiring and uplifting video project to share with the world! Create a sign or poster with a positive message for new families and/or their young child with Down syndrome. Aim for 10 words or less, then record a 5 second video of yourself holding your poster. All are welcome to send submissions to media@palsprograms.org no later than October 18th.
Make the PALS Promise.
Our staff team worked all throughout the summer on ways to make PALS more inclusive, more socially aware, and more mission-aligned than ever before. One product of the efforts of the ICAR (Inclusive Conversations About Race) team was the PALS Promise. This pledge serves as a verbal contract that all camp participants will use to guide them throughout camp in creating an environment where everyone feels safe and included. Visit our TikTok and Instagram (@palsprograms) to make the PALS promise.
Support PALS Programs.
While our work is centered around inclusive summer camps, we are committed to our mission of inspiring a world of belonging. This past summer, we worked toward that mission by creating virtual engagement opportunities like Zoom events and online social groups, bolstering efforts toward our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion, overhauling our volunteer leadership curriculum, and working harder than ever to ensure the continued growth of The Congratulations Project.
Down Syndrome Awareness Month is an opportunity to support PALS in our continued work around inclusion and belonging. Experiencing the PALS Magic – the feeling of connection and purpose through transformative friendships – is vital to our mission. Your support will help PALS to maintain those connections and to build new ones in a time when it matters most.
Thank you for being part of the PALS family. Make sure to follow us on social media for more announcements and reminders about these items and more throughout October!
PALS on Facebook • PALS on Instagram • PALS on Twitter • PALS on TikTok