Local walk part of national Down syndrome campaign

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | midnight

The eighth annual Buddy Walk of the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada will take place Sept. 28 at Acacia Park, 50 Casa Del Fuego St., Henderson.

The Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk designed to raise money for the group to provide programs including music, physical, speech, dance and yoga therapies, life skills seminars, support groups and scholarships for people with Down syndrome.

Registration will begin at 1 p.m. and the walk will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Throughout the day there will be entertainment, including clowns, face painting, balloon artists, games, music and food. KVBC-TV Channel 3 weatherman Kevin Janison will act as emcee.

Registration ranges from $5 to $40 and includes a Buddy Walk T-shirt and one food and beverage voucher. Registration can be done online at www.dsosn.org. Registration and other forms related to forming a Buddy Walk team can also be downloaded from the Web site.

Last year's Buddy Walks raised more than $9.5 million nationally, with $51,000 being raised in Southern Nevada.

The Buddy Walk was developed by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to promote awareness of Down syndrome, the most commonly occurring chromosomal abnormality. About 5,000 babies are born with Down syndrome each year, the society's Web site says.

John C. McGinley, who plays Dr. Perry Cox on NBC comedy "Scrubs," is the 2008 National Buddy Walk spokesman. McGinley's 7-year-old son Max was born with Down syndrome.

More than 275 Buddy Walks are scheduled from September to November this year. October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

There is no cure for Down syndrome, but the group hopes to improve the lives of those with the syndrome. In 1983, for example, the life expectancy for an individual with Down syndrome was 25 years. Today, it is 56.

Diana Cox can be reached at 990-8183 or diana.cox@hbcpub.com.