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Challenged Children Learn To Ride Bikes
POSTED: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 | Read Full Article
Losing Training Wheels to Get Independence
Reported by: Dee Registre | Last Update: 7/20 7:25 pm | Read Full Article
The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville receives THE PLAYERS Championship grant
Grant, to be delivered during the “Red Coat Ride Out”, part of THE PLAYERS “Giving Back Month,” will help fund the speech assistance program available for our families.
November 2, 2009, (Jacksonville, Fla.) – More than 500 Jacksonville families will have the opportunity to take advantage of the speech assistance program, thanks in part to a grant to The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville from THE PLAYERS Championship. As part of THE PLAYERS “Giving Back Month,” the tournament’s past chairmen – the Red Coats – will deliver the funding on Monday, Nov. 2, to The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville and 24 other First Coast charities during their “Red Coat Ride Out.”
The “Red Coat Ride Out” will arrive at The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville inside The Bold New Arc building at 1050 North Davis Street on Nov. 2 at approximately 1:30 p.m. to announce and present the grant. The Staff and several families will be on hand to represent The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville.
About THE PLAYERS and charity:
THE PLAYERS Championship contributes to a diverse group of charities throughout Northeast Florida, living by the PGA TOUR’s mission to give back to the communities in which it plays. Since 1977, when THE PLAYERS moved to Ponte Vedra, more than $31 million has been contributed to Northeast Florida charities, ranging from health care to youth and education to human services. This effort continues to prove that golf is the official sport of giving back. UBS, PricewaterhouseCoopers and JELD-WEN are the exclusive Proud Partners of THE PLAYERS. For more information, visit www.PGATOUR.com/THEPLAYERS.
JACKSONVILLE RESIDENT TO BE A BRIGHT LIGHT IN TIMES SQUARE
National Down Syndrome Awareness Video Features Caleb Prewitt
NEW YORK, NY — Caleb Prewitt of Jacksonville, FL, will appear in lights on Broadway on Saturday, September 26, 2009 as part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s video production to demonstrate that people with Down syndrome can be successfully included in community activities, education and employment.
The photo of Caleb, 2 ½ years old, who has Down syndrome, was selected from over 2,500 entries in the NDSS nationwide call for photos. Approximately 226 photographs will appear in a video production to be shown on the MTV Plasma screen, located in the heart of Times Square.
Caleb is pictured with his older sister Courtney at Halloween Festivities from 2008.
The video production, coordinated by NDSS, illustrates children, teens and adults with Down syndrome working, playing and learning with friends and family.
The Times Square video production kicks off National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which includes the 2009 Buddy Walk. This year, walks will be held in more than 275 cities across the country, as well as many international walks. John C. McGinley, who plays Dr. Perry Cox in the hit ABC show “Scrubs,” is the 2009 National Buddy Walk Spokesman. Mr. McGinley is both an accomplished actor and the proud father of Max, his eleven-year-old son who has Down syndrome. The New York City Buddy Walk will be led by Mr. McGinley and NDSS Goodwill Ambassador Chris Burke, star of the long-running ABC series, “Life Goes On.” For information about National Down Syndrome Awareness Month or the NDSS Buddy Walk, visit www.NDSS.org or call 800-221-4602.
About NDSS
The National Down Syndrome Society is a nonprofit organization representing the more than 400,000 Americans with Down syndrome. The mission of NDSS is to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. The National Down Syndrome Society envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming community. NDSS has over 275 affiliates nationwide. To learn more visit www.ndss.org.
NEW YORK LIFE FOUNDATION MAKES CASH GRANT RECOGNIZING VOLUNTEER SERVICE
Competitive Grants Program Funds Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville’s Project Benefiting Children
JACKSONVILLE, FL, August 11, 2009 – Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville announced today that it has been awarded a grant through the New York Life Foundation’s Competitive Grants program. The New York Life Foundation annually awards up to 40 grants of $5,000 to the most compelling children-related projects submitted by eligible New York Life employees, agents or retirees. This program is an ongoing program. Each student meets weekly with a professional educator, using appropriate computers, assisting devices and software in an individualized program tailored to that student’s learning needs. Each student meets at Hope Haven’s Children and Family Clinic. It is a unique learning opportunity available for children with Down syndrome ages 16 months through 21 years.
"I am proud to be actively involved with the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville," said Todd Middleton, a volunteer from New York Life's Gate Parkway office. "This organization is making a difference in our community and I am pleased to support its mission." Todd Middleton has been a volunteer with the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville for 7 years as a Parent Advocate and Buddy Walk Committee Member.
The New York Life Foundation, established in 1979 by New York Life Insurance Company, makes contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. Through its Nurturing the Children initiative, the Foundation supports organizations, programs and services that target young people, particularly in the areas of mentoring, safe places to learn and grow, and educational enhancement opportunities.
Visit New York Life Foundation's Web site at www.newyorklife.com/foundation for more information on its programs.
CRENSHAW LEGISLATION WOULD HELP DISABLED FAMILIES SAVE
The plan would amend the IRS Code to allow tax-free accounts.
By JEANINE deBOER, My Southside Sun
With the economy slowing and the cost of necessities rising, many parents are making cutbacks in their households and searching for new ways to save for their futures and their children's.
But what if saving money for one of your children could actually mean a penalty that would cost you money in the long run?
Many people may be unaware that is a very real problem that parents of children with disabilities face every day.
Take, for example, Charlotte Temple, mother of two daughters, one of whom has Down syndrome. Her girls, at 15 and 16, are preparing to enter the working world. Except that one of them won't be able to save for her retirement without extreme limitations.
"The way things stand right now, if my daughter works somewhere that offers a retirement plan that allows the employees to withdraw money in any way and she saves more than $2,000, she will lose her disability benefits," Temple said.
U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, a member of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus, recently met with representatives of the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville to discuss legislation he's authored that would help provide equal savings opportunities to families with disabled children.
"The federal government helps people save for retirement, it helps people save for a college education, but there's no way to save to take care of a disabled person," he said.
Having friends with children who have disabilities, and a close friend with Down syndrome, Crenshaw said he feels it is his duty to do something to change the current savings status to help provide disabled people and their families with the flexibility to save for unforeseeable expenses.
Crenshaw said the legislation, called the Financial Security Accounts for Individuals with Disabilities Act, proposes to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and allow for the creation of accounts in which after-tax contributions could grow tax-free – similar to 529 college savings plans or retirement plans. Those dollars could then be used to take care of a person who is disabled.
These accounts would have a lifetime cap of $500,000, but any family member or friend of eligible families could contribute.
Crenshaw was joined by several members of the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville, who asked questions and shared their personal struggles from not having these equal savings opportunities.
Moira Rossi, 20, and Kelsy Adams, 20, are learning to live independently with the help of the University of North Florida's Arc Jacksonville Academy on Campus Transition Program. They are attending college and living in apartments near UNF, and each boasted about having a boyfriend.
They agreed that being on their own is teaching them how important it is to set money aside for unexpected expenses.
Angela Parris, parent of a 6-year-old son with Down syndrome, also attended the meeting. Although her son is still young, she said, she's already had to tell her child's grandparents that they wouldn't be able to open up a trust fund to pay for her son's college as they had done for all of their other grandchildren.
"I got a little choked up when I realized how much something like this [the legislation] would actually help me and my family," she said.
