Buddy Walk 2006!

We had the much anticipated Buddy Walk on Saturday, and it was awesome to say the least. There was a slight "drizzle" most of the time, but nobody ever really got drenched. As a family we were very impressed with the large number of people that came to the event despite the inclement weather. My Dad even made the comment that he really didn't see that many individuals with Down syndrome, which to some extent pionts to the success of the event even with the weather (additionally, many of the Down syndrome individuals were young children or babies being held by families). With only one in every 800+ births resulting in an individual with Down syndrome, the true sign of success at an event like this will be when we have 800+ people show up in support for each individual with Down syndrome. But until then, there were still many wonderful opportunities to meet and interact with so many of these wonderful individuals. Another note, the number of volunteers at this event was amazing, especially the number of youth volunteers (I'd never really even thought of volunteering for something like this when I was 16). Thank you again to all of you for being such a wonderful support for the Walk. We've been humbled many times over at your kind words, generosity, and service. All told, Team Ammon, which includes KPMG, raised over $600 and probably much higher than that amount (I don't have the final tally as of yet). I can't help but think of the incredible blessings these donations will provide to future families blessed with a Down syndrome child that don't have the exceptional support system we have been blessed with. The driving purpose of the Buddy Walk is to promote understanding and acceptance, and based upon the number of people that have stopped by my office, come by our home, or thanked us for the opportunity to participate (that still seems a little backwards to me) I can't help but feel a great hope in Ammon's future. I've rambled too long, thank you again. We've attached a few of the photos from the Buddy Walk, if you want to see more let us know.