The Buddy Walk was such a blessing to our family. Jordan had several "Buddies" - Mark, Amy, Isabella, Lisi, Josh, Dara, Awnna, Colin, Anne & Mia! It was so special that they made the time to walk with us - it meant more than they will ever know! I wish I'd gotten a picture of everyone together, but my camera wigged out on me and didn't work at all! Thankfully, Amy took some great pictures! Each of them wore green because it is Jordan's favorite color...I thought that was really sweet!!
It was a lot of fun - for starters, the weather could not have been more beautiful! Not a cloud in the sky - even after a week of rain. The temperature was in the 70s - just perfect! The Up With Down support group put on quite an event...complete with bouncy houses, face painting, crafts, a firetruck & the police department. There were also vendors set up that serve the special needs community. I looked into therapeutic horseback riding...I think it would be really good for Jordan's strength and balance. The cost is really reasonable, so I'm excited about the possibility!
It was a blessing in so many other ways as well. There were over a THOUSAND people there! I couldn't believe it. That may not sound like much to my Texas peeps, but for these parts, that's quite a turnout! It was also cool to see just how many people there are around here with DS. And, neat to see how GREAT Jordan is doing (by comparison to other DS kids)! One of my favorite things about it, though, was how Jordan didn't seem to notice the other kids with DS (unless they were "making bad choices" - which she pointed out a couple times). That may sound funny, but we've always wanted her to identify herself as a regular KID ... not as a DS kid. There is a difference, and it may be subtle in many ways, but also vital for who Jordan believes she is and can become.
It was a great morning and a fun time!
7 comments:
Wow!! I wish we could have made it. It looks like it was a lot of fun :)
Hey Angela! My daughter, Emmie, walked in the Buddy Walk the last year we were there, to support our friends Mark and Chris Wiskus, from Pella. The youngest of their two daughters has Downs and they are very involved with the Buddy Walk each year. I've also heard great things about therapeutic horseback riding. My other daughter, Maddie, is a "horse girl" and gave Susan Brown's (e-study)daughter who has Fragile-X, a few lessons before she went into an actual hippotherapy program. I think you'll really like it - she has!
i was so glad that we came - and do you know that guy running the kettle korn stand is going to be in Neosho at their fall festival this year? How wild is that?
I'm so sorry we had to miss the Buddy Walk!! I was looking forward to it but had to go to a funeral. Next Year!
I wish we could have made it also, unfortunately with Colby's birthday party that afternoon, I didn't think I could tackle both. It looks like you guys had a great time.
I love those pictures! Especially the one of Jordan jumping in the air! :) What a great time!!! I'm so glad she had so many people come out to walk with her!!
It looks like you ALL had a great day. I wish I was there to walk with you...but we were there in spirit. I hope you found some great resources. Love the pictures.
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