Our youngest child, Lauryn, was born in August of
2010. I learned about the Buddy Walk
during our month-long stay in the NICU.
The day after I received the brochure, I registered our team, and
reached out to family and friends to join us.
We participated in our first Buddy Walk® – fundraising and all – in
October of 2010 – when Lauryn was only about 6 weeks old. We were hooked! 😊
In 2012, I began the 21 DreamS project, which has
become a platform for raising awareness about Ds, promoting acceptance of
individuals with Ds and other disabilities, encouraging inclusion of
individuals of all abilities, and inspiring others to do the same. At the heart of the project is a series of
books that feature individuals with Ds and their stories. In the beginning stages of this project, I
reached out to DSI for some help in promoting the project and reaching
potential participants. The majority of
the profits from the books goes back to DSI via The 21 DreamS Team Buddy Walk
team. 21 DreamS has been an incredible
blessing for me and my family. It has
come to life because of all of the individuals and families involved. Without DSI’s involvement, 21 DreamS would
not be where it is today. What started
out as an idea to create/publish one book has become somewhat of a “movement”,
with the 8th volume of 21 DreamS to be published on WDSD 2018.
Around the time 21 DreamS got started, I also became
more actively involved with the Buddy Walk planning committee. I was truly honored to be asked to join the
Board of Directors in the Fall of 2014.
I then became Secretary of the BOD.
Serving in this capacity for DSI is so fulfilling for me!
I have been blessed to be a part of the planning and
implementation of DSI’s The Learning Program™ Pilot this year. I volunteer as the Lead Teacher for the
student session of the program. It’s a
truly exciting and rewarding program that I firmly believe will have a positive
impact for our children/families.
What
Jen Loves about Volunteering at Down Syndrome Indiana
I love so much about volunteering. It is wonderful to be involved and to feel
like I am making a difference and having an impact in our community. I know that my involvement directly impacts
Lauryn’s life, as well. I especially
love getting to know so many amazing and wonderful families on this same
journey. It is a blessing and privilege
to be a part of this community. The
staff at DSI are truly gifted, passionate, compassionate, wonderful
people. The friends I have made by
getting involved are many of my most favorite people in the world. DSI does so much for the Down syndrome
community…volunteering is one way I feel I can “give back.”
A
Little More about Jen
My husband, John, and I reside on the South side
with our five amazing, energetic, fun kids (ages 18, 14, 11, 9, and 7). We spend most of our days keeping up with
their many activities/social lives. 😉
Jen’s
Future Plans?
I hope to continue 21 DreamS for as long as there is
interest! Anyone can participate in the
project – it is free to participate (families have the option of purchasing
images from the photo session, and, of course, the option to purchase
books). I love being involved at DSI and
plan to continue to be involved however I can.
I would love to see The Learning Program™ grow and thrive at DSI – being
a part of that is something I am very passionate about. I would also love to continue to grow in
knowledge and experience with inclusion/inclusive education/IEP’s, etc., as I
feel there is such a need for our families to have resources, guidance, and
support in determining and advocating for our children’s educational paths.
Jen’s
Connection to Down syndrome
Our beautiful daughter, Lauryn, has Down
syndrome. She is the youngest of our
five children. We have also connected
with hundreds of people who either have an extra chromosome or have a loved one
with something extra – they are now family to us! ♥
