12th Annual Wine Tasting & Auction Highlights

Yet again, your support, generosity and contributions have made a difference for the families and educational programs that our organization supports! THANK YOU!

The evening was a wonderful success and we had a great time. Enjoy some photos and watch the highlight video below:

Chris  escorting a guest into the event...let's get this party started!

Carissa and Chris with KC Chiefs #71 Jeff Allen 

This is how you do a silent auction!

Having a great time, enjoying wine and mingling with friends

     

The Nigro Brothers with Chris and Carissa, ready for the live auction!

Live auction to raise funds for the Prom! Thanks to you, we raised $51,000! 

Spring Break with the Lipnicky's, Tour de Midwest Style

10 days trip. 2,000 miles. 30 hours driving. 6 states, and slept in 5 different rooms.

Amy Lipnicky and daughter Ellie mastered the art of the road trip, packing 5 destinations into one Spring Break to remember.

Amy, her mom and sister weaved their way through the midwest visiting family members, eating their favorite foods, and

Spring Break kickoff, Chicago The Lipnicky's participated in all the token Chicago activities including deep dish pizza, The Bean, cold weather, and sight seeing downtown.

Catching up with family friend Denise. 

Hitting all the stops. 

The Bean. 

Ellie checking out her reflection. 

Next up. Lansing, MI

The Lipnicky's took to Lansing to visit Ellie's uncle Jeff and Aunt Jan's family. 

Their family lives on a lake, an icy one on this Spring Break! 

Ellie and her fam went sightseeing to Frankenmuth. In keeping with the cold Midwest Spring Break theme, the Lipnicky's visited Bronner's a Christmas store the size of a football field.

Next stop: Detroit. Spring break was all about family for the Lipnilcky's. In photo: Ellie, her mama and her two cousins

Dayton, Ohio. The Lipnicky's made their way to Dayton to visit their old neighbors.

While they were there, why not visit Young's Dairy Farm?The family enjoyed the attached a restaurant and homemadeice cream.

Ellie making a new furry friend! 

Last up: Fort Wayne, Indiana. Taking it back to Ellie's birthplace, the Lipnilcky's spent one night in Indiana dined at our favorite Italian restaurant, Casa's, with a close family friend, Carol.

That is how you pack the most Midwest and family into one family-filled Spring Break. Thank you guys for sharing your Spring Break adventures with First Downs. Hope Spring weather keeps up and stays with us until summer!  

In Honor of #WorldDownSyndrome Day, Pass Along These Myths and Facts about #DownSyndrome

We want to take a moment, actually an entire day, to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! We're a little early. The big day is tomorrow, and we want to share our excitement with you.

How will YOU celebrate World Down Syndrome Day tomorrow? Ditch the myths. Squeeze the loved ones in your life who have DS. Celebrate them! That’s what today is for :)

Down Syndrome Awareness. Beyond raising money for the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City and Children’s Mercy Hospital, we want to start changing the way people see #DownSyndrome. 

If you're reading this you've probably heard and rejected Down Syndrome myths a million times, but that's exactly why it's up to wonderful people like you to spread the word, to raise awareness about what #DownSyndrome actually means.

So, let's get started!

For a while now we have been tweeting and retweeting Down Syndrome Myths and Facts, and today is the perfect day to get them all in one place.

So tweet, share, and love on these little lovely reminders about Down Syndrome.

Myth: People with #DownSyndrome are always happy.

Fact: People with #DS have a wide range of emotions like everyone else. They're hurt by unkind behavior and respond to positive expressions of friendship.

Myth: People with #DownSyndrome can't have romantic relationships. 

Fact: Many people with #DS date and marry. 

Myth: Adults with #DownSyndrome are unemployable. 

Fact: Adults of all ages with #DS are happily employed. We know many here in Kansas City, alone. :)

Myth: Down Syndrome is a rare disorder.

Fact: #DS is the most commonly occurring genetic disorder.

One last thing, Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

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Our Friend Sam Rogers Takes Northman Crown at Shawnee Mission North

"Mom, I won, I won!  I won Northman!  Best night ever!  I love North!"” Sam reacted when seniors at Shawnee Mission North named him Northman, a coveted title by any high schooler’s standards.

Sam’s mother Kelly Rogers was just as excited when sam called to tell her the news, “I was thrilled and cried when Sam was nominated and was in the top 20 nominated young men.”

When Sam’s friends nominated him, he was so excited, but that only made him want to win more. For Kelly, Sam had already won, “In my eyes, Sam ‘won’ just by being nominated. I was thrilled that the seniors at North thought so much of Sam that they would nominate him and vote for him for Northman.”

Similar to Homecoming or Prom King at other Schools, Northman begins with the Top 20 nominations. Those are narrowed down to 10, the top 3, and finally the winner.

When SMN announced the Top 3 nominees at a basketball game, Sam was ecstatic, and everybody but Sam seemed to know that he had the competition in the bag.

At a school assembly Shawnee Mission North seniors voted Sam to victory as Northman, officially. Sam’s reaction? Pure joy. See for yourself. The moment before Sam was announced the winner his fellow nominees were anticipated his reaction, pointing, looking, etc.

Sam's sister, a teacher, found out about Sam's nomination from the Down Syndrome Guild's Facebook, while she was at school. "I think she screamed! She was so excited!" Kelly remarks.

College life may be around the corner, but Sam is not in a hurry to move on from high school. He’s loved his experience at SMN. Kelly can see why, “He truly loves going to school at North.  The student body there is so accepting of people's differences and always has been.  Sam has really been embraced there by the other students.  There are some of the most amazing, kind,caring and compassionate young people at North. It has really been a joy to experience. It has been a wonderful community for Sam.”

Outside of school he likes to play video games, watch Disney Channel. One of his favorite people in the whole world is his brother in law, Brock. Kelly says, “The two of them play video games and do all kinds of stuff together. He likes to play basketball, play outside, normal kid stuff.”

In the future Sam plans to attend a technical school that provides job skills and life skills. He’ll be eligible until he’s 21, so his mother plans for him to study there until then. Sam’s looking forward to going to college after that, but for now he’s enjoying his reign as Northman.

Congrats Sam!

Congrats Sam!

Save the Date, 12th Annual Wine Tasting & Auction Underway

We laughed. We auctioned. We drank wine last year at the 11th Annual Wine Auction at Shook Hardy & Bacon, one of our best years yet. In April, we plan to have all the fun, see some new faces, and enjoy wine once again.

Some of our favorite moments from last year.

Chris and Carissa were dressed to the nines. 

Everyone wanted a photo op.

Dean & Deluca catered, and we ate every last bite. 

We laughed. 

We saw some friendly faces and learned about their loved ones. 

Thanks to the support of the First Downs for Down Syndrome Community and the Down Syndrome Guild of Kansas City, we enjoyed a simply incredible evening. We were also able to raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City and for the annual prom.

Save the Date now.
Thursday April 16, 2015. 6-9pm
Shook, Hardy, & Bacon Law Firm
2555 Grand

If you attended the Annual Wine Auction last year, then you know you won't want to miss it this April. If you've never been able to make it, 2015 is your year to join the Kansas City City Chiefs and hundreds of your favorite Kansas City friends of the Down Syndrome community.

For tickets and a list of the wonderful sponsors who make this happen, go here.

Cheers, and see you in April!

Happy New Year! Hello, 2015.

We hit the green, auctioned, caught up with friends, and watched the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. Thanks to your love and support of First Downs for Down Syndrome, 2014 turned out to be one of the best years yet.

We are so thankful for all the enthusiasm to each event we hosted this year. That wine auction seems like years ago, and here we are in 2015 getting ready to host the next one.

We stepped up for Down Syndrome at the annual walk at Arrowhead. You all showed just how big a sense of community and care families affected by Down Syndrome truly have here in Kansas City and even in the Midwest.

The Kansas City Chiefs accompanied you and your kiddos at KFC's around town to make a few little ones' (and adults!) dreams come true.

What an incredible year you have made 2014. We look forward to hosting even more awesome events in 2015, creating more memories together, and of course, changing the way people see Down Syndrome.

Happy New Year!

---First Downs for Down Syndrome

Holiday Concert Series Featuring Oleta Adams, Chris Mann & The Kansas City Symphony

It's that time of year again: baking cookies, buying gifts, and throwing parties are just a small bunch of activities on your to-do list this season. Take a break from all the hard work the holidays can bring to just relax and celebrate the season. The Kauffman Center and First Downs for Down Syndrome bring you one such event to get you in the holiday spirit.


Known for his success on The Voice, Chris Mann will work his vocal magic at the 4th Annual Holiday Concert Series. Along with Mann, soulful vocalist Oleta Adams will come together with the Kansas City Symphony tonight to perform Holiday classics in honor of First Downs for Down Syndrome. Don't miss this unique combination of artists in support of a worthy cause.

See you tonight, and Happy Holidays!