Another incredible Step Up 4 Down Syndrome Walk in 2026! The weather was humid, but the rain stayed away so we could play! We began our day at 6am, our volunteers came ready to work and pitch in to get everything ready in an hour! Our Sunrise CERT Volunteers and Robin Turner, helped keep our participants, volunteers and vendors safe in the parking lot. Our Volunteer Coordinators, Giovanna Peters and Charlotte Gebbia, along with our President, Paola Herrera, and our amazing long-time member, Nadine Turner, helped organize our Volunteers into efficient and unstoppable teams that got everything done in record time. Rusty and Ryan Robinson, along with their amazing team, including Adam, got lights up, our perimeter secured, our start and finish arch up, and our route ready for our Walk! Thank you to Merv Da Sa for getting our signs ready for Deepak Agarwal to set up along our walk route. Valeria Herrera, got our vendors checked in, and our vendors were ready to supply our members and participants with valuable resources to make their lives easier plus had some great treats to pass out! Thank you to Miriam Linares, our Shirt Coordinator, along with Isabel Rojas Knapp, our Board VP, for keeping everything running smoothly at our shirt table! Thanks to Nancy Smith, our Treasurer, for manning our Information table and guiding participants through our event! Finally, thank you to Alison Lallance and her Zensory Van, that provided a quiet space for those overstimulated, or in need of some respite.
We were so happy to have the Sunrise Police Department share their Bear Cat, resources and treats, and their therapy dog, Mango, with us as well as several officers who keep our event safe. We also had some members of the Sunrise Fire Department who came with an Engine for the kids to explore and hand out resources and the cute little red fire hats! BSO also shared with us additional safety resources and their therapy dog, Buddy!
In addition, we were entertained throughout the morning with the cool beats from our DJ, Francisco Pino, our own incredible BGCDSO dancers under the directions of Onelove, and a special show from the South Florida Cloggers. We loved the inflatable games provided by A Universal Rentals and Events and thanks to the Poe Family for keeping everyone engaged and safe. We loved the face painting done by Onelove volunteers and enjoyed the popcorn provided by the Carraher Family! We also some great photo opportunities with the 501st Legion: Everglades Star Wars Characters and are grateful to James Martinez of Force Photographs for capturing some great moments from our day! Thank you to Sunshine Tents & Events for donating all of our tables and chairs, and to Traffic Man BBQ for making sure we had plenty of cold drinks and breakfast bites throughout the event! Thanks to Starbucks who donated teas and goodies to start the day! Finally, thank you to Rob Jones of 5 Star Vinyl for providing us with our I AM signs and 2026 Sponsor banner! Everyone came together to make this day a memorable one!
We are thankful for the Hooters Girls who came out and brought us cool, refreshing water and hosted a Friend Raiser afterwards for our participants! Our raffle tables, run by Lucy Whitson and our amazing volunteers, were full of amazing items and baskets! We appreciate ALL the donations by members, friends, vendors and sponsors-the selection was awesome! Thanks to Victoria Robinson for calling out all our raffle winners, and all the children who chose the winning tickets! Our Merchandise tables run by Giovanna Peters, and the Mercado Family was a popular place to get your DS merch to sport and the 3D creations made and donated by Phil Todaro.
Finally, we cannot thank our Sponsors, Members and Friends for ALL the donations and registrations that allowed us to throw such an amazing event in support of our Down syndrome community! Our enthusiastic Volunteers helped everything run so smoothly throughout the day! Many thanks to the Fox Family, the group from Behavior Management Consultants, the Houston's and Owoc's, the Adkins' and Turner's, Matt Cohen, Eric Stimpson, Kimberley Diehl, Nicole Martinez, Maria Ortega, the Poe Family, and Chris Gooden for pitching in wherever needed AND stayed to clean it all up! Many thanks to our dedicated Walk planners, Advisory Board and devoted Staff that spent months, planning, organizing, coordinating, confirming and managing this undertaking! We are so grateful to everyone that participated in this wonderful day in celebration of this beautiful community. Your donations will help us continue our Mission to provide resources, education, advocacy, and social events for our individuals with Down syndrome.
Donations can still be made on our Walk website until December 31st, 2026.
