This week I would like to express our appreciation for all the mothers, grandmothers, bonus mom’s and the special women caregivers in our Down syndrome community. You have a significant role and deserve to be appreciated not only on Mother’s Day, but every day!  

We are excited to share that this year’s Walk for Down Syndrome Grand Prize Draw will be two (2) Economy Class tickets, valid for travel to any Air Canada scheduled destination in North America (including Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean), with an approximate value of $4,300.  (Include the approved Air Canada Foundation logo).   Every registered walker receives one entry into all draw prizes, and for every $100 raised, another prize draw entry is earned.  If you have not yet registered and started your fundraising, please do so today.  Register Now Here.

Congratulations to Janna Sibal who has graduated with honours, completing her studies with Norquest College this past month and has joined our team full time.  Janna started with EDSS last Spring as a practicum student and then worked part time through the summer and her last school year with the Summer Camps and Adult Day Program.  She will now be expanding her role to include supports for Family Services, Programs and Administration.   If that wasn’t exciting enough, Janna was also engaged this past week, and we couldn’t be happier to her and her fiancé Michael!  Best wishes to you both! 

Updates

I would like to recognize three new supporters who have confirmed their support for EDSS this week.  

We are very excited that both TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and the Co-operators Community Funds have awarded us a community grant to support our Employment Readiness Program starting this July.  We would also like to acknowledge the Federated Co-operatives Ltd. and their employee giving committee for their support for our Day Program to support our food purchases for our program.  We could not be more excited and pleased to engage with these new funders to EDSS.  As you know, we could not do our work without the strong and dedicated support from the community.  

Just a friendly reminder that your individual or team t-shirts for the Walk for Down Syndrome have a deadline to order by May 10th. 

Thank you to the recent teams who have made their pages and started their fundraising!  Visit here to see who is taking the lead so far!  Register Now Here. 

We are excited to share that we have secured new spaces for the full summer of Day Camp on both the north side and south side of Edmonton in partnership with the City of Edmonton.  We will be offering full summer 8 weeks of summer Day Camp at the ACT centre on the North side, and the Meadows Recreation Centre on the south side.  We will be fully staffed at both locations and registration is now open. We are thankful to the Rotary Club of Edmonton Sunrise who made a generous donation of $5,000 which will allow us to reduce the cost of day camp by $50 per person per week.  This program will be eligible for FSCD billing if you have a contract as previous years.  Register using the contact@edss.ca email as soon as possible to secure your space for camp.  

Further to our member engagement session, I want to share some of the additional highlights we shared with our members during that event. 

Advocacy Strategy Updates 

When we asked, you shared these urgent priorities: 

Health care and service navigation   

Challenges accessing consistent, coordinated health care.   

• Long wait times for assessments or specialist appointments  

• Difficulty finding adult health care providers with Down syndrome expertise  

• Support navigating medical systems  

• Aging-related health needs  

Our focus is to connect with our government and share the work we are doing and what we need their help with to further the voices and needs of our families and their children. 

We will be encouraging support to provide better access to primary care for adults who do not have a dedicated medical clinic in the Edmonton region.  We will share the research and advancements being made with our partners Global Down Syndrome Foundation and their second version of the medical guidelines for adults with Down syndrome: GLOBAL Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome | Global Down Syndrome Foundation 

Podcast with Kristy Wolfe, Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation. (From Playgroups to Policy) 

I was fortunate to have a conversation with Kristy Wolfe, Digital Storyteller, Executive of the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation.  Kristy and I explore how Edmonton Down Syndrome Society Builds Belonging.  Listen to our podcast to hear about joy, grit, and community: from toddler playgroups to employment readiness and a joyful runway gala, discover how EDSS builds inclusion you can feel.  

We cover many topics and the ask is simple and concrete: give, amplify, connect. Volunteer at a fundraiser, attend the walk, wear mismatched socks on World Down Syndrome Day to spark conversations, or bring the medical guidelines to a local GP. If you work in education or childcare, invite EDSS to train your team. If you are an employer, explore customized roles and supports that unlock talent. The through-line is practical hope—families, clinicians, educators, and neighbors can each move one piece, and together those pieces become a reliable path from first playgroup to first paycheck, and from anxious beginnings to a life rich in friends, work, and community.

 50/50 draw for World Down Syndrome Day

 Now live and will finish at the Walk for Down Syndrome on Sunday, June 14th.  Tickets can be purchased here.

Did you know?

Through the Eye See…Eye Learn program, children in kindergarten are eligible to receive free glasses and frames. Be sure to ask your optometrist about it!