About

The Smile-A-Mile Buddy Walk is


an annual event put on by Marion County Services for the Developmentally Disabled and The National Down Syndrome Society to help raise community awareness for Down syndrome and other developmentally disabilities in Marion County.

Each June, Nipper Park in down town Hannibal hosts crowds of families, care providers, and developmentally disabled individuals, as well as different area businesses, press, and local organizations, too.

Every cent raised goes to benefit MCSDD and NDSS's continuing efforts to help increase choice, respect, ability, and involvement for developmentally disabled. To learn more about these two non-profit organizations, visit their websites:


2 comments:

  1. I am interested in this, and I have some questions. What percentage of funds raised goes to the National Down Syndrome Society, and what percentage helps Marion County residents with Down Syndrome? How has the money raised in years past helped local residents with Down Syndrome, especially school-aged children?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, this is Ryan, I'm heading up MCSDD's Buddy Walk. Thanks for asking your questions- I'll try to answer:

    According to our contract with The National Down Syndrome Society, "Unless stated otherwise, each fundraising Walk is to send a minimum 7% of net proceeds to the National Down Syndrome Society within 120 days of their event. Payment is to be sent to the NDSS office in New York City along with the Financial Report (Exhibit C) found on the last page of the License Agreement."

    Marion County Services uses everything which is raised at each of our Buddy Walks to continue to provide services for developmentally disabled citizens in Marion County, Missouri (where we're located). This includes reliable transportation, a day program, provider services, representation and a whole lot more. (you can find out more about MCSDD at our website: http://www.mcsdd.com, you can also check out our FB page for highlights on the events and access to bi-monthly newsletters at http://www.facebook.com/mcsdd )

    When it comes to school-aged children, MCSDD helps with support coordination, helping find grants, advocacy in school settings, helping provide specialized equipment, and more.

    Again, thanks very much for asking! It's nice to hear about more people who are interested in what goes into helping the developmentally disabled.

    - Ryan

    ReplyDelete