Our Walk for Down Syndrome Committee is off to a great start, and we would like to acknowledge those who have already made their commitments as partners.  Thank you to Tacada, Radke Professional Corporation, Mullen Leadership, Integra Technologies, GC Custom Metals, The Ice Cream Depot, Canadian Brewhouse for your support.  If you would like to learn more about how you and your company can get involved, please review the attached partnership package.  Also, for those who are getting your teams ready to launch your fundraising page on March 21 World Down Syndrome Day, there will be an extra prize draw just for you. Please take a look here and contact us as soon as possible to be eligible for the most partner benefits.  

A reminder to RSVP for our member engagement session on February 23rd.  You will be able to get an opportunity to hear from our Board of Directors and myself about our latest developments, and an update on our advocacy strategy development.  We have lots to share and we look forward to seeing you on Zoom. 

Updates

We have just received notice of our next Casino to support the important work we do at EDSS.  The next Casino will be September 22 & 23 at the Gand Villa Casino.  You can start to sign up for your preferred shift by emailing Rick Grebenstein, our Casino Chairperson at: rickgreb11@gmail.com or Michelle Hill at admin@edss.ca  

Thank you in advance for your support! 

Our team has been busy during these first weeks of January meeting and onboarding the newest students from the University of Alberta who are enrolled in the CSL (Community Service Learning) courses.  These students come to us with an eagerness to learn new skills and meet people they have not yet had the opportunity to work with before.  They will be supporting EDSS with projects from the upcoming World Down Syndrome Day, the Walk for Down Syndrome and various program related activities to directly work with our participants in our drop in playgroup and the Adult Day Program or Centre Stage Musical Theatre.  We are pleased to welcome these enthusiastic young people to EDSS, and we are looking forward to seeing them develop their projects over the next few weeks.  

Our partner, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, reports that they convened the national experts in Denver last month to finalize recommendations for the second edition of the GLOBAL Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome.  This is a significant milestone for this project as these guidelines are updated every five years with new articles and updated recommendations across the original nine topic areas, reflecting new evidence and clinical insights including: 

• Four entirely new topic areas: 

• • Blood Cancer 

• • Solid Tumor Cancers 

• • Sleep Apnea 

• • Eye & Vision 

• A substantially expanded Musculoskeletal section, addressing mobility, strength, pain, and orthopedics in greater depth. 

• A new “Future Research Needs” section, offering a blueprint for clinicians and researchers to guide future studies. 

• An expanded workgroup, featuring many returning members, eight new authors, and 15 new volunteers, including clinicians, researchers, and specialists across multiple disciplines. 

• This strengthened and broadened authorship reflects the growing momentum in the field and the ongoing commitment to increasing equity and excellence in care for adults with Down syndrome. 

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 Keep your eye on the “Mark Your Calendar” notice included in the newsletter for more events and opportunities to get involved. We are open to volunteers so if you have some time and interest in volunteering, please let us know by contacting our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@edss.ca. 

Cold Weather Policy Reminder: 

In the event of temperatures, including wind chill, reaching -30°C or below, according to Environment Canada’s website, all programs will be canceled to prioritize safety. This excludes programs that run during office hours at the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society building. 

The office will remain open, and programs and services that are delivered at our centre will continue unless you are otherwise notified. 

Thanks to funding support from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation, we are very pleased to share that we will be starting a new Floor Hockey Program March 16th. Registration  NOW OPEN Like Jumpstart, we understand the importance of sport for the health and well-being of kids and are proud of the work we do to provide sport and play for the community. Email Meghan Schritt, our Program Manager meghan@edss.ca to register.

Volunteer Opportunity – Part-time Administrative Assistant 

We are looking for someone who would be interested in working a few hours 1 day a week to support the office with a variety of administrative duties.  Please share your resume with admin@edss.ca if you have skills and interest to learn more.   

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!