Down Syndrome Society of Wichita

We're here for just one more hour (10am)! We are having our very first tasting event this a.m. and have some slots available for tasters.

Come enjoy a free sampling of all our foods to be featured on the new food truck program, The Kindness Canteen!

We're at 734 S. Washington!

We're looking forward to a fun-filled DSSW Summer of Discovery 2024! Enrollment is open for additional spots in this program that provides fun learning, engaging activities, new friends and lots of play and activities! This program is for kids 5-17, running Monday through Thursday. Program dates are July 8-11 and July 15-18 from 8-noon. Feel free to sign up for one week, or both!

More information and details at www.dsswichita.org/sod. Sign up before it fills up!

The official first day of training happened for DSSW's newest employees of the Job Skills Development Program! More info coming really soon!

Got the pleasure of training some workers for the Kindness Canteen coming soon to a building near you!!

Anybody available to help this weekend? We are looking for a few more volunteers to help us fill the need for this weekend's baseball game for the Wind Surge. Report time is 5pm on Friday, June 14th.

Help us support our mission! Email us at [email protected]. Free shirt included!

We've started our Summer session for Explore ICT and started off with a Health Matters program. Participants discussed things that make them feel healthy and here's what a few participants came up with.

We're looking for volunteers for Friday's baseball concession in support of the Down Syndrome Society of Wichita! Please help us support our mission. The volunteer shift begins at 7pm on Friday, June 14th. Please email us at [email protected].

We have a college intern who has started with us! Please help us welcome Pamela Martinez from Wichita State University!

Welcome to our summer interns! Each summer, DSSW partners with the City of Wichita's Way to Work Summer Youth Program to offer job placements for several teens who learn job skills while earning a wage.

Today, we welcomed Jermae, Mekayla and Dariah.

We are so excited about the launch of our new Job Skills Program for adults 18+. Participants will be able to learn and develop skills in real-time as they prepare to sustain a job with DSSW's initiatives, or secure employment in their neighborhoods.

As we get closer to the new initiatives, we want you to be aware of program formats, application opportunities and we certainly want to answer questions surrounding SSI. Please visit the link to participate!

www.dsswichita.org/event

The ABLE Roadshow will be here on Monday! Check out the video to learn more about the program. The link has more information regarding an incentive for those on the waiting list, and more details.

https://kansascash.ks.gov/able_roadshow.html

https://youtu.be/souZbKaVVvw?si=UwX2EQKgfpb_-8Hp

Kansas ABLE Roadshow Promo Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson discusses the 2024 Kansas ABLE Roadshow. Learn more and sign up for an in-person or virtual presentation at https://kan...

The weather is warming up and we are excited about our annual Family Cookout! Mark your calendars and get registered today----->www.dsswichita.org/event/cookout24

Get your bids in!

We're ready for our Jokers and Jazz Bash this weekend and the silent auction is officially open. You do not need to be present to win.

From partying with the llamas, to beautiful jewelry, you have over 40 opportunities to win special, premiere items. Want to get cool tickets to see the Jayhawks, or the Wildcats play? Now's your time!

Visit the link today. Bidding remains open until Saturday, April 20th at 8:20pm. All bids are electronic and you will be notified if you are the winner.

https://dssw.betterworld.org

Just a few smiles from our Hutchinson families that came together for dinner and a chat this week!

Don't forget, just a few more days before the Jokers and Jazz Bash sales close. Don't miss this fun opportunity to be the Cat's Meow at the jazziest event in town!

Learn more and get your tickets here until April 12th:
www.dsswichita.org/jandj

Big news! We're almost to our Jokers and Jazz 2024 event, but not without an opportunity for everybody to win before our big Gala!

Want an exclusive, private tour of the Chiefs Kingdom? That's right, there will be one person will walk away with a 2-hour tour of Arrowhead Stadium, along with 9 of their guests. Here's your opportunity to visit the home of the Champions!

Check out the link, get your ticket today! Winners do not have to be present to win.

http://dssw.betterworld.org/giveaways/chiefs-kingdom-tour

We are delighted to recognize the 2024 Honorees at the Jokers and Jazz Bash on April 20th!

Staci Wittenbrink Flanagan - Speech-Language Pathologist
Kim Mudd - Special Olympics
Roxana Smith - Andover Central High School

Tickets are still available! Get yours today at www.dsswichita.org/jandj

We're doing a season of concessions with Wichita Wind Surge and we need your help. Could you spare just one evening?

Each commitment is about 4-5 hours and we will provide the shirt for you. We don't have to make/cook anything, but we're managing one of the pizza booths! All but one of our dates have fireworks as an added bonus 🙂

Here are the requirements:
must be 16 or older
Wear black pants. Again, we will provide a DSSW Down for the Cause shirt for you!
No cash handling. Everything is electronic!

Someone trained will be at every session, so no additional training outside of the day of is required from you.
Help us earn a bit of dough for the organization! Feel free to get a few friends and family members to help manage a date!
Here's the link if you're able to help us with a date for Wind Surge games concessions: https://forms.gle/w5Y6yQZHWTKWjV946

What a fun day of our post 3.21 celebration. Here are a few of the fun pics from the party and arcade day!

More facts on 3.21 Day:

There's nothing DOWN about individuals with Down syndrome. They experience ranges of emotions, just like their typical peers. Happy, sad, angry, fun, all of the above and more! The name comes from James Langdon Down, a physicist who was the first to classify the genetic condition.

Here's another fact about Down syndrome:

There are several types of Down syndrome.
1. Trisomy 21 - this is the most common type of Down syndrome, resulting in a replication of the 21st chromosome.
2. Mosaicism - this type of Down syndrome is when the third replicated copy of the 21st chromosome is only visible in some cells, not all, unlike Trisomy 21 which all cells have the replicated 21st chromosome.
3. Translocation - this type of Down syndrome means that the replicated 21st chromosome may attach itself to a different chromosome rather than the 21st chromosome.

It's 3.21 Day and we want to share several facts through the day about Down syndrome:

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder in the United States. It is NOT a disease! Down syndrome happens when there is replication in the 21st chromosome, hence 3.21 day. Three copies of the 21st chromosome.

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!

It's 3.21, which means it's World Down Syndrome Day! Don't forget to learn, grow, educate, advocate and celebrate the dynamic individuals who brighten our lives!

**JOKERS AND JAZZ BASH 2024 COMEDIAN ANNOUNCED**

We're excited to host Kira Soltanovich as our comedian for the 2024 Jokers and Jazz Bash, featuring a night of fun, honors, dinner and more! Proceeds benefit the mission of DSSW! Join us for a night of FUN!!

Kira Soltanovich is a comedian, actress, and writer best known for her correspondent work on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for almost 9 years. She was the Phony Photo Booth, which turned into the show’s longest-running comedy piece. (that didn’t have Jay in it). Kira teams up with Jay Leno again in the You Bet Your Life game show reboot in syndication on FOX now.

Tickets are now on sale and available at www.dsswichita.org/jandj

Special thanks to the men and women of McConnell Air Force Base for such a dynamic look at the important work they do! Explore ICT participants were able to visit and learn about the role and duties of the service men and women, and tour the KC-135.
We especially appreciate 1st Lt Augustus Bates Pilot, SrA Stephanie Peraza Boom Operator, and A1C Edian Hernandez Crew Chief for being such gracious hosts.

Still making plans for Spring Break for the kiddos? Look no further!

Our Spring Break program is open to school-aged kids from March 11-15. We are excited to have a week full of activities for participants, sure to create a memorable experience!

www.dsswichita.org/event

We're excited to be one of the Good Life Grant recipients, from Wichita Wagonmasters! Our grant will support updated technology stations in our lab, where participants are exposed to visual ways to learn and explore.

Thank you for making a difference for our community!

📢 This just in: Congratulations to the 31 recipients of The Good Life in Wichita by the Wichita Wagonmasters Fund at WF👏🎉

The 2023 Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cook-off raised more than $30,000 to assist nonprofits. The grants support a variety of local programs from providing essential hygiene products to offering life skills classes and student startup equipment transportation.

🥳 A round of applause to: Ability Point, Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association, Bread of Life, Club Parkinson's of Kansas, Down Syndrome Society of Wichita, Family Promise of Greater Wichita, Freedom Hooves Therapeutic Riding Center, Giving The Basics Wichita, Hereditary Neurological Disease Centre, Historic Wichita Cowtown, Hope For Da Hood, HopeNet, ICT Food Rescue, ICT SOS, Kansas Children's Foundation, Kansas Humane Society, KyMel, Midwest Battle Buddies, Opera Kansas, Partners for Wichita, Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors, Passageways LTD, Raise My Head Foundation, Rise Up For Youth, Safe Streets Wichita Coalition, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, StepStone, Student Startup, The Treehouse, Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, and Wichita Family Crisis Center