Buddy Walk
Some of you have already seen this letter, but I know I missed some people. It's Buddy walk time again. I set up our team page a few weeks ago, and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. Here is the invite to come and walk with us:
Dear Friends,
In the past, about this time of year, you have received a very upbeat Email from Scott and I inviting you to come and Buddy Walk with us during the Buddy Walk sponsored by the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast Michigan (DSG), formerly Parents of Children with Down Syndrome. It has been far more difficult this year to set up our team page and write this invitation to you.
In February, after Ben's death, it was our intention to join another family's team and attend the Buddy Walk. We thought that maybe the two of us, and our parents, would still want to go so we could honor Ben and support the group we have come to love so much. Then as we began to tell people about this plan, we got this response "Well, we're coming..." It dawned on us that we can still have a team for Ben, to honor him and come together in his memory.
The Buddy Walk, over the past two years, has come to mean a lot to our family. It is a time to celebrate Ben and how much we love him, to reaffirm that it is not his difference but his "sameness" that we adore. I know that this year many of you gave to some wonderful charities, including the DSG. Although donating to the Buddy Walk is something I would not discourage you to do, this year we feel it is more important than ever to come together and WALK; to affirm with our physical presence and attachment that we remember the miracle that was Ben, and the miracle of all children and people with Down Syndrome. We appreciate everything you have done, given, felt and come together for this year. We want to ask you to make room in your heart and your schedule to come together with us once a year to remember and honor Ben, not on the day of his death, but on a day that celebrates ability, love, acceptance and everything else that Ben's life stood for. Please come Buddy Walk with us this year, above all others.
The walk this year is at Kensington Metro Park. The path is paved, and it should be a wonderful day. After the walk we will be having a picnic lunch, so bring something to eat and we can all sit together and have some fun. If you have given to the Buddy Walk in the past, you probably received a flyer in the mail. DON'T THROW IT AWAY....you can use it to get into the park for free on the day of the walk. This year's walk occurs on October fourth. You can join our team by going to http://buddywalk.kintera.org/dsgsemi/benrandall. Please be aware that when you join our team, you will be asked to create your own fundraising page. If you want to donate, you can do so from that page or from the original "Ben" page...either one will work and both will count towards our team goal. Again, it is so important to us that we come together and walk. That is our fundraising goal for this year.
Thanks and we'll see you on the fourth of October,
love,
the Randalls
Dear Friends,
In the past, about this time of year, you have received a very upbeat Email from Scott and I inviting you to come and Buddy Walk with us during the Buddy Walk sponsored by the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast Michigan (DSG), formerly Parents of Children with Down Syndrome. It has been far more difficult this year to set up our team page and write this invitation to you.
In February, after Ben's death, it was our intention to join another family's team and attend the Buddy Walk. We thought that maybe the two of us, and our parents, would still want to go so we could honor Ben and support the group we have come to love so much. Then as we began to tell people about this plan, we got this response "Well, we're coming..." It dawned on us that we can still have a team for Ben, to honor him and come together in his memory.
The Buddy Walk, over the past two years, has come to mean a lot to our family. It is a time to celebrate Ben and how much we love him, to reaffirm that it is not his difference but his "sameness" that we adore. I know that this year many of you gave to some wonderful charities, including the DSG. Although donating to the Buddy Walk is something I would not discourage you to do, this year we feel it is more important than ever to come together and WALK; to affirm with our physical presence and attachment that we remember the miracle that was Ben, and the miracle of all children and people with Down Syndrome. We appreciate everything you have done, given, felt and come together for this year. We want to ask you to make room in your heart and your schedule to come together with us once a year to remember and honor Ben, not on the day of his death, but on a day that celebrates ability, love, acceptance and everything else that Ben's life stood for. Please come Buddy Walk with us this year, above all others.
The walk this year is at Kensington Metro Park. The path is paved, and it should be a wonderful day. After the walk we will be having a picnic lunch, so bring something to eat and we can all sit together and have some fun. If you have given to the Buddy Walk in the past, you probably received a flyer in the mail. DON'T THROW IT AWAY....you can use it to get into the park for free on the day of the walk. This year's walk occurs on October fourth. You can join our team by going to http://buddywalk.kintera.org/dsgsemi/benrandall. Please be aware that when you join our team, you will be asked to create your own fundraising page. If you want to donate, you can do so from that page or from the original "Ben" page...either one will work and both will count towards our team goal. Again, it is so important to us that we come together and walk. That is our fundraising goal for this year.
Thanks and we'll see you on the fourth of October,
love,
the Randalls