Charlestown fundraiser celebrates individuals with Down Syndrome
Jan. 21—CHARLESTOWN — A local family is leading a fundraiser to give a pair of colorful, mismatched socks to every student at Pleasant Ridge Elementary, an effort aimed to celebrate those with Down Syndrome.
This is the third year that Charlestown resident Aimee Radford has organized the sock fundraiser within the community, which has helped her 4-year-old daughter Zoe build connections with students and staff at her school. Zoe has Down Syndrome, and she attends preschool at Pleasant Ridge Elementary.
Aimee invites people to sponsor a pair of socks for $10. The socks are bought through a company called Pals, and for every pair purchased, $5 is donated to Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, a national organization that supports families of children with Down Syndrome.
The mismatched socks include a variety of vibrant designs, including pairs of animals such as frogs and turtles. The socks are meant to recognize the "gift of Down Syndrome," Aimee said, and they will raise awareness in time for World Down Syndrome Day, which takes place March 21.
"The idea is that things don't have to be the same to be fun, and you don't have to be the same as someone else to be friends," she said.
She was inspired to start the fundraiser when she attended a Down Syndrome Diagnosis conference several years ago. Aimee met other moms who had led the sock fundraisers at their kids' schools, and two years ago, she started the effort at Growing Minds Preschool in Sellersburg, which Zoe was attending at the time.
When her family moved to Charlestown, they continued the fundraiser at Pleasant Ridge Elementary. Last year, they were able to give a pair of socks to every preschool student and every staff member at the school.
"More people kept giving money, and by the end of it, the entire school got socks," Aimee said. "It got really big really quick."
This year, they are aiming even higher with hopes of giving socks to all 525 students at the school.
"It's a very ambitious goal this year," Aimee said. "I'm starting to wonder if I'm crazy, but I'm going for it."
The sock fundraisers have helped Zoe make friends and social connections, Aimee said. When kids receive the socks, they also get a picture of Zoe and information about World Down Syndrome Day. As she gets older, Zoe helps deliver socks to students and staff at the school.
"Last year, when we delivered socks to staff members, we had just moved to Charlestown, and now teachers in the school who might not have known her before now know her — they say hi to her in the hallway, and they know her now because of the socks," she said.
When out in public, Zoe is sometimes recognized by kids who received the socks, she said.
"It's amazing how the community got to know her," Aimee said. "There are kids who don't know her, and they're not in the same class, but they want to say hi to her."
Aimee said she appreciates the support provided by the Down Syndrome Diagnostic Network, including groups of parents who connect with each other to ask and answer questions about raising children with Down Syndrome.
"They send welcome baskets all over the country and all over the world to parents who find out their baby has Down Syndrome," she said. "They work with families by connecting them and supporting them, as well as individuals who have Down Syndrome. I have pretty wonderful friends all over the country I've met through the conference who I never would have met otherwise."
Aimee hopes to reach her fundraising goals by Feb. 21, which is Zoe's fifth birthday.
"It's a lot of work, but it's definitely worthwhile," she said. "It would not be possible without the help of people in the community."
