April 21, 2012 - Carlyle, IL

Walking teams, solo walkers, donors, online supporters and event-day volunteers are being sought for the Community Link Buddy Walk event on Saturday, April 21, 2012, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Carlyle Lake Dam West Day Use Area, Picnic Shelter 2. With an official 10:30 a.m. shotgun start, the walk will follow a path east toward Carlyle Lake Dam and back to the pavilion.

Community Link's Buddy Walk, one of nearly 300 nationwide, is a one-mile walk to raise awareness about Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities, and to raise funds to support community inclusion and services for people with special needs.

The Buddy Walk was devleoped by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. The Buddy Walk has grown from 17 walks in 1995 to nearly 300 walks expected in 2011 worldwide. In 2010, $11.2 million was raised nationwide to benefit local programs and services, as well as the national advocacy and public awareness initiatives of NDSS that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome.

A full 93 percent of the Community Link Buddy Walk proceeds go to support Community Link, the remainder support NDSS acitivities.

Those who support the inclusion of people with special needs but who cannot particpate on the day of the Buddy Walk may donate by check to Community Link, 1665 N. Fourth St., PO Box 157, Breese, IL 62230-0157, or online at Firstgiving. Walkers and non-walkers alike may also use the Web link to set up their own fund-raising page for collecting donations from their "buddies" - family, friends and colleagues.

The 2011 corporate sponsors of the Community Link Buddy Walk included Henken Storage, Foppe Insurance Agency, Smith Chiropractic Clinic, Kohnen Concrete Products, John Hudspeth and First Bank.

Walkers can participate as individuals or as part of a team. Teams may be named for someone with special needs, or for a school or church, a workplace, or any person, place or thing of value.

The $15 registration fee includes a t-shirt and a lunch ticket. As part of the morning Buddy Walk festivities, Community Link adult clients will offer crafts for sale, and there will be drawings and free children's activities. Advocates from Community Link and other agencies will provide information about human development and community services. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will offer a water-safety presentation.

For registration, sponsorship or other information, contact Marla Hilmes at 618-526-3903 or email MarlaH@commlink.org.