Friends - Welcome to F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Down Syndrome/Special Needs

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A Child's Life

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F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Families, Respect, Inspire, Education, Networking for Down syndrome & Special needs

Expectant Parents

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is here to assist Learning that your unborn baby has Down syndrome can be very difficult to hear. This unexpected news may generate a wide range of emotions and questions.
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New Parents

CLICK READ MORE FOR PARENT PACKS The parent packets are delivered to the Labor & Delivery, NICU, and to the hospitals Social Workers to ensure they are available to you.

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For Physicians

Learning the Diagnosis This is extremely difficult for parents and should be handled delicately. Physician’s please watch the attached film

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F.R.I.E.N.D.S. WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY JOIN US AT THE ZOO!

MEMBERSHIP FORM - JOIN HERE

BUY YOUR TICKETS

BUY YOUR SOCKS

POST YOUR SOCKS PICTURES!

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY (WDSD) ROCKIN SOCKS CELEBRATION

We are so excited to announce we have partnered with PALS Socks to help us celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! We hope this fundraiser will be a lot of fun for you and the family. Funds raised will continue to provide our F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Parent Support, Community Advocacy & Education, Year-Round Programs, and Family Activities & Events.

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) was officially observed by the United Nations, in 2012. There was so little information about Down syndrome in 2012, that if you did not have a child with Down Syndrome, you knew very little about the genetic condition. We celebrate WDSD to raise awareness of what Down Syndrome is, to voice our challenges as parents raising a child with special needs, and to show the public that having Down syndrome is not the end of the world. Our children/adults can and do go to school, learn new skills, hold jobs, fall in love, get married, vote, and are valued and productive citizens.

As chromosomes look like socks, we encourage you to buy a pair and show them off. Don’t hide those socks! Start a conversation to raise awareness and promote inclusion. Get your family, co-workers, and students involved to help you show off your Down Syndrome pride, but also help us remind the community that we need their acceptance and support.

Take pictures of yourself, your friends, family, co-workers, and students wearing their socks and post them on our Facebook Page:

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. DOWN SYNDROME SPECIAL NEEDS https://www.facebook.com/FRIENDSWESTFLORIDA .

BUY YOUR SOCK BY LOGGING ONTO: https://palssocks.rallyup.com/friendswestflorida

YOU COULD WIN A $50 GIFT CARD!

The picture with the most likes will receive a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant of your choice! We can’t thank you enough for your continued love and support. We appreciate you and your families more than you will ever know. Please feel free to add friends, family and any coworkers that you think might like help with this event and please SHARE ON FACEBOOK!!

Let’s get ready to ROCK OUR SOCKS on March 21, 2021!!

FRIENDS BAKE SALE

KEN BROWLEE REALTY TO RAISE $50,000 FOR F.R.I.E.N.D.S.! We are so grateful for Ken Brownlee Realty, their realty crew, and our own Joe Wright! Together, they brought us the B Street Market, it's purpose is to raise $50,000 for F.R.I.E.N.D.S.! They will be hosting the B Street Market the first of every month, plus hosting a few other events to reach their goal, and we are so excited and can't wait to see what comes next. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

GAME DAY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT ALL OF OUR FRIENDS EVENTS

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Signup For Our Volunteer Programs

VOLUNTEER - Thank you for your interest in volunteering for F.R.I.E.N.D.S. We are always in need of great volunteers who are hard-working, organized and who love interacting with our families. As a volunteer, you are essential and play an important role in making our events so special for our families.

*Approved by Hillsborough County to offer volunteer hours to students working for Bright Futures scholarships.

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F.R.I.E.N.D.S. VIDEOS

Thank you FRIENDS Volunteers.

Friends has put together a video for the Ellen DeGeneres & Cheerios One Million Acts of Good promotion. We are raising funds to open THE FRIENDS CENTER - A special needs daycare. Thanks to everyone who participated, we had a lot of fun taping it. Please share the video. Thanks so much! Wish us luck!