Basketball Fun

This weekend big Brother's team played in their conference championship.  It was a very close high energy game, but the Knights pulled out the win.  Before the game Ben again had fun warming up with the team.  

Thank you to the Dreamer and Hawks families who made the big photo cut out heads of the varsity players from the photos I took for the Booster Club fundraiser .  Ben was so excited to get to hold John's head and cheer for him.  (Only in the pre-game since he does not have enough self control to not smack someone with it during the game)  Sorry for the blurry photos, but he was on the court and I was in the top row with just my phone.  

Ben loves to cheer on his Knights.  He loves it when the band plays and when the cheerleaders lead a crowd cheer during time-outs.  He always encourages those around him to stand up and cheer along.  The Knights are now 19-2 on the year with 2 regular season games left.  Looking forward to the last few games of the season to see how the team goes. 

Now He is "Official"

Last week at the basketball game in Milford, Ben went up to one of the referees all by himself,  shook his hand, and "told him a story".  While we were not exactly sure what Ben was trying to tell him, we explained to the ref that Ben likes to pretend he is a referee at games and at home and even has his own shirt. Just before the boys game, that same ref came up and asked Ben to come down to him. He gave Ben a little bag that had an official referee patch in it. Ben was excited but was bummed it wouldn't stick to his shirt like a sticker.  The ref told Randy that he would be in Murdock tonight for the varsity games so we laid out a plan for Ben to wear his shirt, with his new patch.

With the patch now on his shirt, Ben made his way down to the court to meet the referee again.  Ben was a bit more shy tonight, but did pose for a photo with his new referee friend.

The kids were excited to get a visit from Nitro.  Of course Ben had to hold his hand and get a hug.

Since it was the last regular season home game, it was also Parent's night so the boys were all lined up.   It was nice to get a photo of the varsity boys who used to play Small Fry Basketball for Ready Mix Concrete all together.

Ben finished the night by taking about 100 selfies on my phone.  Most of them look like this.  I should have know from all the giggling that he was up to something.  

When I figured out what he was doing,  we took a selfie together. 

It was a fun night of basketball!

World Down Syndrome Day 2016

World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, 2016 will be here before we know it.  March 21st was chosen to be recognized as  World Down Syndrome day because of its date 3-21, to represent the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome possess.  #wdsd2016

This year Ben's Brigade is kicking off our fundraising efforts a bit early to help celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.  We created our own new design, because we wanted shirts in the traditional awareness colors of blue and yellow that were not dated, so they could be worn every year on March 21st. We also wanted a design that's sole purpose is to promote Down syndrome awareness and not advertise for any specific group.   This design will be offered on both long and short sleeve t-shirts and 3.5 inch photo buttons available with a pin or magnet backing.  Pre-ordering of this shirt design is now closed.  We do have a limited number of shirt available for purchase.  Email bensbrigadene@gmail.com to see if your size is still available.  Proceeds from the sale of this shirt will be donated to the newly forming Down Syndrome Advocates in Action group.  We would love it if you would share this post with anyone who might be interested in promoting positive Down syndrome awareness on World Down Syndrome Day.

Thank You!

Happy New Year

While I understand the New Year happened over 3 weeks ago, I am just finally getting around to making a blog post about it.  Unfortunately with all the other types of social media, the old blog, is among the last to get updated.  But I do want to continue to share information and news about Ben with all of our readers in 2016.  Thank you for sticking with us this long, and I hope to have more to share with you in the upcoming weeks and months!  But until then, we hope you are enjoying basketball season as much as we are, and 2016 too. 

Why are we fundraising for the LuMind RDS Foundation this year?

This is why. 50% of individuals with Down syndrome will develop Alzheimer's by the time they are 50. That is a scary statistic. 

Here is another. 

Children with Down syndrome can begin developing the pathology of Alzheimer's Disease as early as 

8 years old, including the formation of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Researchers are working on a drug to help prevent the pathology of Alzheimer's from forming. 

Additional funding is needed to move this research forward. Please consider donating in honor of Ben's Brigade for Down Syndrome Advocacy or in honor of your own loved one with Down syndrome.
Click here to watch a video from report by Maria Shriver regarding the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease.  

Ben's Brigade Fundraising

This year we will be making our own customized shirts for Ben's Brigade. Deadline to order is going to be September 15th. This logo will be on a white shirt. $12 for adults and $10 for children.  Let me know if you are interested in getting your very own Ben's Brigade t-shirt or click here to go to our fundraising website where you can  order your shirt on-line.

All proceeds from the sale of these shirts will go to the LuMind Foundation for Down Syndrome Research.  What will you do today to make life a little bit nicer place for those with Down syndrome?  Consider donating today!