Team Steven C

Hello family and friends,

I am excited about this year’s Buddy Walk. We missed last year because we were in Kansas. But Team Steven C is back! 

In 2001, I was three. The Buddy Walk was created by a small group of families, including mine, to raise money to start a Trisomy 21 Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, that year’s #1 rated U.S. children’s hospital. Like my life, no one had any idea how the Buddy Walk would grow and develop. 

I am now 26, a college graduate, working at Captain’s Market, and volunteering at PaTTAN (part of the Pennsylvania Department of Education.) The CHOP Buddy has raised nearly $5 million since that first cold day in a parking lot across from Villanova University. Now held at The Linc stadium with thousands of participants, it is a major fundraising for the hospital. 

Please join my team in supporting this amazing, important program for patient care and research of Down syndrome. It’s grown over the years, which is great, but it’s popularity and success has made appointment scheduling requiring long wait times. Funding the Buddy Walk goes directly to funding the Trisomy 21 Program and allowing further staffing and expansion. Your support can be in the form of financial donation, prayers, or well wishes. All are appreciated.

Hope to see you on Sunday, October 20!

With love,

Steven ♥️

Why I Walk:

The CHOP Buddy Walk® is the sole fundraiser for the Trisomy 21 Program: CHOP’s Trisomy 21 Program, which cares for more than 1,200 children and 300 adults annually, would not exist as it does today without the tremendous support of the CHOP Buddy Walk® & Family Fun Day.

The CHOP Buddy Walk® provides hope for tomorrow for children with trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, the most frequently occurring genetic syndrome in the United States. One in every 800 children are born with Down syndrome, and they often face an uncertain future. These children are at greater risk of developing chronic and life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, bone deformities, neurological, gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, as well as feeding and developmental disabilities.

How Can You Help?

By donating and helping me support:

• Ongoing clinical care and coordination for children and adults with Down syndrome and their families
• New assessment tools to identify potential issues and intervene early
• Continuing education for families, medical providers and community members
• Transformational research to improve the quality — and quantity — of life for individuals with Down syndrome

With your support, babies born with Down syndrome can experience the many joys of childhood — and flourish in adulthood.

Thank you!