Dream Night at the Buttonwood Zoo
Friday, June 2nd | 5:30pm - 8pm
Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn St, New Bedford, MA 02740
The Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford has teamed up with The Friends of Jack Foundation to bring back Dream Night at the Zoo, and they’ve invited all MDSC families to attend FREE of charge!
Dream Night is a special event designed for families of children with disabilities and chronic healthcare needs to enjoy the zoo in a supportive and inclusive environment.
This year’s theme is “Superheroes Unite!” Attendees will get to see their favorite superheroes come to life and participate in a range of fun activities including face painting, interactive exhibits, and live animal encounters!
If interested, please email contactus@mdsc.org for a registration link
Mini Golf & Ice Cream Social! (ages 13-22)
Sunday, June 11th | 1:00 PM - 2:30PM
315 Worcester St, Natick, MA 01760
Individuals ages 13-22 are invited to join us for the last AIM gathering of the year at Golf on the Village Green in Natick! Enjoy a round of mini golf, followed by ice cream and socializing with friends!
This is a drop off event. Parents and caregivers are welcome to stay if preferred.
$20.00 – no additional cost for individuals who have purchased an annual AIM membership
scholarships always available – contact bharvey@mdsc.org
Your Next Star Employment Academy
Tuesday, June 27th |
Omar's World of Comics & Hobbies, Lexington, MA
A career preparedness academy for individuals with Down syndrome ages 22+. Applications are due no later than Monday, May 8th, 2023. Limited space available.
We are thrilled to continue building the Philip Donahue Your Next Star Employment Center for years to come. Stay tuned for additional YNS Academies in 2023 and other programs as we continue educating employers about the value that people with Down syndrome bring to the workforce while working directly with employers to build inclusive hiring programs.
For more information, reach out to us at ynsacademy@mdsc.org.
Woo Sox Game
Sunday, July 9th | 1:00 PM
Woo Sox Stadium Polar Park, 100 Madison St, Worcester, MA 01608
Central Mass Down Syndrome Group is heading to the WooSox! ⚾️ July 9th 1:05pm start. Tickets $17 per person.
Western MA Family Gathering!
Sunday, July 16th | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
300 N Main St, Florence, MA 01062
We are excited to be hosting a Family Gathering in Look Park in Florence, MA on Sunday, July 16 from 10 AM – 2 PM at the “Mini-Shelter” by the playground and water spray park!
Please bring your own food and drinks – MDSC will provide snacks and desserts! The splash park and parking are included. The train, mini-golf and paddle boats are an extra charge.
Hope to see you there!!
*PLEASE LET THEM KNOW AT THE ENTRANCE BOOTH THAT YOU ARE ATTENDING THE MDSC EVENT AT THE MINI-SHELTER BY THE SPRAY PARK…MDSC WILL COVER THE ENTRANCE/PARKING FEE FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS RSVPed*
Splash Pad & Playground!
Saturday, August 12th | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Ghiloni Park 239 Concord Rd, Marlborough, MA 01752, USA
Bring swimsuit, towel, sunscreen and snacks!
RAIN DATE – Sunday, August 13
Falmouth Road Race
Sunday, August 20th |
Falmouth, MA
Team MDSC runs the 51st running of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race, a 7-mile race along the pristine Cape Cod coastline.
Since 2000, Falmouth Road Race, Inc. has helped charity partners raise over $55 million and bring awareness to their causes. For the 50th running in 2022, 185 Massachusetts-based organizations were selected to participate in the “Numbers for Non Profits” program, accounting for nearly 3,600 runners.
Last Day to Access — 39th Annual Virtual Conference
Thursday, August 31st |
On March 24-March 26, 2023, we were thrilled to celebrate our community of loved ones with Down syndrome and their families and to learn together throughout the weekend at our 39th Annual Virtual REACH Conference!
Our Opening Ceremony, emceed by Lauren Beckham Falcone of The Bob & LBF Morning Show on WROR, featured MA DDS Commissioner Jane Ryder, NDSS President & CEO Kandi Pickard, MDSC Executive Director Maureen Gallagher, MDSC Bilingual (Spanish) Community Outreach Specialist Tatiana Salinas and our 6 REACH Self Advocates — Anna, Brendan, Christopher, Gabby, Nikki and Omar — who spoke meaningfully about what REACHing means to them. It also featured our Official 39th Annual Video Montage, which you can watch below.
We hope you were able to tune in to as many of the live, interactive and specialty workshop sessions as possible, where top experts around the country covered the latest innovative research in education, health and science, legislation, behavior and more.
Even if you missed the conference, it’s not too late to register, so you can have for 24-hour On Demand access through the end of August to nearly everything:
- the Opening Ceremony celebration in its entirety
- all of the General Session presentations (the only exception being Behavior News You Can Use, which will be available for 30 days)
- all the workshops in our Self Advocate track except for the Dance Party with DJ Dan’o
- two of our specialty workshops— Empowering Individuals with DS-ASD and Their Families; and Amplifying the Voices of Diverse Maternal Experiences
Caregiver & Parent Night Out
Saturday, September 16th | 7:30PM
TBD
Night out for our caregivers and parents!
Educator’s Forum
Tuesday, November 14th |
Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA
The MDSC is excited to announce our Annual Educators Forum is coming back in-person on Tuesday, November 14th, 2023 at The College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester MA. We hope you will join us for a full-day of professional development with education specific workshops highlighting important information and resources to best support students with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities at school.
