Event scheduled for World Down Syndrome Day
March 21, 2020:
Friends of Down Syndrome’s 6th Annual Cinderella Ball
On World Down Syndrome Day, people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, organize and participate in activities and events to raise public awareness and create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down syndrome.
This year, Houston’s Friends of Down Syndrome is thrilled to celebrate the special teens and adults with Down syndrome in our area at the 6th annual Cinderella Ball on March 21 at the Norris Convention Center’s Red Oak Ballroom in Houston’s CityCentre.
The date for World Down Syndrome Day being the 21st of the 3rd month was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication of the 21st chromosome, which causes Down syndrome. The first events were organized on March 21, 2006, in Geneva, Switzerland.
On March 21, 2020, family, friends and supporters of the nonprofit Friends of Down Syndrome and its Down Syndrome Academy will gather at the Red Oak Ballroom in CityCentre to celebrate teens and adults with Down syndrome in the Houston area.
At last year’s ball, it was announced that Friends of Down Syndrome and the Academy would be moving to a new building the nonprofit purchased at 11947 North Freeway, Houston 77060. Just a little over a month later, the students and staff were in the new building in North Houston.
Friends of Down Syndrome opened the Down Syndrome Academy in January 2014 when Rosa Rocha, president and founder, saw a need for continued education for her son, David, who “aged out” of the public school system. Students with Down syndrome may attend high school until age 22, Rocha said. After that, there are few educational opportunities for them.
Once the word spread about the educational and social opportunities at the Down Syndrome Academy, Rocha said, she saw students coming from all over Houston, as well as Katy, Missouri City, Stafford, Bellaire, Tomball and other areas.
Sadly, Rosa Rocha passed away on Feb. 8, 2020, but her dream of a school and opportunities for adults with Down syndrome lives on.
At the Down Syndrome Academy, which uniquely serves only teens and adults with Down syndrome, students spend Monday, Wednesday and Friday taking classes in reading, math, science, Texas history, music and health/physical education. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students learn job skills and other skills, such as sewing and gardening. They also continue with their physical education, as well as build birdhouses and other items to sell to the public at various events.
The move to the new building allowed the Down Syndrome Academy to address a waiting list. The Academy is currently at nearly 80 students. The Down Syndrome Academy first opened with just 17 students.
The school’s largest annual fundraiser is the Cinderella Ball, held at Houston’s CityCentre. In order to keep the Down Syndrome Academy accessible to families of various socio-economic levels, tuition at the Academy is kept low and fundraisers and private donations are a primary source of funding.
For more information about the Cinderella Ball, visit www.cinderellaball.org. If you are interested in finding out more about the Down Syndrome Academy or Friends of Down Syndrome, call 281-989-0345 or visit www.friendsofdownsyndrome.org.
