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Marina, 8, will see herself in the video on NYC's Times Square jumbotron
HOWLAND
Marina Donadio’s winning smile not only makes her friends wherever she goes, it also won her a spot in the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual video to be presented on the Times Square jumbotron in New York City on Saturday.
The winning picture of Marina, 8, who has Down syndrome, standing with her classmate, Santino Alberini at Howland Glen Elementary School, is among some 220 selected for the video from among 2,000 entries.
Marina, who is in the second grade at Howland Glen Elementary School, is excited to go to New York and see the video, said her mother, Kelly Donadio, who submitted the photo of her daughter and her classmate. “She’s been talking about it forever,” her mother said.
“Marina may not fully understand what it’s all about, but she knows it’s a great event that has something to do with her,” Kelly said.
The video features photographs of children, teens and adults with Down syndrome working, playing and learning alongside friends and family to promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome, which is the National Down Syndrome Society’s mission.
Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra chromosomes, which are genetic markers.
The Times Square video kicks off National Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October, and the 20th annual Flagship Buddy Walk in New York City.
Kelly Donadio, a 1982 graduate of Sharpsville, Pa., High School, and her husband, Chris Donadio, a 1982 graduate of Niles McKinley High School, said they did not know anything about Down syndrome when Marina was diagnosed at 3 months.
Born Oct. 23, 2005, Marina is the youngest of four Donadio children: Olivia, a senior at Howland High School; Angelo, a sophomore at Howland High School; and Claire, an eighth-grader at Howland Middle School.
Grandparents are Ray and Judy Donadio of Niles and Joseph and Norma Conti of Howland.
Kelly said her first concern after the diagnosis was “How will others accept her?”
But, she said, “Marina has a great personality, and it has worked to her advantage in being accepted.
“My next thought was I didn’t know what I needed to do to help her get what she needs,” Kelly said.
“I immediately began researching online and found Down syndrome associations in Pittsburgh and Cleveland which provided information and support.”
Marina attended preschool at the Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ Fairhaven School in Niles, where she was a cheerleader for the basketball team.
“We treat her just like the other kids,” said Kelly, a secretary in the controller’s office at Kent State University’s main campus and former promotions director for WPIC radio station in Sharon, Pa., and WBBG Oldies 93. Chris is in sales for Litco International in Vienna.
“I think the thing I’ve thought from the beginning is that people [should] just give her a chance — get to know her. She knows the school staff and many students outside her class. She’s really very likable and capable,” Kelly said.
And, Marina is a veteran of several Buddy Walks; her first was in a stroller at the Cleveland Buddy Walk.
“Walmart volunteers stood along the route and applauded as we went by. It’s still one of our most- emotional moments,” Kelly said.
Wanting support and events closer to home, Kelly and Chris Donadio spearheaded formation of the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley and the opening of the DSAV Center for Success in Boardman.
The center provides Down syndrome materials and resources for schools and libraries in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties in Ohio, and Mercer, Lawrence and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania, and for members, educators and health-care professionals in those counties and beyond.
The first local Buddy Walk in 2009 was at the Shops at Boardman Park.
“Over 2,000 people participated in the one-mile awareness walk. It was amazing and emotional,” Kelly said.
The Buddy Walk was developed by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to bring together a wide range of concerned individuals to reach out to friends, family and co-workers to promote awareness and inclusion for people with Down syndrome and to raise funds for education, research and advocacy programs.
Kelly praised the Howland Glen school personnel for making Marina feel welcome and included, saying it has fabulous teachers and aides. Marina also gets speech, occupational and physical therapies through the schools.
“Things that we have experienced because of her have made us more accepting and given us a new perspective on anyone struggling,” Kelly said. “Marina has added more to our lives than we could ever have imagined.”