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Saturday’s March 18 event featured dancing, laughter and pizza
YOUNGSTOWN
Tyler Meinke loves riding his four-wheeler and helping get his dad’s truck, Mudzilla, ready for Truck Night at Yankee Lake.
The Lakeview High School junior, 17, who has Down syndrome, also helps with the family business, Creekside Gardens in Howland, and “loves to dance and party” say his parents, Melanie and Bob Meinke of Cortland.
Tyler, along with his family, which includes older brother, Ryan, and about 200 other Down syndrome families attended the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley’s “3-21 World Down Syndrome Day” party at St. Mary’s Assumption Hall on Saturday.
“We don’t baby him. We take him everywhere,” Bob said. “We include Tyler in everything. Inclusion is very important,” Melanie added.
This is a big deal for Down syndrome families,” said Michele Jones, co-founder of Down Syndrome Association of the Valley, which represents 18 counties in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, including Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
“Inclusion in school and elsewhere makes all the difference in helping Down syndrome children become productive members of society,” Jones said. A retired pharmacist, she and her husband, Dr. Ken Jones, an orthopedic surgeon, have a daughter, Lauren, 12, who has Down syndrome.
“My passion is for those with Down syndrome,” Michele said, who has passed her passion for helping people with disabilities along to her son, Ryan, a senior at Howland High School.
Ryan, inspired by his sister, founded the You’ve Got a Friend in Me mentor club at the high school. The club’s members tutor students with disabilities and participate in school and after-school activities with them.
The 10th annual event, which in addition to being a social evening with pizza and dancing to tunes provided by D.J. Kim, also celebrated the 12th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day, which is Tuesday.
The date for WDSD, the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome, Michele Jones said.
Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. More than 400,000 people in the United States are living with Down syndrome.
Members of the Howland High School National Honor Society and You’ve Got a Friend in Me club volunteered their help. It was also the official roll out of the annual fundraising Buddy Walk 2017, which this year will be Sept. 24 at Eastwood Field behind the Eastwood Mall in Niles.
The Down Syndrome Association of the Valley offers year-round programs and events for its members, who number about 750, Michele said.
Services include new parent and pre-natal support; medical, legal and education lectures; community and social events; age-responsive programming and materials; family grants, resource and referral services, and public awareness, outreach and advocacy.
For information, call the DSAV office in Boardman 330-726-3728 or visit info@dsav.org.