The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, hosted by Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL), is the world’s largest fundraiser for Down syndrome. Funds raised go towards medical care, advocacy, education programs and scientific research for individuals with Down syndrome.
A celebration of the Down syndrome community, this event featured 21 models with Down syndrome on the runway alongside Hollywood stars and athletes. The event also recognized prominent self-advocates and advocates in the community. This year, Letizia Napoleone was recognized as GLOBAL’s newest GLOBAL Ambassador, and Maria Menounos and Kennedy Garcia received GLOBAL’s highest honor: the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award.
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Over the past 19 years, this inspiring event has raised over $36 million to advance life-changing and life-saving research, medical care, education, and advocacy.
This year's event welcomed 1,400 attendees, and thanks to generous donors, sponsors and supporters, raised a record-breaking $2.7 million.
Funds raised from this event have enabled GLOBAL to:
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Provide top-tier medical care to over 2,700 pediatric patients with Down syndrome from across 40 states and 10 countries.
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Support over 400 scientists conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as Alzheimer’s disease, regression, cancer, autoimmune disorders and more.
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Drive advocacy efforts that have secured more than $523 million in additional Down syndrome funding from the NIH.
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Offer vital medical resources, including the GLOBAL Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome and Prenatal & Newborn Down Syndrome Information pamphlet, free of charge and accessible to families and organizations worldwide.
“The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show is instrumental in garnering financial support for advancing Down syndrome research. Thanks to this generosity, scientists at the Crnic Institute are leading clinical trials and research that can improve personalized medical care for people with Down syndrome,” said Joaquín Espionsa, PhD, executive director of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. “Without GLOBAL, generous donors and the Down syndrome community, our work would not be possible. Thank you for helping us enable people with Down syndrome to live longer, healthier lives.”
As a proud beneficiary of the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the Crnic Institute is deeply grateful to GLOBAL for their unwavering commitment to transforming the lives of individuals with Down syndrome through support for scientific research and improved medical care. We look forward to another year of groundbreaking discoveries.
