LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Two Las Vegas children, Kay and Leo, will have their pictures featured on screens in Times Square on Sept. 12. They were chosen out of thousands of submissions for the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual Buddy Walk.
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A five-year-old’s big moment
Kay is five years old. She loves to dance, play and cook. She also loves her service dog, Maeve. On Sept. 12, a photo of Kay and Maeve will be displayed on screens in New York City.
“Every year, they take several thousand submissions of pictures of individuals with Down syndrome and only 500 get chosen,” Kay’s mother, Jessica Drake, said.
Drake has submitted Kay’s photo every year since Kay was born.
“When I got the email of congratulations, I was just thrilled,” Drake said. “All the funds go towards a good cause anyway. But, you know, I was hoping eventually one day she would be chosen.”
Family plans first trip to New York City
Kay, Jessica, and Kay’s grandmother have never been to New York City. In a few weeks, they will travel there for Kay’s photo display. The family said the trip would not have been possible without sponsors, including DSP Connections, a nonprofit that serves individuals with intellectual disabilities, and Kay’s grandfather’s union.
“My local union, which I’m glad to be part of, 525 Plumber and Pipe Fitters, they have been so helpful throughout our journey with her,” Kay’s grandfather, Darren Chapman, said. “They’ve stepped up and sponsored to help cover some of the expense to send her, Jessica, and my wife to New York. You know, it’s a great local.”
Kay and Leo are the only two children from the Las Vegas area selected. Their photos will be displayed in Times Square at 6 a.m. on Sept. 12.
“They said it shows for about seven seconds, which doesn’t seem long, but they’re like, when you’re there and when you see it, it’s a long time,” Drake said. “So you can get all the pictures and videos that you want.”
Family says moment is about inclusion
“It promotes inclusion,” Drake said. “The individuals with Down syndrome are a part of our community, and they are around you and everyone else in our everyday lives, and they deserve to be celebrated.”
“It’s giving people a chance to see and learn…you know?” Chapman said. “And you know, it’s not a bad thing. Everybody, you know, when you say, ‘Oh, my kid or my grandchild has Down syndrome,’ they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ No. Don’t be. We’re not. You know what I mean? Look at her smile. You see?”
The video presentation can be watched on the National Down Syndrome Society’s Facebook page, where it will be live-streamed.
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