There are tons of ways to celebrate WDSD. The list below is just 21 of those ways to give you a head start to preparing and planning for 2020’s World Down Syndrome Day Celebration!

1. Wear crazy or mismatched socks. An all time favorite around the world, people wear mismatched and crazy-patterned socks to celebrate WDSD because chromosomes resemble colorful mismatched socks. You can buy crazy socks anywhere, but purchasing from John’s Crazy Socks and Ry The Tie Guy ensures that the money is going back to those who have Down syndrome.

2. Wear the colors blue and yellow! People usually wear blue and yellow in support of Down syndrome all year long or for fundraisers but sometimes we forget that on 3/21 we can make our outfit as blue, as yellow, and as outrageous as we want! The more creative and fun the better!

3. Participate in 21 random acts of kindness. Anti-bullying and spreading kindness is a big deal within the Down syndrome community. What better way to advocate and spread awareness than by showing kindness? Bake cupcakes for your local police station, do a door-stop bubble dash (leave bubbles as a surprise and anonymously on someone’s doorstep) or donate to the local humane society!

4. Volunteer!!! World wide and local organizations always have something going on for WDSD and they are always looking for volunteers! Get involved and meet some great friends while you’re at it.

5. Donate to your favorite Down syndrome organization. Most are run on donations and fundraisers and even a small donation goes a long way. Make it fun by donating $3.21 or $21.00 in honor of the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. If you don’t know who you can donate to here are a couple of ideas: National Association for Down Syndrome, National Down Syndrome Society, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, and Down Syndrome International. (Save Down Syndrome is currently not accepting donations. We will make an announcement as soon as that changes.)

6. Support a business owner who has Down syndrome. Check out local shops who are run and supported by those with Down syndrome or order online. If you’re looking for ideas, these shops are run by someone with Down syndrome and/or they also employ those with Down syndrome: Reeve’s Tees, Megology, John’s Crazy Socks, Sweet Ham Jam Co, Da Bombs by Morgan Tibbens, Gracie’s Doggie Delights and Colletey’s.

7. Pledge to end the R word at r-word.org. Using the R word may have started out as a professional term but over the decades it’s taken on a completely different and negative annotation. Help eradicate the derogatory term by pledging never to use it again.

8. Run (or walk) 3.21 miles in honor of WDSD! You can do this on your own or you can sign up through NDSS here and get a printable bid for free. Don’t forget to post a photo!

9. Share WDSD videos. Don’t have one and can’t make one? Don’t worry! A WDSD video is always shared, every year. You’ll be able to spot one on social media the day of and share away. You can also use these past WDSD videos: Don’t Stop Me Now, Dear Future Mom, 50 Mums 50 Kids 1 Extra Chromosome, Reasons To Celebrate, WDSD 2017, and 50 Ordinary Families 1 Extraordinary Journey.

10. Read stories with your kids that promote kindness and inclusion. A couple of our favorites are Included, Charlie’s Way, Kindness Starts With You, Eli Included, More Alike Than Different, This Is Ella, Hannah’s Down Syndrome Super Powers, and What’s Inside You Is Inside Me Too.

11. Bring Down syndrome awareness treats to your job or school. A lot of smaller bakeries will custom make 3.21 cookies and cupcakes!

12. Participate in a local WDSD event. A lot of cities and organizations host one big party for the big day and usually they’re open to the public!

13. Host a fundraiser for your favorite Down syndrome organization. As mentioned previously, most organizations are run on donations and fundraisers and the more help they receive the more opportunities they can create for individuals with Down syndrome. Don’t know the first thing about doing a fundraiser? That’s ok! It’s easy! You can set up a PayPal donation event, GoFundMe or even a Facebook fundraiser! The organization will get the monetary donations from FB but with the other two you’ll have to collect and then donate it directly. You can also ask if they have a wish list and you can create one through Amazon for them. You can then have the items shipped to the organization itself. This is sometimes helpful when they’re trying to raise items for raffles.

14. Wear a World Down Syndrome Day shirt! We do this every year and now we have a collection that we are proud of. A very popular place for purchasing WDSD shirts is A Lil Something Extra. You can also purchase them from Seanese, Nothing Down, and BLynn Special Designs has WDSD shirts for those who have a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism.

15. Support an organization that advocates for Down syndrome! A lot of organizations are working tirelessly on behalf of the Down syndrome community to change laws and promote awareness and inclusion. Some work on the research end which greatly benefits those with T21. You can support them by donating monetary funds or by volunteering your time for events, administrative help or by becoming a member. Some of these organizations are Nothing Down, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Save Down Syndrome (you can become an ambassador here or sign up for volunteer opportunities here), Down syndrome International, National Association for Down Syndrome and National Down Syndrome Society.

16. Share on social media about how those with Down syndrome are more alike than different.

17. Wear an awareness tee! Other than a WDSD specific shirt, you can purchase and wear any kind of shirt that promotes kindness and awareness. A lot of people do this so they can wear it all year long (although we wear our WDSD shirts all year long too!). Here are some great shops for every day awareness apparel: Littlest Warrior, A Lil Something Extra, Reeve’s Tees, Nothing Down, Kale Chips Apparel, Lost Valley Design, Gabe the Babe and Co, and The Lucky Few. You can also purchase shirts to benefit NADS by purchasing them through Leanne Lally (leannelally8@me.com).

18. Donate to or participate in the Special Olympics fundraisers. Most cities participate in their annual Polar Plunge which is a fun way to not only get involved but raise funds for an amazing organization.

19. Take the time to learn more about Down syndrome for yourself!

20. Get your local schools or place of employment to celebrate WDSD!

21. Wear fun awareness buttons! Some Etsy shops will custom make them for you using a photo of someone you know or you can buy generic ones from Amazon.

You can also use the images as well as the video (courtesy of the National Association for Down Syndrome) below to share throughout social media.

*The first image can be used for schools or places of employment where there will be no attendance on Saturday but there will be on Friday.