As our main goal at Save Down Syndrome is to end the genocide, discrimination, and mistreatment of people with Down syndrome, you can imagine the overwhelming amount of smaller goals we have in order to achieve that. We want everyone to know that they are not alone in their efforts to save Down syndrome- we are here with you, and we are doing this together. That is why we always want to be open about our actions and ideas. In this article, we have outlined our 5 biggest goals for 2019.

Become a 501(c)(3)

We are currently a registered nonprofit, but in order for donations to be tax deductible, we need to become a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. We have filled out the forms, and our founder and president, Kaitlin Pepper, is currently gathering together the $600 filing fee. Once she has enough for the fee, we will send it in along with the forms, and we will hopefully be accepted as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. When we become a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, we will begin to take donations, which will further the movement to save Down syndrome. Donations will enable us to pay for educational ads about Down syndrome to run on the most popular social media platforms; print and send individualized educational materials to schools, pediatricians, OB/GYNs, abortion providers, places of work, and to anyone who requests them; write and publish educational books about Down syndrome; and more. Our goal for 2019 is to become a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, and to begin accepting donations.

Finish Our Website

We have changed the way we have presented information about Down syndrome on our website many times. We are currently working on an easy to read and understand format. We plan to have a page with information about Down syndrome in general, a page for people with Down syndrome, and a page for new parents of children with Down syndrome. These pages will include educational information, as well as direct links to resources in each part of the United States, and eventually in each part of the world. We are also currently working on multiple brochures, flyers, etc. that educate people on Down syndrome in general, educate new parents of children with Down syndrome, educate siblings/ grandparents/ etc., educate people in different career fields, and more. These materials will be able to be downloaded from our website and printed, and there will also be an option to have them printed and shipped to you if needed. In the future, we would like to alter our materials to the cultures of other nations, and have translators translate our materials into different languages, so that we can spread our information throughout the world. Our goal for 2019 is to have our website completely finished, so the only changes we make in the future are updates to information, any corrections, and possible small format changes.

Begin our Social Media Ad Campaign

A large part of the reason the genocide, discrimination, and mistreatment of people with Down syndrome still exists is a lack of education. Most people only know stereotypes about Down syndrome and/or out dated and sometimes incorrect information. Up to date and correct information is out there, but we understand that if someone isn’t interested, they’re not going to seek that information out. That’s why we thought it would be a good idea to bring the information to people, instead of waiting for them to seek it out themselves. According to certain statistics, “the number of worldwide social media users reached 2.34 billion and is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020” (1). The vast majority of people on social media see sponsored advertisements. By creating advertisements with educational information about Down syndrome, more people will see that information, and hopefully learn from it. We understand, however, that many people scroll right passed advertisements. If we run our ads often, and target all demographics, people will see our ads multiple times, hopefully sparking an interest or at least a conversation. Our goal for 2019 is to begin the ad campaign by creating and posting advertisements. This is a project that must start small, but will grow as time goes on.

Print and Send Educational Materials

We are also currently working on multiple brochures, flyers, etc. that educate people on Down syndrome in general, educate new parents of children with Down syndrome, educate siblings/ grandparents/ etc., educate people in different career fields, and more. We plan on sending information to every school, pediatrician, OB/GYN, abortion provider, and major company in the United States, and eventually, the world. In the future, we would like to alter our materials to the cultures of other nations, and have translators translate our materials into different languages, so that we can spread our information throughout the world. Our goal for 2019 is to be able to print and send materials to at least 1/4 of the United States.

Continue Working on Projects and Programs

AMBASSADORS JEN AND JANA “PEANUT” BENITO

We have several projects and programs that we are currently working on. When we were much smaller, it was easier to work on these projects and programs. We have grown exponentially this past year, and managing Save Down Syndrome and our major projects has occupied most of our time, pushing other projects and programs to the side. We are working on a children’s book about amazing people with Down syndrome, a podcast, Adopt the Love, The Art of Inclusion, and more.

References

U.S. population with a social media profile 2018. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/

Save Down Syndrome: Goals for 2019