Putting Downs First, Inc. 

Putting Downs First, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization benefit people with Down syndrome and their families in our Northeast, Ohio area. 

         Our Mission 
 Educate, Advocate, Integrate, Celebrate, Participate

• *To offer encouragement to new and expectant parents through education, loving support, and hope for the future.
• *To provide families, friends and people touched by Down syndrome information, support, and friendship.
• *To further education and awareness of the benefits for inclusion of persons affected by Down syndrome in our society.

      

PDF LOGO is INSPIRED BY:
    WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley. c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved
       I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
      When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
       After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
       "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
         But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
         The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
          So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
          It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
          But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
         And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
        But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Information from Days of Our Past

Warren named 'healthy community' - 04/06 01:12
http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/527630.html

1. It's time to play - 04/06 01:12
   http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/527581.html
2. LANA EISENBRAUN SCHOLARSHIP - 03/26 09:07
   As mentioned in our previous newsletters, "Lana Eisenbraun was our beloved Secretary, Friend, Adviser, and cherished member of our PDF Family, who lost her battle with cancer." We have received many generous donations in her name and to create the Enrichment scholarship program.
3. SPECS4US - 03/08 03:54
   SPECS4US, Superior Precision Eyewear for Children who are Special, is a company founded by Maria Dellapina, a parent of a child who has Down syndrome. SPECS4US is a company that has revolutionized eyewear for children and adults with Down syndrome.
4. HIPPOTHERAPY - 12/01 11:15
   What is Hippotherapy? Hippotherapy is a form of treatment offered by Physical, Occupational, and Speech/Language Therapists that uses the natural movement of horses to achieve therapy goals that help those with special needs develop their abilities.
5. THE VALLEY'S INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND - 11/29 03:48
   OUR VISION - Putting Downs First had envisioned a place that would allow all children to play together. A place where differences didn't matter and friendships could develop between kids who otherwise would never have the opportunity to meet.

---