iCare Blog

Alex Awoke and family, with son, Kaleb, in stroller

Story and photos contributed by Dan Pitre and Alex Awoke

ATLANTA – Marking an increased commitment to Down syndrome education and research, two Ipswitch-team families took part last month in a four-hour, half-mile “Buddy Walk” around Centennial Olympic Park which raised more than $172,000.

October in Atlanta is a wonderful time of the year; the leaves turn, color bursting in vibrant reds and yellows under clear blue skies. It was in this idyllic setting that the Down Syndrome Society of Atlanta (DSAA) held its largest annual fundraiser.  Among walkers enjoying live music, entertainment, clowns and bounce houses were Dan Pitre’s family, walking with son Jacob, and Alex Awoke’s family walking with son Kaleb. Both Dan and Alex work with network management in Atlanta. Dan’s a technical product manager and writer; Alex does quality assurance.

Ipswitch has in the past had individually sponsored employees and their families who participated in the DSAA Buddy Walk. This year the company, through the iCare program, upped the ante and became a corporate sponsor of the event at the $1,000 silver-sponsor level.

In the advertisement for the Oct. 9 Buddy Walk, DSAA Executive Director Cynthia Jones wrote:

Dan Pitre and son, Jacob

“Corporate sponsors make this event possible. We have the opportunity to let the entire community know of your support of families and individuals with Down syndrome. With your help, the projects of DSAA can continue to grow and raise awareness while educating the Atlanta community to the importance of individuals with Down syndrome to the community as a whole.”

The “Buddy Walk” was developed by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to promote awareness and inclusion for people with Down syndrome and to raise money for research and education programs. The program has expanded from 17 walks the first year to more than 300 expected in 2011. Last year over $11.2 million was raised nationwide for the Down syndrome community.

Down Syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra 21^st chromosome (Trisomy 21).  It takes its name from the English doctor John Langdon Down, who first described the syndrome in 1886. The poem entitled “Welcome to Holland,” written by Emily Perl Kingsley, speaks to the experience of raising a child with a disability.

Who are these people and what are they talking about?

Looks like another run-of-the-mill meeting, but it’s not. They are discussing a recent road trip to Angola prison in Louisiana.

The U.S. is the only country in the world that sentences children to life in prison without parole.* The people in this picture work at Equal Justice Initiative and have made it their career to strive for balance and fairness in our judicial system. Imagine you are 14 years old. Your mother’s boyfriend regularly attacks her. The police do nothing to stop or punish him. One day he beats her so badly that you can not revive her and think she is dead. The only thing you can think of is to take the boyfriend’s gun and shoot him. The state decides to try you as an adult and aggressively prosecute you. The people at EJI think that you deserve representation. So do I.

EJI is in Montgomery, Alabama. The drive from Montgomery to Angola takes over seven hours each way. EJI staff make that drive regularly because of their passion for fair and equal justice, and because so many of the children sentenced to life in prison without parole are at Angola. I think that with an understanding of what actually happens, most would agree there is too much injustice in our judicial system. I am glad that the people who work at EJI have it as their mission to represent people who suffer from it.

______________________________________

*Thanks to EJI, the Supreme Court last year declared life sentences without parole unconstitutional for children convicted of most crimes. Getting state courts to acknowledge that decision, however, is another story. Much work remains.