About the Walk | Register/Donate | Event Schedule | Buddy Teams | Resource Tables | Sponsorships | Volunteer

About the DSNO Buddy Walk®

We looking forward to gathering together for the DSNO Buddy Walk® at Millennium Plaza Park in Lake Oswego on September 24th, 2023!  Buddy Walk® is the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the U.S. and the most widely recognized public awareness program for the Down syndrome community globally, and the DSNO Buddy Walk® is DSNO’s primary and biggest fundraising effort of the year. Over 95% of funds raised stay in our local community.

For 20 years, 501(c)(3) nonprofit Down Syndrome Network Oregon (DSNO) has hosted its annual Buddy Walk® event and fundraiser at Millennium Plaza Park on a Sunday in late September. The morning-to-afternoon event typically draws several hundred to nearly a thousand people in a celebration and gathering with friends, family, neighbors, classmates, volunteers and supporters around several dozen Buddy Teams. The DSNO Buddy Walk® is a high-energy, fun-filled gathering appropriate for all ages, featuring activities and vendors, a brief program, a short, accessible group walk, lunch, time for gathering and socializing, music and dance performances, and a community resource fair. Each year, we gather to welcome and connect new families into our local Down syndrome community, and this event is a great way to plug in, relax, meet others and show your support for your loved ones and their friends and be part of a positive, loving, inclusive community that welcomes all.

Funds raised at the DSNO Buddy Walk® support growing our infrastructure benefitting our local Down syndrome community (Portland-area, SW Washington, and Willamette Valley) to put on dozens of local DSNO programs year-round for hundreds of families, including: DSNOFit exercise class, Family Summer Kick-off Event, Sports Camp, Hip-Hop Dance Camp, Mom’s Night Out, Mom’s Coffee, Mom’s Beach Retreat, Dad’s Gatherings, Boo Bash, Jingle Ball, and many more.

Register or Donate

To register for or donate to the 2023 DSNO Buddy Walk®, please visit our online registration/donation form.

The majority of fundraising for the DSNO Buddy Walk® is done prior to the event through Buddy Team fundraising, sponsorships, and other registrations/donations.  We also provide opportunities to donate at the event, and we encourage everyone who is planning to make individual donations to donate through a Buddy Team no later than September 15, 2023 so that Buddy Teams can get credit to meet fundraising milestones and earn prizes.

Event Schedule

9:00am – 10:30am

• Registration Open
• Activities + Vendors
• Community Partner Resource Tables

10:30am – Opening Festivities and Walk

• Welcome and Kick-off
• Flag Ceremony
• National Anthem
• Special Performances
• Special Guest and Presentation
• Introduction of Buddy Teams
• Group Picture/Video
• Walk Begins

11:30am(ish)

• Lunch (Burgers, Hot Dogs, Salad) – Thank you Lake Oswego Lions Club!

12:00pm – 3:00pm

• Live Music
• Activities + Vendors (continued)
• Community Partner Resource Tables (continued)
• Socializing/Gathering
• Take a Trolley Ride – Details coming soon!

What is a Buddy Team?

A Buddy Team is a group of people that come together to support and cheer an individual experiencing Down syndrome or other disability, or a group of individuals/organization that support all our Buddies. Buddy Teams set up a team website, use outreach and social media to encourage friends and peers to join the event and/or make a donation to DSNO on the team’s behalf, and then celebrate together at the event. Buddy Teams are included on our t-shirt (if created by September 1st, 2023) and are shown on our Buddy Teams Page. Buddy Teams are eligible to receive prizes and recognition for participation and fundraising milestones and back again this year, Buddies and immediate family are invited to participate in a Buddy Team Tailgate Party the weekend before the DSNO Buddy Walk® for prize presentations and celebration.

Resource Tables

Organizations and businesses who would like to connect with our local Down syndrome community are invited to host a resource table at the event ($75 for non-profit, $150 for businesses). Know of an organization you think would benefit by hosting a resource table at next year’s DSNO Buddy Walk®, or that our community would benefit by having a presence? Please refer them to us and encourage them to register here.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Businesses and individuals are invited to sponsor the 2023 DSNO Buddy Walk® at various levels, starting at $250.  Know of a business or individual who you think would make a great sponsor next year? Please send us their name and a contact, and we will reach out to them with an invitation, or send this webpage and have them reach out to us.  Thank you!  For more information, learn more here or contact our volunteer sponsorship representatives at buddywalk@dsno.org.

Volunteer Opportunites

Want to help out at this year’s DSNO Buddy Walk® or at other DSNO events throughout the year? Fill out our volunteer interest form.