Team Budd Zoo

Please consider supporting Team Budd Zoo in our efforts to raise money for SOFT (Support Organization for Trisomy 18, 13 and Related Disorders) through their Stroll for Hope event. 

We will be "strolling" in the 3rd Annual Stroll for Hope on Thu, July 18th at this year's SOFT conference in Providence, RI.  Funds raised go towards helping SOFT provide its resources and services to many families.  You can view some of those resources on their website: http://www.trisomy.org. SOFT is a 501(c)(3) that has been supporting the trisomy community since 1980! No donation is too small!

==> DONATE HERE <==  

Donating through the firstgiving.com website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

THANK YOU from Team Budd Zoo!

Team Budd Zoo - 2011 Stroll for Hope - Chicago, IL

Team Budd Zoo - 2012 Stroll for Hope - St. Louis, IL

Some of the 2012 trisomy stroll participants

TAG-Teaming the SOFT Stroll for Hope

SOFT (Support Organization For Trisomy 18, 13, and Related Disorders) is a volunteer organization that offers support for parents who have had or are expecting a child with a chromosome disorder (especially Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13), and education to families and professionals interested in the care of these children.  Every year they hold an annual SOFT Conference which provides an opportunity for grieving families to celebrate the lives of their children and learn skills to help them in their grief. It also offers an opportunity for families of living children to come together and spend time with families who understand their daily struggles, medical concerns and stresses, and the joys found in having a trisomy child. Most importantly, it offers opportunities for doctors to get hands-on experience with trisomy children through a medical clinic offered to all trisomy attendees, and provides important up-to-date education opportunities to families and medical professionals alike.

I am excited and honored because I will be representing the Trisomy Advocacy Group (TAG) at a conference session, along with several other TAG Board members. Our session is entitled "How to Advocate for your Trisomy Child".


All of the TAG Board Members attending the SOFT Conference will also be involved in a conference Stroll for Hope event that is designed to raise funds for SOFT. Some of the money goes to future conference costs, and some of the money goes to SOFT's general funds for operating costs.  I fully support SOFT and can attest to the positive impact it can have on families no matter where they are in this journey. Please consider supporting TAG's efforts to help SOFT by donating towards our TAG Team's SOFT Stroll for Hope fundraising efforts!


Here are some photos from the SOFT Stroll for Hope event in Chicago, IL in 2011. This is our Budd Zoo Team! But this year, we will have a TAG Team instead!

The Budd Zoo Team posing in our 2011 Stroll for Hope position.

Here is the back of our team Budd Zoo t-shirts. The design was created by our son, Elijah. We then used  ink jet t-shirt transfers to put them on matching t-shirts.

Go Team Budd Zoo! Notice how Elijah is holding Rebekah's hand. :-)

PLEASE DONATE to our TAG Team SOFT Stroll for Hope here: https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TrisomyAdvocacyGroup/StLouis1

Find out more about SOFT's Annual Conference, to be held in July at St. Louis, MS this year:

http://www.trisomy.org/conference/

To learn more about SOFT, please visit -

website: http://www.trisomy.org/

facebook support group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrisomySOFT/

To learn more about Trisomy Advocacy Group (TAG), please visit - 

website: http://trisomyadvocacy.org/

facebook organization page: https://www.facebook.com/TrisomyAdvocacyGroup

facebook support group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/T18Mommies/

Stroll for Hope - TEAM BUDD ZOO

TEAM BUDD ZOOBack: Michael & Susan
Front (left to right): Isaiah (6), Jeremiah (8), Elijah (10) holding Rebekah (2), Josiah (4)

Please support TEAM Budd Zoo in a Stroll for Hope to raise money for SOFT.  Your tax-deductible donation of even a few dollars will go to help educate both families and the medical community about trisomy 18, 13 and related disorders!  Read below for more information...

When I was pregnant with Rebekah, the majority of the information I got from doctors and online resources were full of doom and gloom. We prepared for the worst. But when Rebekah ended up living and thriving, I was left without information on how to care for her. One of the few organizations I've found that actually has medical advisors and trisomy experts, as well as an international registry of trisomy 18/13 families, is Support Organization for Trisomy 18, 13, and Related Disorders (SOFT) - a nonprofit volunteer organization offering support for parents who have had or are expecting a child with a chromosome disorder (especially Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13), and education to families and professionals interested in the care of these children. 

We are excited - all seven members of the Budd Zoo will be attending the SOFT Conference in Chicago in July! The conference will provide a free medical clinic for the SOFT kids, and Rebekah will be able to consult with 3 specialists to get additional advice on her care.  

As part of the conference activities, we will be participating in a Stroll for Hope event to raise money for SOFT. We are taking pledges/donations for our stroll around HOPE Hospital in Chicago, IL. Your donations are tax deductible and go to a great organization! And thanks to SOFT, our family has received a scholarship to help us offset the conference costs, and we want to be able to give back so other families can attend in the future. 

My plug for supporting SOFT (trisomy.org):
I encourage anyone facing a journey with a SOFT child, including the medical professionals that will care for them, to join this organization because of all the things they can provide:

• Help and support for families;
• Medical advisors who are experts on trisomy 18/13 kids;
• Materials available for care of trisomy kids;
• SOFT Times, a quarterly magazine full of informative articles, life experiences, practical information, summaries of latest research articles, tons of inspiring pictures of living and thriving children, and much more;
• New family packet that is a great resource.

I have found their materials to be awesome resources for our family and for Rebekah's doctors. The books include info like typical problems, recommended medical treatments, and growth curves for trisomy kids.

Most important - this is a volunteer run organization! Even the medical advisors are volunteer. All money donated to SOFT goes to subsidize conference costs, create informative materials for families, education opportunities, support of trisomy-related studies, and so many other good programs! It DOES NOT pay for salaries or projects in conflict with the purpose of the organization.

Thank you for your love and support of Rebekah, and children like her!