BE BEAUTIFUL BE YOURSELF

Alex Sessions
2011 Ambassador

Norm Brownstein Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Jeffrey Forbes Cauthen Forbes and Williams Mark Irion Grayling

Co-Chairs

Allen Kronstadt A R Kronstadt Realty Michael McAdams Holland and Knight Deana Perlmutter The Integral Group Faith Perlmutter

Anna and John J. Sie Anna and John J. Sie Foundation Beth Viola Holland and Knight

Michelle and Tom Whitten Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Quincy Jones Jamie Foxx DeOndra Dixon John C. McGinley Jeff Probst Beverly Johnson Hon. Patrick Kennedy

Honorary Committee

Chauncey Billups Ed McCaffrey Brian Griese John Lynch David Duval Tim Shriver and Linda Potter

Hon. Madeleine Albright Rep. Jim Moran Rep. Tammy Baldwin Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton Senator Michael Bennet Rep. Ed Perlmutter Rep. Marsha Blackburn Rep. Gary Peters Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle Rep. Jared Polis Senator Richard Burr Rep. Nick Rahall II Rep. Russ Carnahan Senator Harry Reid Senator Robert Casey Rep. Cedric Richmond Senator Tom Coburn Rep. Dennis Ross Senator Thad Cochran Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard Rep. Mike Coffman Secretary Ken Salazar Rep. Geoff Davis His Excellency Nuno Filipe Rep. Diana DeGette Senator Bernie Sanders Rep. John Dingell Rep. Adam Schiff Rep. Lloyd Doggett Rep. Jean Schmidt Rep. Jo Ann Emerson Rep. Albio Sires Rep. Eni Faleomavaega Rep. Adam Smith Rep. Chaka Fattah Rep. Pete Stark Michael Fitzpatrick Rep. Mike Thompson Rep. Cory Gardner Rep. Scott Tipton Senator Charles Grassley Rep. Paul Tonko Rep. Gene Green Senator Mark Udall Rep. Ral Grijalva Rep. Chris Van Hollen Senator Kay Hagan Rep. Ed Whitfield Mayor Michael B. Hancock Rep. Frank Wolf Governor John Hickenlooper His Excellency Gary Doer Hon. Chris Hill and Julie Hill Ambassador of Canada Rep. Steny Hoyer Her Excellency Rene Jones-Bos Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr. Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Rep. Doug Lamborn His Excellency Manuel Sager Senator Mary Landrieu Ambassador of Switzerland Rep. Tom Latham His Excellency Nuno Filipe Rep. Steve LaTourette Alves Salvador e Brito Rep. Stephen Lynch Ambassador of Portugal Rep. Kenny Marchant His Excellency Sir Nigel Sheinwald Rep. James A. McDermott British Ambassador Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers Kathy Ireland and DeOndra Dixon with Patrick Kennedy, the 2010 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient

Honorary Chairs

Cover photo by Kimberly Wylie Photography Invite design provided by Mark Auferio

GLOBAL DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION

Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Emcee Kyra Phillips CNN JW Marriott 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20004 Business Attire benefiting the

A fundraiser for the

6:00 PM - Cocktail Reception 7:15 PM - Dinner, Fashion Show, Live Musical Performance

Complimentary Valet Parking

Please make your reservations by Friday, October 21, 2011. Call 800.393.2503 and refer to the "GDSF Gala." A block of rooms is being held at the JW Marriott.

Alexander Gregory Sessions

2011 Ambassador
My name is Alexander Gregory Sessions, I am 17 years old. I was born January 19, 1994 in Dallas, Texas. I was born with Down syndrome. My parents were very happy when I was born my brother Bill was 4 and they always wanted two boys. They did not know much about Down syndrome, but soon started educating themselves to make sure they did all they could to help me reach my intellectual and physical potential. It was not always easy for them to find resources. My mom became involved with the Down Syndrome Guild and my dad became involved in research and support for people with Down syndrome at a national level as a Member of Congress. Like many young children with Down syndrome, I was diagnosed with Hirschsprungs disease, which causes intestinal blockage. I was only 9 months old. It took 4 months for my intestines to heal and then I needed another major operation. Although I have a large scar on my stomach, I healed and I have a wonderful life. I am a typical teenager. I love hanging out with my big brother Bill, his friends, and my friends. I play sports a lot and Im really good at football, track, basketball and swimming. I can hit several 3-pointers in a row! I have won Special Olympics medals in swimming, basketball and track. Ever since I was little, I wanted to join the family tradition of being a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout just like my brother, dad and grandfather. My family and my community believed in me. After working very hard over six summers, in November of 2010 I received my Eagle Scout having earned 32 merit badges and completed a service project at White Rock Lake. I am a Brotherhood Member of the Order of the Arrow. Being an Eagle Scout has taught me never to give up, to work hard, and has allowed my friends and community to understand that we are more alike than different. It has taught me many life skills including the importance of helping others. I also like giving the prayer before each meal, so much that my parents call me the Reverend Sessions! I attend high school at the Notre Dame School of Dallas. When I finish high school, I would like to become a public speaker, coach or a work in law enforcement. I would make a great policeman because I am good at helping people. I am happy and proud to tell you my story. My family and friends embrace me, and help me learn and to grow. And you know what? I embrace them and help them to learn and grow. Please join me and my family in supporting the Global Down Syndrome Foundation to advocate for people with Down syndrome and to give all of us a brighter future. My name is Alex. And this is my story. So far

Sponsors
The Holland and Knight Charitable Foundation Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck Anna and John J. Sie Foundation Sharon Magness Blake and Ernie Blake The Integral Group Michael McAdams and Beth Viola Cauthen Forbes and Williams

Performance by Empress of Soul

Gladys Knight!

The great ones endure, and Gladys Knight has long been one of the greatest. Very few singers over the last fifty years have matched her unassailable artistry. This seven-time Grammy winner has enjoyed #1 hits in pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. All told, Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years, including four solo albums during the past decade: Good Woman (1991); Just for You (1994); the inspirational Many Different Roads (1999); and At Last (2001). At Last showed the world that she still has what it takes to record a hit album, employing the talents of contemporary producers like Randy Jackson, Gary Brown and James D.C. Williams III, Jon John, Jamey Jaz, Keith Thomas, Tom Dowd and Tiger Roberts. When not busy recording or performing music, Knight makes frequent forays in film and television work. She appears in the Tyler Perry film I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF, now available on DVD, and last television season, she shot a guest star cameo on the Emmy-winning NBC hit comedy 30 Rock. She is currently working on a new album with producer Randy Jackson, with whom she previously collaborated with on the Grammy-winning album, At Last.

We regret any omissions due to printing deadlines

Survivor host Jeff Probst with guest models Ashlyn Logan and Dylan Rodgers

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin

As a young senator, Harkin was tapped by Senator Ted Kennedy to craft legislation to protect civil rights for millions of Americans with disabilities including his own brother, Frank, who was deaf. This led to one of Harkins key legislative achievements The Americans with Disabilities Act. He went on to introduce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act granting children with disabilities the right to a free and appropriate public education. Harkin was born in Cumming, Iowa, the son of an Iowa coal miner and a Slovenian immigrant. He earned his BA from Iowa State University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, and his JD from Catholic University. He and his wife Ruth have two daughters, and three grandchildren. We are proud to announce Senator Tom Harkin as the 2011 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient.

Senator Tom Harkin has represented Iowa in Congress for over 36 years. First winning election to the U.S. House in 1974, he represented Iowa's Fifth Congressional District for 10 years, and in 1984 challenged an incumbent Senator and won. Iowans returned him to the Senate in 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2008, making Harkin the first Iowa Democrat to win a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions

Congressman Pete Sessions grew up in Waco, Texas. He graduated from Southwestern University, and went on to work for then-Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 16 years before retiring.

In 1996, the 5th Congressional District sent Sessions to Washington, DC to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2002, Sessions began representing the 32nd Congressional District, and in 2010 was elected back to Congress for his eighth term. He is a stalwart defender of U.S. homeland and national security interests, and the men and women who defend them.

As the parent of a child with Down syndrome, he is a passionate advocate for people with disabilities. In 2007, Sessions established the first Down Syndrome Congressional Caucus and is currently one of its four co-chairs. Sessions is currently working to encourage the National Institutes of Health to correct the disparity of research funding that would benefit people with Down syndrome.

Sessions is active in Dallas, Texas where he resides. He is an Advisor to the President of Special Olympics Texas, a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, and on the Executive Board of the Circle Ten Council, Boy Scouts of America. We are proud to announce Congressman Pete Sessions as the 2011 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient.

Expect a STAR-STUDDED fashion show with celebrities and beautiful models with Down syndrome
Supermodel
BEVERLY JOHNSON

Survivor Host
JEFF PROBST

2011 Denver Ambassador

DEONDRA DIXON

The Global Down Syndrome Foundations mission is to significantly improve the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. In order to accomplish our mission, fundraising is a core part of our work especially because Down syndrome is the least funded genetic condition in the United States. The Foundations primary focus is to support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first academic home in the United States committed to research and medical care for people with Down syndrome. In 2009, the Foundation launched the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show in Denver, Colorado the single largest annual fundraiser for Down syndrome. The event provides awareness by highlighting models who happen to have Down syndrome and funds critical research and medical care at the Crnic Institute. The Foundation believes that educating the United States Federal Government is important to correct the alarming disparity of funding for Down syndrome research. 501(c)(3) tax identification number: 26-4431001

About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion ShowFeatured Live Auction Items

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