The Kentucky Derby is known as the greatest two minutes in sports. It’s also one heck of a party, both at the track and at race parties throughout the country.
The Winners Cup Benefit, a Kentucky Derby themed party and fundraiser, combines the excitement of a watch party with a big-hearted philanthropic cause serving the Down Syndrome community in West Michigan.
Since its inception in 2014, the benefit has raised more than $1.2 million for the
The Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan Foundation.
The primary benefactor of the event is the
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan (DSAWM), an organization that was started a little more than 30 years ago when six families who had children with Down Syndrome gathered together to form a group to provide support and share knowledge with other families.
To say that the group has been successful in their original mission is an understatement. Today, the DSAWM serves more than 300 member families across 12 counties in West Michigan: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, and Van Buren.
April Sawhill, executive director of DSAWM, says the Winners Cup Benefit goes far beyond raising funds to support services for the Down Syndrome community. Her email signature provides a glimpse into the greater work of her organization: “We believe in people-first language. Instead of saying ‘He's a Down's’ or ‘a Down’s kid,’ simply say ‘He/she has Down Syndrome’ or ‘a child with Down Syndrome.’ Keep your emphasis on the person, not the diagnosis!”
Sawhill says that the Winners Cup Benefit is an important platform to educate, educate and educate, noting that “events like this continue to to assist the greater community to understand Down Syndrome.” She says there continues to be a shift in viewing the potential of children and adults with Down Syndrome. In the last decade or so, the perception of the abilities of these individuals to contribute in school, work and in the community has greatly changed. “These Individuals are now in regular classes; they play on soccer teams, participate in dance classes and many are very productive in the workplace,” Sawhill says.
Mike Lomonaco along with his wife Jaimie are in their second year of chairing the Winners Cup Benefit. Besides their leadership with the event, Mike Lomonaco has been on the DSAWM board for six years, even though does not have a child with Down Syndrome. As longtime champions and advocates for making West Michigan an inclusive and equitable community, he says his work with the DSAWM “is a calling.”
Lomonaco says there are many times individuals with cognitive disabilities are left out the discussion when it comes to inclusion, equity and diversity, and the work with the Winners Cub Benefit and DSAWM is one way to make a difference. “It’s a disservice to our community when we don’t include these individuals,” he says.
The 2016 Winners Cup Benefit will be held on Saturday, May 7 at Kent Country Club. Guests are greeted by a professional show horse as they arrive in Derby attire, including the iconic stylish hats and dresses. The event features the Best Hat & Dapper Dan contests, a hand rolled cigar bar, silent and live auctions, and live music by West Michigan favorite, Nine Mile Smile.
This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Dale Ulrich, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and chairman of the Movement Sciences Program at the University of Michigan. His research focus is in the conduct of evidence-based developmental research to improve health and functioning in infants and children with Down Syndrome and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Lomonaco says the event would not be possible without generous philanthropy and sponsorship of many individuals and corporations in West Michigan who invest time, talent and money.
You can learn more at the website at
http://foundation.dsawm.org/winners-cup/ and
http://foundation.dsawm.org/.
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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