By Jen Franklin Kearns, ds-connex team member

This year, it’s certainly fair to say that most of our beloved routines have been at least somewhat disrupted by the global pandemic. Fundraising for our annual Down syndrome events is no exception. The fundraisers that team captains have hosted in the past may not fit into our local health departments’ guidelines this year, but our Down syndrome associations still need the support of their members. These unique circumstances are requiring team captains to think outside of the usual fundraising box and come up with creative ways to raise much needed funds. With that in mind, we’re excited to kick off our 6th Annual Summer of FUNdraising contest!

We’ve already seen several fun ideas; we featured Tori’s awesome idea for her Columbus Buddy Walk Team, Bryce’s Buddies, on our blog in May. This idea raised almost $3700 for their team, and they did while keeping everyone safe! This isn’t the only creative fundraiser we’ve seen so far this year, and we know there are many more out there!

How are you raising funds for your Down syndrome fundraising team? We want to hear from you!

From Monday, July 27th to Thursday, August 13th, send us a photo from one of your team fundraisers and a short description of your idea for the chance to win one of three $100 donations to your fundraising team from ds-connex. Your idea will inspire other team captains who are in need of ideas for this year, and your team can earn a donation from ds-connex as a result!

One entry will be randomly selected on the following Fridays: July 31st, August 7th and August 14th to win a $100 donation from ds-connex to their Down syndrome fundraising team. The winning entries will be announced each Friday at 2pm Eastern. The earlier you enter, the more chances you have to win! We can’t wait to hear all about your fundraising ideas!

This year’s contest has an extra fun twist!

In addition to your creative fundraising ideas, we also want to hear from your kids: how are they having fun while staying safe at home? We’ve seen how families are coming up with fun new ways to pass the time at home this summer, and we want to showcase those ideas! Kids, send us a photo and description (with Mom or Dad’s help, of course!) of how you are safely enjoying your summer and you could win a $25 e-gift card to Target or Amazon!

Two entries will be randomly selected to win a $25 e-gift card for Target or Amazon (winner’s choice!) on Friday, August 14th, at 2pm Eastern.

But wait – there’s another fun twist this year!

Ds-connex will select an entry to win a Judges’ Award! We will review all of the entries for fundraising ideas and choose our favorite, based on the creativity of the idea described in the entry. The Judges’ Award for the fundraising idea will include a $100 donation to the fundraising team and will be announced on Friday, August 14th, at 2pm Eastern.

How to Enter

Photo submissions can be emailed to ds-connex at contests@ds-connex.org. Images can be a photo from a fundraiser or a graphic that you used (or plan to use) to promote your fundraiser on social media. For the kids’ category, images can be photos of them enjoying their fun activity. By submitting a photo, you are giving ds-connex permission to edit your submission for grammar/length, and share your submission via the Connexions blog and across multiple social platforms in order to raise awareness and appreciation of your fundraising efforts on behalf of the Down syndrome community. All submissions will be shared on the ds-connex social media outlets with the goal of inspiring the Down syndrome community with creative fundraising ideas for team captains across the country, and to encourage families to have fun this summer safely from home. (Please note: When submitting an entry from a mobile device, please be advised that the “connex” segment of our email address may be autocorrected, preventing your entry from reaching us. If you do not receive a confirmation of your entry, please try sending it again.)