Carnival to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day

FINDLAY — Morgan Greeno is planning a carnival. There will be bounce houses, games, prizes, popcorn and an opportunity for the public to learn more about Down syndrome — a genetic condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome 21. The festivities are set for March 21, which is also World Down Syndrome Day, said Greeno, who also serves on the board of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo. "It stands for three of the 21st chromosome, and that's what makes Down syndrome," she said. Her 7-year-son has the genetic disorder. The local World Down Syndrome Day Carnival will be held at Findlay High School, 1200 Broad Ave., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. "And it just so happens that this year is our fifth year, our biggest one. We're at a new location, and it's actually on World Down Syndrome Day. So it's kind of special to my heart that we've gotten to a place that a lot of people in the community expect it now," she said. The first carnival was held at StoneBridge Church in 2022. "At that point my son was just turning two so I was kind of new to the Down syndrome community. I was starting to love the Down syndrome community and the support and the comradery within that little niche," she said. World Down Syndrome Day was something they could celebrate. "I won't lie. Before I had a child with Down syndrome, I didn't even know that it existed," said Greeno. "You don't know what you don't know, right? So if you aren't ever exposed to it or you don't have a loved one, a friend, a neighbor or somebody in your life that has Down syndrome, you would never know that this is a thing." So part of the goal for starting the carnival was to celebrate differences, she said. Greeno also wanted to expose the public to the special needs community. "So it's not anything to be feared," she said. "Everyone loves a carnival, right? We all love games. We all love food. We all love little prizes, a good time, face painting, everything. So it's something that everyone has in common." "The goal is showing that people with special needs are just like your children or like your adult siblings or whatever. We're all more alike than different, and I think that is one of the overarching themes of this, hey, we're all in this together," she added. The first carnival drew a crowd of 250 people. The following year, 300 attended. When StoneBridge was sold and merged with CedarCreek Church, they were no longer able to hold the carnival there, said Greeno. St. Marks United Methodist Church offered the DOCK. "The event has grown so much, it was packed last year. You couldn't move," she said. "Last year when we outgrew St. Marks DOCK, we had about 375 people. So this year, with it being at the high school, the goal is always growth." She said the cafeteria will be the place to have a snack and take a break from the noise of the games and activities which will be in the gym. Staff from Blanchard Valley Center has manned many of the games in the past. But this year, Greeno is using volunteers from high schools to include and expose typically developing peers to the special needs community. "And I reached out to the university and as shocking as this maybe or maybe not, a lot of college kids are going to school for special education, and they've never been exposed to the community before," she said. "I think that knowledge and lived experience is far more valuable than anything a book could teach you." It's all part of the core message of education, inclusion and awareness, she said. New this year is a resource fair to help those who are new to the community or have questions about special needs. "There's another layer to, I'll call it the bureaucracy side of special needs parenting, like therapies and athletics that are geared towards special needs, just comradery of somebody who's been through it," Greeno said. She said speech therapy, physical therapy and art therapy representatives will be in attendance. Law enforcement will speak about some of the programs they have that are geared toward special needs. There will also be financial guidance information on how to save for a child with special needs. "If we put everything together, we're there for a good time for the kids, and the parents can get some education if they're looking for it," said Greeno. Also new this year is a scavenger hunt. Down syndrome facts will be written on information boards around the carnival. Parents or older sibling can help the child with the hunt. When they return their paper, they'll be entered into a drawing for a large prize. By planting the seed now, Greeno hopes that when they're older, they may begin to realize why they're celebrating the day. And while it takes about 50 volunteers to run the carnival, a group of only five or six people — members of Greeno's family — plan it. "They've been an integral part. I literally could not physically do it without them. I couldn't do it," she said. "Being a single mom, working fulltime, my parents do pick up a lot of that load." Major sponsors include Heavenly Pizza, Main Street Deli, White Rabbit Balloon Co., Airway Inflatables, Monkey Around Inflatables and Flag City Towing and Recovery. She hopes the carnival will help her son and every person who has Down syndrome. "I want that community support for him as he continues to grow, not just when he's little and kids have to be nicer. We try to teach kids to be nice. But I want him to be loved for the person that he is, as he is. He's not expected to be anything else besides Oliver. Yeah, he's cool. Yeah, he has Down syndrome, but that's not who he is," she said. "He likes Paw Patrol. He likes Toy Story, just like your kids do. I think if you boil it down, it really is that simple." A closed Facebook group called Lucky Few of Hancock County offers families a safe space to discuss medical issues and other concerns about their child with Down syndrome.