DENVER, CO, Oct. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global) announced academy-award nominee and Marvel’s “Hawkeye” Jeremy Renner, Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, award-winning actor and Global board member John C. McGinley and supermodel and actress Amanda Booth will join its celebrity lineup for this year’s 10th Anniversary of the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. The 10th Anniversary will underscore and celebrate a decade of beauty and achievement. The marquee event is the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world and will be held during Down Syndrome Awareness Month on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, 1550 Court Place in Denver.
Renner, Miller, McGinley and Booth will join Global’s 2018 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award (Q Award) winners and film stars, Colin Farrell and Zack Gottsagen. Both actors are passionate advocates for the differently-abled, and Zack himself has Down syndrome.
Other confirmed celebrities for the 10th Anniversary Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show include: Miss Colorado Ellery Jones; Major League Soccer player Sam Cronin; Denver Broncos players Justin Simmons, Ron Leary, and Brandon McManus; and past Q Award winner DeOndra Dixon.
During the fashion show, Global will also honor the 2018 Be Beautiful Be Yourself Ambassador Sam Levin while celebrating the return of past Ambassadors: Chase Turner Perry, Sophia Kay Whitten, Katherine Vollbracht Winfield, Clarissa Capuano, Louis Rotella IV and Marcus Sikora.
Entering its 10th year, Global is thriving. Since the establishment of the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the event has raised over $16 million which underwrites life-changing research and life-saving medical care. Global’s recent lobbying efforts to Congress and outreach to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) resulted in the first significant increase of NIH Down syndrome research funding in nearly 20 years, from $35 million in 2017 to $58 million in 2018. Additionally, Global just opened its new Cherry Creek headquarters, which includes top-notch office facilities and a future education center of excellence supported by a generous grant from The Salah Foundation. The building will be a home for people with Down syndrome and their families, as well as a destination for inclusion, inspiration and achievement for everyone.
“We work very hard,” said Global Down Syndrome Foundation President, CEO and Co-Founder, Michelle Sie Whitten. “Global provides excellent medical care to over 1,500 patients from 28 states and 10 countries, has made groundbreaking research discoveries that will improve health outcomes and has successfully lobbied Congress to get our fair share of funding. On our 10th Anniversary, we are filled with gratitude for the outstanding medical professionals, scientists, Congressional champions, Down syndrome partner organizations, celebrities and wonderful self-advocates and families who empower us to save and transform lives every day.”
Various levels of 10th Anniversary Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show tickets, table sponsorships and model sponsorships are available, including VIP levels at www.bebeautifulbeyourself.org.
For more information on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, please visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org.
For celebrity interviews, additional information, imagery or to cover the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, please contact trisha@ballantinespr.com.
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About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is at the forefront of research, medical care, education and advocacy dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome. Global supports the research of hundreds of scientists around the world through their advocates, partners and affiliates, including the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome. Global invites its supporters to celebrate a decade of beauty and achievement in helping people with Down syndrome at their 10th Anniversary Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. To learn more, please visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org and www.bebeautifulbeyourself.org.