Denver, CO, June 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) announced celebrities Caterina Scorsone and John C. McGinley will attend its annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world. In its 14th year, the award-winning event will be held in-person on Saturday, November 12, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Proceeds benefit GLOBAL’s life-saving and transformative research and medical care.
This year, the inspirational event will honor GLOBAL Ambassador Micah Quinones, a young model who happens to have the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. He is the son of supermodel, actress, and GLOBAL Spokesperson and 2022 Event Chair, Amanda Booth, and creative director and brand strategist Mike Quinones. At just eight years old, Micah has already been featured alongside his parents in People Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Parents, and other national media outlets and has modeled for fashion companies like Dôen.
“I’m excited to be chairing this year’s fashion show and so proud to see Micah honored as a GLOBAL Ambassador,” says Amanda Booth. “Our family has been part of the GLOBAL family for 8 years now, and we are blown away by what Michelle and the GLOBAL team have achieved for our children and adults with Down syndrome. They are delivering on increasing lifespan and improved health, so I hope we break all sorts of records this year!”
Award-winning Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane and Author & Self-Advocate David Egan will receive GLOBAL’s highest honor – the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award. Past recipients include Jamie Foxx, Caterina Scorsone, Colin Farrell, John C. McGinley, Eva Longoria, Kyra Phillips, and Beverly Johnson.
Eric Dane is best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan on ABC’s hit drama series, Grey’s Anatomy, for which he has won a Screen Actors Guild Award and been nominated for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actor. He has also starred in popular movies such as Valentine’s Day and Burlesque, and TV shows including The Last Ship and, most recently, the highly acclaimed Euphoria. Dane is an active philanthropist and has been a long-time supporter of GLOBAL and the Down syndrome community.
David Egan is an accomplished athlete, author, public speaker, and life-long advocate for people with Down syndrome. He has served as a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger and a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow, and he is an active participant in research and works with the National Institutes of Health Down Syndrome Consortium. Egan has keynoted several GLOBAL research symposia and is a member of the GLOBAL AcceptAbility Gala Committee. He recently published his first book, More Alike Than Different: My Life with Down Syndrome, which has been met with both critical and popular success.
“We lost a lot of people with Down syndrome to COVID over the last two years, so we are thrilled to turn this corner and come back with our most magical Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show,” says Michelle Sie Whitten, GLOBAL President and CEO. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us through the pandemic, and we are proud to have protected so many lives and to know that our government advocacy and research is delivering on elongating life and improving health outcomes. I personally can’t wait to watch our models rock that runway!”
GLOBAL’s advocacy and lobbying efforts with Congress and outreach to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have resulted in an unprecedented increase of the national Down syndrome research budget, from $27 million in 2016 to $115 million in 2022.
Proceeds from the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show support the important work of GLOBAL and GLOBAL’s affiliates, including a team of over 200 scientists working on breakthrough life-saving research at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the CU Alzheimer’s & Cognition Center, and a dream team of medical professionals providing excellent medical care to over 2,200 patients from 33 states and 10 countries at the Anna and John J. Sie Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show features 20+ brilliant and beautiful models with Down syndrome, Hollywood celebrities, renowned athletes, and philanthropists from all over the world who join GLOBAL every year to be inspired and raise funds for people with Down syndrome.
To learn more, visit: https://bebeautifulbeyourself.org/
To buy tickets, visit: https://bebeautifulbeyourself.org/2022-be-beautiful-be-yourself-fashion-show-tickets/
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About Global Down Syndrome Foundation
The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) is the largest non-profit in the U.S. working to save lives and dramatically improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome. GLOBAL has donated more than $32 million to establish the first Down syndrome research institute supporting over 200 scientists and over 2,200 patients with Down syndrome from 33 states and 10 countries. Working closely with Congress and the National Institutes of Health, GLOBAL is the lead advocacy organization in the U.S. for Down syndrome research and care. GLOBAL has a membership of over 120 Down syndrome organizations worldwide, and is part of a network of Affiliates – the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the Sie Center for Down Syndrome, and the University of Colorado Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center – all on the Anschutz Medical Campus.
GLOBAL’s widely circulated medical publications include Global Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome, Prenatal Testing and Information about Down Syndrome, and the award-winning magazine Down Syndrome WorldTM. GLOBAL also organizes the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world. Visit globaldownsyndrome.org and follow us on social media (Facebook & Twitter: @GDSFoundation, Instagram: @globaldownsyndrome).
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