Denver, July 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) announced a fantastic celebrity lineup for its annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world: “Hunger Games” actress Sofia Sanchez; award-winning film and TV actor John C. McGinley; beloved actress from the longest primetime TV drama on ABC, “Grey’s Anatomy” Caterina Scorsone, and her co-stars Alexis Floyd, Anthony Hill and Niko Terho; model and actress Amanda Booth; actress and model Shelly Henning; and award-winning local NBC anchor Kim Christiansen, will emcee the event. In its 16th year, the award-winning event will be held on Saturday, November 16 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Proceeds will benefit GLOBAL’s life-saving and transformative research and medical care.
The event will honor Zaya Biel, the incoming GLOBAL Ambassador, and Sofia Sanchez will receive GLOBAL’s Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award. Zaya a fiery five-year-old who lives in Cabo, Mexico with her mom, dad, and three-year-old brother Ziggy. Having overcome serious health challenges as an infant, Ambassador Zaya has blossomed into a vivacious young girl with a passion for dancing and zest for life. She loves spending time with her family, especially her little brother, and together they enjoy sunset walks, horseback riding, and yoga. Ambassador Zaya and her family will work closely with GLOBAL to make sure it raises both funds and awareness towards elongating life and improving health outcomes for children and adults with Down syndrome.
Ukrainian American actress, model, author, and self-advocate Sofia Sanchez will receive GLOBAL’s highest merit honor—the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award. Past recipients include Jamie Foxx, DeOndra Dixon, Madison Tevlin, Bobby Farrelly, Caterina Scorsone, Eric Dane, Jamie Brewer, Colin Farrell, Tim Harris, John Lynch, Zack Gottsagen, John C. McGinley, Karen Gaffney, Eva Longoria, Frank Stephens, Kyra Phillips, Marián Ávila and Beverly Johnson.
Sofia Sanchez got her start seven years ago with her viral video “Down Syndrome is Not Scary,” followed by her acting debut in the 2015 television series “Switched at Birth.” In the summer of 2023, Sofia appeared at the “Barbie” movie premiere dressed as the first-ever Barbie with Down syndrome, which earned her a place on the best-dressed lists across major reporting channels. In November 2023, Sofia earned her first major motion picture role: Wovey in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Also in April of this year, she was the youngest person with Down syndrome to take the stage and present a TEDx Talk on “The Power of Bravery.”
“We are thrilled to have Ambassador Zaya and Quincy Jones Awardee Sofia Sanchez officially join the GLOBAL family,” says GLOBAL President & CEO, Michelle Sie Whitten. “Both these young women are brilliant and beautiful role models who are helping us break stereotypes and showing the world that if society gives us a chance, people with Down syndrome can reach their goals and live their dreams. But we have to have good health and a long life to succeed. With help from our celebrity friends and the community’s generous support, we’re so pleased that GLOBAL is able to deliver on that through our groundbreaking research and medical care.”
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 over $140 million in 2024.
Proceeds from the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show support the important work of GLOBAL and GLOBAL’s affiliates, including a team of over 400 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 2,500 patients from 33 states and 10 countries at the Anna and John J. Sie Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
To learn more, visit: https://bebeautifulbeyourself.org/
To buy tickets, visit: https://bebeautifulbeyourself.org/2022-be-beautiful-be-yourself-fashion-show-tickets/
For celebrity interviews, additional information, imagery, or to cover the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, please contact trishdavis0707@gmail.com, For more information on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, please visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org.
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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 400 scientists and over 2,500 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 100 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 & Newborn Down Syndrome Information, and the award-winning magazine Down Syndrome World TM. 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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