Buddy Walk Kewanee

10/07/2026

💙💛 THANK YOU!! 💛💙

Another Buddy Walk Kewanee is officially in the books, and we are still feeling incredibly grateful for this amazing community!

To everyone who showed up, donated, sponsored, volunteered, brought your business or organization, supported a team, walked a lap, bought raffle tickets, shared our posts, or helped behind the scenes THANK YOU!

Buddy Walk Kewanee is so much more than one day at the park. It is a day to come together and celebrate individuals with Down syndrome while promoting awareness, acceptance and inclusion throughout our community!!

Seeing so many people come together for that purpose is something we will never take for granted.

To our sponsors, vendors, volunteers, community organizations, families and everyone who gave their time, talents or resources this event would not be possible without you.

And most importantly, to the incredible individuals with Down syndrome we have the privilege of celebrating YOU are the reason behind it all. Your personalities, talents, abilities, smiles and stories are what make this day so special.

Our hearts are full. 💙

Thank you, Kewanee and our surrounding communities, for continuing to show up and help us build a community where everyone is valued, everyone is included and everyone belongs.

We have a few donations still rolling in so our final raised amount will be shared hopefully soon!

We can't wait to do it all again next year! 💙💛

With gratitude,
The Buddy Walk Kewanee Committee

10/04/2026

Thank you to all of our sponsors! We wore them proudly on the back of our shirts 💙💛

10/04/2026

10/03/2026

10/02/2026

💙💛 TOMORROW IS Buddy Walk Kewanee 2026 💛💙

We are officially ONE DAY AWAY! 🎉

Tomorrow, our community will come together to celebrate some pretty incredible individuals and promote what this day is truly about — awareness, acceptance, inclusion & advocacy for individuals with Down syndrome. 💙💛

Before tomorrow gets here, we’re making ONE FINAL PUSH for donations! Every donation, big or small, helps us continue making an impact beyond the walk through grants, programs, resources, and support right here in our community.

If you’ve been meaning to donate, today is the day! 💙
👉 https://charity.pledgeit.org/Kewanee

And then… COME CELEBRATE WITH US TOMORROW! 🎉

📍 Windmont Park – Kewanee
⏰ Check-in/Same-Day Registration: 9 AM
💙 Opening Ceremony: 10 AM
🚶 Unified Walk immediately following

We are SO excited to see everyone and celebrate together. Thank you to every person who has donated, shared, sponsored, volunteered, registered, or simply helped spread the word. You are part of what makes this possible.

One more sleep! 💙💛 LET’S DO THIS! 🎉

The Buddy Walk® was created by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and has grown to become the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the United States. It is also recognized globally as the most visible and impactful public awareness program for the Down syndrome community. Buddy Walk K...

10/01/2026

🎉💙💛 WHO’S GOING TO BE AT BUDDY WALK KEWANEE?! 💛💙🎉

We have such an AWESOME group joining us this year! Come hungry, come ready to have some fun, and most importantly—come ready to celebrate awareness, acceptance & inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome! 💙💛

🌮🍪 FOOD & TREATS
• Azteca
• Kings Kitchen
• Covenant Barbecue
• The Daily Fix Thedailyfixnutritionil
• Special Kneads Bakery
• Curly Cookies

💙 COMMUNITY, RESOURCES, SHOPPING & ACTIVITIES

• Abilities Plus
• GiGi's Playhouse Quad Cities
• Wings Academy
• Henry-Stark Counties Special Education District #801
• Kewanee High School Life Skills
• Wethersfield Life Skills
• Kewanee Life Skills
• Kewanee High School Key Club
• Kewanee Fire Department — Bubble/Foam Pit 🫧
• Hill Church — Bounce Houses 🎈
• Handmade Courage
• Boujee Panda Creations
Totally Linked by Kim
• Author Jill Maglio-Ryan Jill Ryan 📚
• Kewanee YMCA
• Juice Plus+
• Abby’s Bracelets

🎨🫧 AND THERE’S EVEN MORE FUN!

We'll have giant bubbles, a Buddy Bear Scavenger Hunt, raffle baskets and 50/50!

📅 Saturday, October 3
📍 Windmont Park — Kewanee
⏰ Check-in/Same-Day Registration: starts at 9:00 AM
💙 Opening Ceremony & Unified Lap: 10:00 AM
🎉 Event: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM

You do NOT have to participate in the walk to come enjoy the day! Come grab some food, visit our vendors, enjoy the activities, take a lap if you’d like, and most importantly—help us fill Windmont Park with support for our Down syndrome community! 💙💛

✨ ALL ARE WELCOME! ✨

We are SO excited to see everyone THIS SATURDAY Buddy Walk Kewanee 2026!! 💙💛

👇 Tag someone who should come spend the day with us & PLEASE SHARE to help us spread the word!

09/30/2026

💙💛 THIS is our why. 💛💙

These are just a few of the amazing individuals who remind us why we do Buddy Walk Kewanee!!

Yes, October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and yes, Buddy Walk is a day dedicated to raising awareness—but more than anything, it is a chance to celebrate PEOPLE!!

Each of these individuals shares a diagnosis of Down syndrome, but
they each have their own personalities, talents, interests, strengths, challenges, favorite things, silly quirks, and unique abilities. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends, classmates, coworkers, teammates, and valued members of our community. 💙

Buddy Walk Kewanee is about creating a community where individuals with Down syndrome are not only included, but known, valued, supported, and celebrated for exactly who they are.

These faces are our “why.” 🥹💛

We are so incredibly grateful that we get to celebrate them—not just at Buddy Walk Kewanee 2026, and not just during Down Syndrome Awareness Month, but every single day.

💙 Awareness.
💛 Acceptance.
💙 Inclusion.
💛 Celebration.

That is what Buddy Walk Kewanee is all about.

09/29/2026

We are getting SO close and have so much happening at Buddy Walk Kewanee 2026 🎉

Check-in & same-day registration begins at 9:00 AM! Our Opening Ceremony begins at 10:00 AM, followed by our Unified Lap where we’ll all walk together to show our support for individuals with Down syndrome. 💙💛

After that, stick around and enjoy:
✨ Bouncy houses
🫧 Kewanee Fire Department Foam Pit — bring a towel!
🫧 Giant bubble stations
🔎 Scavenger hunt
🎟️ Raffle baskets & 50/50
🎨 Activities at several of our vendor booths
🍴 Yummy food vendors

And remember—you do NOT have to be there right at 10:00 AM to come support Buddy Walk Kewanee! If you can’t make the opening ceremony, come out later, take a lap to show your support, grab some lunch, check out the vendors and enjoy the activities!

*Those with Down syndrome make sure to stop by the registration table and grab a food voucher for one of our food vendors! Lunch is on us that day!*

🎟️ Raffle basket winners will be announced at 1:30 PM! You MUST be present to win, so make sure you stick around!

👀 Be on the lookout for our UPDATED VENDOR LIST coming Thursday!

🏐 VOLLEYBALL UPDATE: We’ve had a few teams unfortunately need to back out, so our Grass Volleyball Tournament at this moment is cancelled unless we have some additional teams interested in playing! If you have a team that would like to jump in, please reach out ASAP it would be exciting to see that tournament go again this year!

But no worries if volleyball doesn’t happen—the main Buddy Walk event is still ON with plenty to do all day! 💙

📅 Saturday, October 3rd
📍 Windmont Park, Kewanee
📝 Check-in/Same-Day Registration: 9:00 AM
💙 Opening Ceremony: 10:00 AM
🎉 Event: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM

Rain Location is Wethersfield Gym we will provide update

Whether you stay all day or just stop by for a lap and some lunch, come out and help us celebrate, support and promote acceptance and inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome! 💙💛

09/28/2026

💙💛 So… what exactly IS a Buddy Walk?

In 1995, thousands of steps were taken toward a better tomorrow when the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) created the Buddy Walk® to promote acceptance, inclusion, and awareness for people with Down syndrome. National Down Syndrome Society

Since then, the Buddy Walk® has become the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the United States and the world’s most widely recognized public awareness program for the Down syndrome community. 💙💛

But it’s so much more than simply walking around a park.

It’s a day to CELEBRATE individuals with Down syndrome.
💙 To promote awareness.
💛 To encourage acceptance.
💙 To create inclusion.
💛 To bring families, friends, and communities together.

And the best part? EVERYONE is welcome!

You don’t have to know someone with Down syndrome. You don’t have to be part of a team. And you don’t have to spend the entire event walking!

Come take a lap with us Buddy Walk Kewanee 2026, enjoy the activities, grab some food, visit our local vendors, meet some amazing people, and simply show up for a community that deserves to be seen, valued, included, and celebrated.

Every lap taken is another step toward a more accepting and inclusive community. 💙💛

THAT is what Buddy Walk is all about.

09/25/2026

Buddy Walk Kewanee 2026 is NEXT SATURDAY! 🥹 We are so excited to see Windmont Park filled with people walking, celebrating and showing their support for individuals with Down syndrome!

📅 Saturday, October 3rd
📍 Windmont Park
⏰ Check-in starts at 9 AM | Event 10–2

If you plan to walk with us, we would really appreciate it if you register ahead of time using the link below and you can donate up to and throughout the event! 💙

https://charity.pledgeit.org/Kewanee

But if walking isn’t your thing, PLEASE still come! There will be so many activities, food vendors, raffles and fun things to enjoy throughout the event. You absolutely do not have to walk to be a part of the day!

Come help us celebrate Down syndrome awareness, acceptance & inclusion! 💙💛

ONE MORE WEEK!!! 🎉

The Buddy Walk® was created by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and has grown to become the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the United States. It is also recognized globally as the most visible and impactful public awareness program for the Down syndrome community. Buddy Walk K...