Global Down Syndrome Foundation Partners with Groupon Grassroots for National Campaign to Outfit Participants in Dare to Play Sports Camps

For 1 week, give $10, $20 or $35 to help pay for uniforms for people with Down syndrome in football, cheer and soccer camps, and all donations will be matched by an anonymous donor

Groupon GrassrootsDenver (August 15, 2013) — The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is teaming up with Groupon Grassroots, the philanthropic arm of Groupon, to launch a national campaign to raise funds for the Foundation’s Dare to Play football, cheerleading and soccer camps in Colorado, Ohio and Maryland.

The initiative will be featured on Groupon Grassroots’ homepage (http://grassroots.groupon.com) and directly at www.globaldownsyndrome.org/groupon starting on Thursday, Aug. 15, and running through Wednesday, Aug. 21. Utilizing Groupon Grassroots’ collective action model, Groupon subscribers can pledge support for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in increments of $10, $20 or $35 to provide campers with uniforms – but the challenge doesn’t end there! An anonymous donor has promised to match contributions dollar-for-dollar – meaning every $10 donated translates to $20 of support for the Foundation. And 100 percent of donations go directly to the Foundation.

Proceeds from the campaign will help fund the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s Dare to Play Football Camps with Ed McCaffrey; the Dare to Cheer Camp with the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders; and the Dare to Play Soccer Camps with Regis University, the Colorado Rapids and the Columbus Crew.

“We’re excited to partner with Groupon Grassroots to raise support for our Dare to Play sports programs, which not only provide great experiences for our children and adults with Down syndrome but also show the community how motivated and skilled people with Down syndrome can be,” said Michelle Sie Whitten, executive director of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. “Most of our campers are on scholarships so this sort of fundraising really makes a big difference. You can imagine how proud our campers are to have an official uniform in addition to learning from the professional athletes.”

Uniforms for the camps range from $60 for the football and soccer camps to $145 for the cheerleading camps.

“When our daughter was born, she was the quiet baby. Even now, at 15, she’s still pretty quiet and easygoing. But get her out in front of that crowd in her Junior Denver Broncos Cheerleader uniform with the music blasting, and she shakes her booty and smiles and cheers with all the rest of the Dare to Cheer girls! It’s like her shyness just melts away,”
said Andrea Miller, mother of Dare to Cheer Camp participant Rhiannon Tran.

About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. Formally established in 2009, the Foundation has the primary focus of supporting the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first academic home in the U.S. committed to research and medical care for people with the condition. Fundraising and government advocacy that corrects the alarming disparity of national funding for people with Down syndrome is a major short-term goal. The Foundation organizes the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show — the single-largest annual fundraiser benefiting people with Down syndrome. Programmatically, the Foundation organizes and funds many programs and conferences, including the Dare to Play Football Camps with Ed McCaffrey, the Dare to Cheer Camp with the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders, the Global Down Syndrome Educational Series, and the Dare to Play Soccer Camps. The Foundation is an inclusive organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.

About Groupon Grassroots
Groupon Grassroots, launched in July 2010 in Chicago as G-Team, features local campaigns nationwide, enabling Groupon followers to do good, have fun, and make a real impact in their communities. Groupon Grassroots uses collective action to gather support for worthwhile causes and produce tangible results for local organizations. To learn more about Groupon Grassroots and how to become a featured organization, visit http://grassroots.groupon.com. To subscribe to Groupon, visit http://www.groupon.com.