A decade of heroes
Teams of walkers set out at McCosh Park in Moses Lake Saturday on the 10th annual Buddy Walk, hosted by the Down Syndrome Society of Grant County.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
People with Down syndrome have fun dancing on stage at the Centennial Amphitheater in Moses Lake before setting out on the annual Buddy Walk Saturday.
A Grant County Sheriff’s Deputy and a Moses Lake Police officer talk with some participants at the Buddy Walk Saturday. This was the first time the first responders have been a part of the event, held annually for people with Down syndrome and their families.
Volunteers visit and hand out T-shirts at the Down Syndrome Society of Grant County’s 10th annual Buddy Walk Saturday afternoon. The event allows those with Down syndrome to show appreciation for those who help them through life’s challenges.
Five-year-old Cheyenne Aubart dances with family friend Lily Ochoa during the warmup to the Buddy Walk Saturday.
MOSES LAKE — The Centennial Amphitheater at McCosh Park was brimming with joy Saturday as the Down Syndrome Society of Grant County held its 10th annual Buddy Walk.
“Watching the kids, it’s just so exciting and fun to see them out here enjoying themselves,” said Denise Ketola, one of the event’s organizers and the mother of a 19-year-old with Down syndrome.
The event celebrated its first decade this year, and the commemorative T-shirts reflected that, with confetti incorporated into the design. The crowd also sang “Happy Birthday” to the Buddy Walk.
Many of the same participants and sponsors were there as in years past. The Home Depot had a craft table set up, Goodwill Industries offered cornhole and Connect Four games and Safeway was there to supply walkers and others with free granola bars and bottled water.
“We’ve been there the last several years,” said Ed Wilson, Moses Lake Safeway’s store director. “I think it’s a great event, a really worthwhile cause.”
In attendance for the first time this year were first responders from the Moses Lake Fire Department, Moses Lake Police Department and Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Those agencies brought their emergency vehicles with them for the community to have a look at.
“We were invited this year and we thought we’d put in an appearance,” said Grant County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Bell. “It’s a cool event. I’m glad they invited us for sure.”
The event started with music and dancing on stage for the people with Down syndrome, as well as family, friends and Moses Lake High School cheerleaders. Once everybody had had a chance to rock out and spirits were high, Jeanne Klockers, whose son Ben has Down syndrome, sang the national anthem, with sign language interpretation supplied by Linda Ames.
Next was the traditional medal ceremony, in which each person with Down syndrome took the stage one at a time and was presented with a medal officially designating them as heroes. This was followed by giving each hero two flowers, which they gave in turn to family members or friends who had helped and supported them.
The guest speaker was Daniella Bushman, who started the Moses Lake Buddy Walk in 2012. Bushman, whose younger brother Gevin Aronsohn has Down syndrome, was a senior in high school at the time and chose the Buddy Walk as her senior project.
“If we’re gonna talk about how the Buddy Walk started we have to go even further back than 10 years,” Bushman said. “We’re gonna go back to about 2010 when we went to our first Buddy Walk in Yakima. And we said ‘This is amazing. Why isn’t there one in Moses Lake?’ And I remember all my family, we were just like, ‘we need one.’ And I was coming up in high school to my senior year and I thought, ‘We should do one,’ and this should be something that I can give to my community and my family can help carry on. And that’s what really started us being able to go on and do the Buddy Walk. And I’m so grateful to everyone who’s made sure that it continues on and still goes on today because I enjoy coming to the Buddy Walk every single year.”
After the ceremonies, the teams formed up next to the stage and took off through the park and out to the sidewalks of downtown Moses Lake. The cheerleaders had set up stations around the route to offer water and encouragement. The teams have grown over the years. Two of the teams had over 50 members, said Kerri Aronsohn, Bushman’s mom, who also had a hand in getting the event off the ground 10 years ago and continues to be a key organizer.
“Once (Daniella) did her senior project we were committed to doing the Buddy Walk,” said Aronsohn. “It’s a national thing. The National Down Syndrome Society kind of patented the Buddy Walk, and they are the ones that we went through. So we contacted the National Down Syndrome Society and began the Buddy Walk. And they said ‘Well, if you’re going to start it, we need to get a commitment from you to keep it going in your area.’ So we founded the Down Syndrome Society of Grant County after that, to be the nonprofit organization that would put on the Buddy Walk every year.”
“I think this is great,” said Kara Shurtz, who was volunteering for the first time this year. “I’ll be back next year. It makes me smile.”
Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
