HILARY SWANK AND QUEEN LATIFAH WILL ROCK THE RUNWAY AT
GLOBAL DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION’S
BE BEAUTIFUL BE YOURSELF FASHION SHOW
GLOBAL DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION’S
BE BEAUTIFUL BE YOURSELF FASHION SHOW
The two luminaries join Matt Dillon, Mario Lopez, Peyton Manning, Amanda Booth and
John C. McGinley to support the cause Nov. 12 in Denver
John C. McGinley to support the cause Nov. 12 in Denver
Two-time Oscar and Golden Globe-winner Hilary Swank and Academy Award nominee and Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winner Queen Latifah will rock the runway with models with Down syndrome at the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show Nov. will rock the runway with models with Down syndrome at the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show Nov. 12 in Denver. The annual Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global) fundraiser previously announced the support of co-hosts Mario Lopez and Kim Christiansen, actors Matt Dillon and John C. McGinley, two-time Super Bowl Champion and MVP Peyton Manning, model Amanda Booth, and special Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award honoree Frank Stephens.
“Hilary Swank and Queen Latifah are amazing role models who believe deeply in fighting for equality and celebrating diversity. We are so pleased they will be at our event sending our message to the world – that people with Down syndrome are more alike (and awesome!) than different,” said Global Down Syndrome Foundation President and CEO Michelle Sie Whitten. “Through their distinguished careers both of these icons have exemplified their commitment to the community and we are so pleased that they are supporting our research and medical care for people with Down syndrome.”
Swank has been involved in numerous philanthropies and nonprofit organizations throughout her career, including supporting and empowering women suffering from medical issues. Queen Latifah, who has backed AIDS and cancer research, has long been a pioneer to end discrimination and equal the playing field.
Global’s Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show is the single largest fundraiser benefitting people with Down syndrome in the world selling out each year with 1,200 guests and raising over $2 million. The event culminates in a fashion show featuring models with Down syndrome clothed by REVOLVE. Proceeds from the event benefit Global’s life-saving and life-changing medical care and scientific research at the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus.
About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public nonprofit dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. Global supports two affiliates which together constitute the only academic home in the United States committed solely to research and medical care for people with Down syndrome – the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Sie Center for Down Syndrome. Global also publishes Down Syndrome World, a national award-winning quarterly magazine. For more information, visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org. Follow Global Down Syndrome Foundation on Facebook & Twitter @GDSFoundation.
About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first medical and research institute with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Headquartered on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center. It partners both locally and globally to provide life-changing research and medical care for individuals with Down syndrome. The Crnic Institute is made possible by the generous support of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, and relies on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for fundraising, education, awareness, and government advocacy. It is a research and medical-based organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.
About Down Syndrome
Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition, affecting one out of every 691 live births in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The average lifespan is 60 years. Down syndrome is caused by the genetic condition known as trisomy 21, whereby a person is born with three copies of chromosome 21. The presence of an extra copy of the chromosome affects human development in many ways, protecting people with Down syndrome from developing some diseases, such as most tumors, while predisposing them to others, such as autoimmune disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. The reasons for this different ‘disease spectrum’ in the population with Down syndrome are unknown. Elucidating the molecular basis of this phenomenon could advance our understanding of many diseases affecting the typical population.
“Hilary Swank and Queen Latifah are amazing role models who believe deeply in fighting for equality and celebrating diversity. We are so pleased they will be at our event sending our message to the world – that people with Down syndrome are more alike (and awesome!) than different,” said Global Down Syndrome Foundation President and CEO Michelle Sie Whitten. “Through their distinguished careers both of these icons have exemplified their commitment to the community and we are so pleased that they are supporting our research and medical care for people with Down syndrome.”
Swank has been involved in numerous philanthropies and nonprofit organizations throughout her career, including supporting and empowering women suffering from medical issues. Queen Latifah, who has backed AIDS and cancer research, has long been a pioneer to end discrimination and equal the playing field.
Global’s Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show is the single largest fundraiser benefitting people with Down syndrome in the world selling out each year with 1,200 guests and raising over $2 million. The event culminates in a fashion show featuring models with Down syndrome clothed by REVOLVE. Proceeds from the event benefit Global’s life-saving and life-changing medical care and scientific research at the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus.
About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public nonprofit dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. Global supports two affiliates which together constitute the only academic home in the United States committed solely to research and medical care for people with Down syndrome – the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Sie Center for Down Syndrome. Global also publishes Down Syndrome World, a national award-winning quarterly magazine. For more information, visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org. Follow Global Down Syndrome Foundation on Facebook & Twitter @GDSFoundation.
About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first medical and research institute with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Headquartered on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center. It partners both locally and globally to provide life-changing research and medical care for individuals with Down syndrome. The Crnic Institute is made possible by the generous support of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, and relies on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for fundraising, education, awareness, and government advocacy. It is a research and medical-based organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.
About Down Syndrome
Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition, affecting one out of every 691 live births in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The average lifespan is 60 years. Down syndrome is caused by the genetic condition known as trisomy 21, whereby a person is born with three copies of chromosome 21. The presence of an extra copy of the chromosome affects human development in many ways, protecting people with Down syndrome from developing some diseases, such as most tumors, while predisposing them to others, such as autoimmune disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. The reasons for this different ‘disease spectrum’ in the population with Down syndrome are unknown. Elucidating the molecular basis of this phenomenon could advance our understanding of many diseases affecting the typical population.