The Adult Down Syndrome Center's fitness team is stepping up its efforts this year, and we hope you will join in.

I am preparing to run in my fifth consecutive Chicago Marathon on October 12, 2008. Dr. Erin Dominiak, our second physician at the Center, is also running in the Marathon.

As you know, our run helps raise much-needed funds for the Center. But just as important, our preparation and training provide an opportunity for us to work with and encourage our patients to improve their physical fitness. A group from the Center runs several shorter races throughout the year, and we invite our patients and friends like you to join us in running or walking at these events.

In a related effort, we are piloting a new program to help improve physical fitness for our patients. As you may know, many people with Down syndrome follow fairly set patterns of behavior in their daily activities. We call these tendencies "grooves." We are providing a small group of patients with step pedometers with the hope that the novelty of the device will help them get into the healthy "groove" of walking the recommended number of steps every day. This increase in activity will lead to improved fitness, which could reduce health complications related to overweight or obese conditions.

How can you join in?

Attend the events to run, walk, or cheer us on. We invite people with Down syndrome, their families, agency staff and friends. Sign up and bring a person with DS to an event and walk or run with him or her. Send me your email address and I will send you a schedule of the events we are participating in. Send me events that you are interested in walking/running so I can let others know. My email address is brian.chicoine@advocatehealth.com.

For more information on upcoming events, please take a look at our Adult Down Syndrome event newsletter.

• Send a donation to the Adult Down Syndrome Center. We have an Adult Down Syndrome Center Fitness Team T-shirt designed by Lizzie Schuda. One shirt is provided for each $100 donation. We can send the shirt to you or you can tell us to give a shirt to one of our patients. (For example, if you send a $500 donation, you might keep two shirts for yourself and let us give the other three to patients.)

Gifts from our Family Partners are a critical pillar of financial support for the Center. Your gifts help bridge the gap caused by declining reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurance.

Your participation in this fitness/fund-raising program will improve the health of adults with Down syndrome in multiple ways. I remain grateful for your support.

Click the image below to view information on our 2008 Frontier Days Stampede Run