A Terrific Day for a Walk!

The 2015 Southern New England Walk for Williams was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who donated, sponsored, or volunteered for this fundraiser that is so close to our hearts. We had 150-200 people in attendance and although we won't have our final numbers for a few weeks, we have by my count raised over $16,000 for the Williams Syndrome Association. I think we also owe Mother Nature our appreciation for not raining on us!

Party Time D.J. Mike Rutkowski kept the energy going for us from set up that morning at 7am until the Walk concluded at 12pm. He led games for the kids, contests for families and was an excellent M.C. for our activities. Mike really went above and beyond to make sure we had a great event (and he became Sawyer's new best friend). We already have dibs on him for this weekend next year!

Also, big thanks to our face painter Kara Andrews from Art on the Spot and to Hands in Harmony Music Therapy for their demonstration. Scott Allen brought his NASCAR stock car with the WSA logo on it for photographs. And we had a great Zumba warm up to walking!

Once again, my nephews mopped up with raffle wins (I didn't win a ding dong thing), and people took home some fantastic items including jewelry, Red Sox tickets, luggage and more. We truly appreciate the many individuals and businesses who donated items for the raffle tent. And a big thanks to Rose Gianopoulos for her delicious cake donation. It was a sweet way to finish our Walk!

Finally, thank you to our business sponsors who supported the Walk for Williams: Speech and Voice Therapy of Foxboro, Pediatric Specialists of Foxboro and Wrentham, Dr. Karen Levine, Tastefully Simple Consultant Kathleen Lawson, Pediatric Dental Center of Mansfield, Normandy Farms, and Sarah Montani Photography.

I think everyone had a fantastic time (I know I did) and we are looking forward to seeing everyone next year! Thank you for your support of Team Sawyer and The Walk for Williams.

Launch Fundraiser Tomorrow!

Our fundraiser at Launch Trampoline  Park in Norwood is tomorrow, Friday May 8th, 4-8pm. I will be there with information on WS and the Walk for Williams. Bring your friends and have some fun while supporting the Williams Syndrome Association! You can print the flyer below or just mention the fundraiser at the admission desk.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Walk for Williams so far! Team Sawyer has raised about $2363 so far (not counting some checks I recently received in the mail) and the Walk as a whole has raised $11,618 to support the many programs of the Williams Syndrome Association. Hooray!

We have lots of great raffle items for the Walk, and anyone is welcome to come by Diamond Hill State Park and purchase tickets for a chance to win. Here are just a few of the great prizes-- I'll post a full list next week as we finalize all of the details.

You can still register to walk as a team online until Wednesday the 13th. After that, you will have to register on-site the day of the Walk. Click HERE if you want to register now.

Finally, Sawyer's sedated CT last week showed that he has some stenosis of his right renal artery, however, it is not severe enough to require any kind of intervention. It is difficult to get a good blood pressure reading on Sawyer, and coupled with his anxiety it is hard to tell what is a legitimate reading, white coat hypertension or someone who just can't take a good blood pressure. On average, his BP is not high enough to warrant medication, so we are continuing to monitor everything for the time being. So, hooray for that!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

Thank you to everyone who helped us reach-- and exceed-- our team goal of $1500 to support the Southern New England Walk for Williams. Team Sawyer has received $2088 in donations to date, and our Walk goal of raising $10,000 is 92% of the way there. If you would like to still support Team Sawyer and help us reach our greater Walk goal, you can donate at the link HERE. My co-coordinator, Jillian, and I are excited to see the registrations come in and we are looking forward to reconnecting with the families we know as well as meeting some new people in the Southern New England region.

Although the "free shirt" deadline has passed, if you decide you would like to still register online for the Walk, you can do so until May 13th. We will also take walk-up registrations the day of the Walk.

If you would still like that free WSA t-shirt, we can always use some extra hands to help us the day of the Walk. We are looking for older teens and adults who can help with set up, raffles, monitoring the bounce house and more. Let me or Jillian know if you can help!

On a personal note: Sawyer had his sedated CT scan this morning to find out what the situation is with his elevated blood pressure and some constriction in his renal arteries. We should have results in the next few days. Sawyer came through the procedure with no issues and is now enjoying some lazy time at home. Tomorrow is back to school!

Lastly, Gwen turns 6 this week. Here she is at her first Walk for Williams. We are so proud of the young lady she is growing into!

$37 Away!

We are only $37 away from our goal of raising $1500 for the Southern New England Walk for Williams and the Williams Syndrome Association. Thank you to all who have donated! If you still wish to donate, you can do so at the Team Sawyer Fundraising Page.

There is less than a week left to register for the Walk and to receive your free t-shirt. Click HERE to register today!

Even if you don't register to Walk, you are welcome to stop by Diamond Hill State Park on May 16th and enjoy our entertainment and participate in our raffles (you do need to be present to win or have a designated person there to pick up your prize). Our raffle prizes include an American Girl Doll, Alex and Ani bracelets, a Pandora bracelet, a Vineyard Vines necktie, a Kindle, Samsonite luggage, 2 family portrait packages, tickets to area entertainment such as Edaville, Davis Farmland, Southwick's Zoo, Launch, SkyZone and more. 

There are two other fundraisers happening in conjunction with the Walk. There is a Tastefully Simple fundraiser online until April 27th. All profits will support the Walk for Williams. Be sure to purchase through my party link HERE. It is a good way to stock your pantry while supporting the WSA.

The other fundraiser is May 8th, 4-8pm, at Launch Trampoline Park on RT 1 in Norwood. 25% of your admission will support the Walk for Williams when you bring in the flyer below. Let the kids burn off some energy and support the WSA at the same time-- I hope to see you there!

A Walk Update and Sawyer Skis!

The Southern New England Walk for Williams on May 16th is really coming together. Now, we wait for our "teams" to register and hope for sunny weather. If you wish to join Team Sawyer or another team, be sure to register by April 26th to get your free WSA T-shirt. Click HERE to register with Team Sawyer for the Cumberland, RI Walk.

We have had several sponsors step up to support the Walk including Pediatric Specialists of Foxboro and Wrentham, Pediatric Dental Center of Mansfield, Speech and Voice Therapy Center of Foxboro, and Normandy Farms. We are so grateful for support shown by those who care for our kids.

Raffles items are arriving including two fantastic portrait sessions from Sarah Montani Photography, an American Girl Doll, Alex and Ani jewelry and tickets to area attractions such as Edaville, Launch, SkyZone and Southwicks Zoo. You can keep up with all of the great stuff you can win by "liking" our Facebook page: Click HERE to go to it.

Team Sawyer is 13% of the way to our goal of raising $1500 to support the WSA. If you would like to donate through Team Sawyer you can go to our fundraising page by clicking HERE.

A few personal notes: We recently spent at day skiing at Mount Sunapee, home of the New England Handicapped Sports Association. I can't say enough good things about these volunteers who help people of all abilities enjoy outdoor activities such as skiing, kayaking and more. For the past few years Sawyer has utilized a "sit-ski", a kind of sled that someone else guides down the mountain. On our last visit, the volunteers felt that Sawyer was capable of trying actual skis. I was a little doubtful, but Sawyer exceeded our expectations and spent the morning session skiing on the learning hill with two wonderful volunteers. Here is a little video showing one of Sawyer's early "runs" on skis:

In other news, Sawyer is scheduled for a sedated CT angiography at the end of April. Anesthesia has risks for people with WS and we are so fortunate to live near a world-class facility like Mass General Hospital that takes the risks seriously. Sawyer has been having some high blood pressure issues and has a bruit (a murmur in his abdominal arteries) that indicates some kind of constriction going to his kidneys. We will be glad to have some answers at the end of April and hope that we can avoid a surgical intervention. Your prayers for a positive outcome are appreciated.

New Location for the 2015 Southern New England Walk!

Spring is coming up quickly and so is Williams Syndrome Awareness Month and the Southern New England Walk for Williams. We have a new location for the Walk this year at Diamond Hill State Park in Cumberland, RI. After such a brutal winter of snow, snow, snow we are looking forward to getting outside in the sunshine and seeing our other WS Families as we raise awareness of Williams Syndrome on May 16th.

I am working with some other WS moms to organize this year's Walk, and we have some fun activities planned for the day. DJ Mike Rutkowski will be there to play some music and organize some games for the kids like hula hoop contests and freeze dances. Kara from Art on the Spot will be back to do face painting, and Miss Kelly will be leading a Zumba warm up prior to the Walk. We will also have a bouncy house for the kids to enjoy. Also, this year's Walk will also be a festive "parade" and we are encouraging people to decorate their stroller and wagons (and yourself) to walk through the park. We will have some decorations at the Walk for people to make use of as well.

We are also seeking some raffle items for the Walk. If you are planning to join us that day and have an item you would like to donate for the raffle, please let me know. Maybe your kids got a duplicate game at Christmas or you have a fancy bottle of wine you just aren't that into-- consider donating it to a good cause! We already have a few wonderful items lined up, so be sure to bring a little extra cash for your chance to win!

Registration is now open for the Walk. If you plan to join us on May 16th, be sure to register online by April 26th to receive your free WSA shirt. You can still register after that date, but you will not receive a shirt (so don't put it off!). We will also have registrations on-site if you find your Saturday morning suddenly free. And the whole community is invited to come by Diamond Hill State Park and enjoy our entertainment and raffles while learning more about Williams Syndrome. It will be a fun time-- please join us if you can!

And if you can't due to time or distance, please consider donating through the Team Sawyer donation page. We really appreciate all of the support we receive from our friends and family, and hope to meet our fundraising goal of $1500 again this year.

Thank you for your support!

Fun Times at the 2014 Southern New England Walk for Williams

A big thanks to everyone who donated to Team Sawyer and the Southern New England Walk for Williams Syndrome! Team Sawyer raised around $3000 and the Walk raised over $12,000 to benefit the Williams Syndrome Association.

Team Sawyer had a great time at the Walk! We were joined by school friends, Greg's brother's family, my Dad who flew in from TN, Sawyer's SPED teacher and speech therapist, and his Sunday School teacher. We also had some friends who dropped in to buy raffle tickets. We lucked out with the weather-- although there was a threat of rain, it held off and actually cleared off nicely for the afternoon. Gwen had a blast with the magician, John Henry, who made money appear out of thin air.

Despite my efforts to win the Pandora bracelet, the only Low who won something was my nephew. But a lot of happy people went home with great prizes!

We are so blessed to have so many great friends and family who took the time to come to the Walk, donated online or supported one of the related fundraisers through Tastefully Simple or Alex and Ani. In the five years since the Williams Syndrome Association began WS Awareness Month and the Walks for Williams, they have been able to increase the amount of scholarship, financial assistance and research support from just $50,000 per year to $250,000. They are now able to offer complementary workshops for educators as well as help families with assistive technology and housing initiatives. 89 cents for every dollar goes directly to families through programs, scholarships and medical assistance. Your donation is well spent, and deeply appreciated by families such as ours. 

Thank you again for your support of the Walk for Williams and Team Sawyer. See you next year!!