LOWER MAINLAND DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY

Our Social Club continued in 2024 meeting up on Sunday afternoons and evenings. They continued to meet up outdoors in parks to play basketball ring toss bocci balls and indoors activities including Bowling Paint Ball Trampoline parks Movies Swimming Dinners Parties and Karaoke. Both our Vancouver and Okanagan Networking Groups are actively involved in their community offering events and activities in addition to what the Head Office is organizing. Our Library of resource material continues to grow we willingly share this material with our community. On the LMDSS website you will find a link to the library which you can peruse to see if we have any books or learning materials you may enjoy or benefit from. We hosted our annual Lower Mainland Christmas Networking Event with a visit from Santa puppet shows and music with dancing. We held our AGM and BBQ at our new office in Cloverdale. Each year we contact approx. 350 businesses to join in celebrating 'Light up for World Down Syndrome'. LMDSS also supplies information support and services to the BC community at large. We provided support to families and others in our BC communities via: - 17 648 emails and 1 167 phone calls - delivery of baby and hospital baskets - visits to families - menstrual health support

The following were new or rejuvenated programs: - Each year we contact 347 businesses to join in celebrating 'Light up for World Down Syndrome' this year with both the Ukraine crisis and Covid19 we had 40 places light up in Yellow and Blue. How this is all done: LMDSS has one salary employee who works hard to supply services and support you have come to rely on. We also have professional contract workers who deliver the Reading and Math Dance Music Speech Workshops. We rely on volunteers in a few areas such as office administration outreach teaching workshops Board Members and in Networking Activities. For example the hours volunteers in: - 2022 we recorded 3620 volunteer hours. - 2023 we recorded 3572 volunteer hours!