...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM MST TUESDAY...
* WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills. Wind chills as low as 30
degrees below zero.
* WHERE...Southeast Wyoming and the Western Nebraska Panhandle.
* WHEN...Until 9 AM MST Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Dangerously cold wind chills could lead to hypothermia
and can cause frostbite on exposed skin in 30 minutes or less.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a
knit hat, and mittens.
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Laramie resident Timmy Frazier shows his modeling materials Friday. Frazier will participate in the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion show hosted by Global Down Syndrome Foundation next weekend.
Laramie resident Timmy Frazier shows his modeling materials Friday. Frazier will participate in the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion show hosted by Global Down Syndrome Foundation next weekend.
Whether it’s spending time with friends or working one of his three jobs, Laramie resident Timmy Frazier is always looking for ways to get involved with his community and enjoy the company of others.
Next weekend he’ll be taking that mission to the max when he heads to Denver to walk in the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, a fundraiser for Global Down Syndrome Foundation that puts members of that community at the forefront.
Frazier is one of 22 models that will walk the stage accompanied by celebrity guests including Josh Peck, Brooklyn Decker and John C. McGinley. In the past, the event has drawn 1,400 attendees and 250 volunteers, and has raised up to $2.5 million for the foundation.
This year marked Frazier’s sixth time trying out for the event, which is highly selective because of its popularity. He’s likely to see a large show of support when he takes the stage, as his family and friends reserved two tables to cheer him on.
“It’s really special to us, and it’s probably a once in a lifetime thing,” Frazier’s mom, Pam, said.
For Frazier, the show will be an opportunity to be recognized, but will also provide a space to enjoy time with friends and family.
Frazier said he’s looking forward to wearing his suit for the show and “enjoying the company and just enjoying my family.”
Aside from the fundraising, a night of fun highlighting the excellence of people with Down syndrome is exactly what the fashion show is about, Global Down Syndrome Foundation President Michelle Sie Whitten said.
The theme of the fashion show aligns with that of the foundation, which seeks to provide research and medical care that can allow people with Down syndrome to live healthier, more empowered lives.
“There was that stereotype of the person in the institution, the person who wasn’t dressed well,” Whitten said. “I wanted to not only say that people with Down syndrome are beautiful and brilliant, but also could be modeled and will be elevated to the same level as our celebrities that escort them down the runway.”
Whitten became an advocate after learning that there was a significant gap in funding and research of Down syndrome.
One thing that sets Down syndrome apart from other intellectual developmental disabilities is the differences in health care needs that come along with having three copies of chromosome 21 rather than two, Whitten said.
She explained that people with Down syndrome are highly exposed to autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer’s, but are highly protected from diseases such as solid tumor cancers.
“The whole trajectory and life of a person with Down syndrome has changed dramatically since the 1980s when the average lifespan was only 28 because they were institutionalized and they weren’t given medical care,” Whitten said.
Today, that life span has increased to 60 years, and over 40 people with Down syndrome from Wyoming drive each year to receive medical care from the Sie Center for Down syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Whitten said.
Some of the money from the fashion show will go toward maintaining that center, as well as providing other research and programs.
The sense of community provided through the fashion show was one of the biggest draws for Frazier.
He said that as a person with Down syndrome, he loves being around other people, which reminds him that he’s not alone.
Frazier works at O’Dwyer’s Public House, Planet Fitness and Accomplice Mycro-Pub, and is recognizable to many in town because of his unique mode of transportation: a Segway.
“I love going fast, (and I) don’t want to waste time,” Frazier said. “I like to ride it around town because it helps me focus to know what I’m thinking about.”
In his free time, Frazier likes to play video games, watch movies and spend time with his friends and roommates.
For Whitten, inviting people to the fashion show each year is just one small part of a long fight for justice and well-being for people with Down syndrome.
“(Frazier) for me is a role model that couldn’t have existed 20 years ago and is thriving today,” Whitten said. “Now it’s our job to take him to the next level.”
