Williams Syndrome Awareness Month 2023
Happy Williams Syndrome Awareness Month!
Awareness
Six Degrees of Separation… Simply Life-Changing
Most of us are familiar with the theory of ‘six degrees of separation’ – maybe you saw the play or movie of the same name starring Will Smith, or watched the new Discovery Series on the topic with Mike Rowe, or perhaps you’ve played the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. It’s the idea that all people, on average, are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other.
Williams Syndrome Awareness Month: Especially Noteworthy in 2021
Another Williams Syndrome Awareness month is in the books…and it was truly noteworthy! For me personally, and I hope for some of you as well, it felt SO GOOD to have been able to spend part of the month visiting family members and other WSA families…in person! It was great to see photos of a few “in-person” events pop up as folks got vaccinated and felt comfortable gathering.
The First Day of School and Following a Child's Lead
Jenna Garrett, mom to JoLynn, shared a great story recently about the first day of school and some things she came to understand about inclusion and her daughter:
Awareness Month 2019
Increased knowledge of Williams syndrome is a year-round priority for the WSA. Our vision is that all individuals with Williams syndrome will have the support they need throughout their lifespan to live healthy, self-directed, productive and fulfilling lives, and that is a tall order. That’s why each year, during the month of May, we ask that everyone in our community joins us in a special effort to increase awareness in your communities.
#WSAwareness Month!
May is #WSAwareness month! We have #Walk4Williams events (and they don't have to be walks!) across the country but awareness can come in many other forms as well. Looking for some ideas? The WSA knows that our wonderful community shares stories and awareness about Williams syndrome throughout the year, but in May, we REALLY make it happen. It's our special time to highlight Williams syndrome, and there are so many ways to do just that.
Thank You for a Wonderful Awareness Month
We have “officially” wrapped up 2017’s awareness month campaign, and it was successful in many ways – 35+ events nationwide; 11,000+ participants; more than $500,000 was raised for WSA programming and family support; local media attention... As parents, relatives, and friends of someone with Williams syndrome, we are all extremely grateful for the individual and group efforts that are necessary to make each awareness month campaign successful - Thank you!
Why is Awareness Month Important?
We all want increased awareness for Williams syndrome. But it is likely that for each of us, the importance of awareness varies. Each of our children is AN INDIVIDUAL with Williams syndrome – that means that each of our journeys with WS is individual too. If our children are medically fragile, research may be the driving force for awareness; if our children are struggling in school, awareness leading to better education may be paramount. Similarly, if our child is young an