Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 3-22-19

Features
March 21st Is National Down Syndrome Day:
Local Family Forms Down Syndrome Of Tampa Bay Group To Help Others
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Craig Woodard and his wife, Christine, were enjoying the pregnancy of their first child together when they got some news that devastated them: a screening test revealed their baby boy had Down Syn- drome.
“We cried,” Craig Woodard said. “We did not know what Down Syndrome is about. You think the worst.”
Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromo- some 21. Some common physi- cal traits of Down Syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, and an upward slant to the eyes. There are three types of Down Syndrome with tri- somy 21 being the most com- mon, according to the National Down Syndrome Society.
The Riverview couple shared the diagnosis with close family members, but otherwise kept the news to themselves. It wasn’t until Craig’s father of- fered a different perspective.
“Dad told me ‘stop crying’,” he said. “’You all were picked by this child. You guys can change the world in a certain way.’”
The message resonated with the Woodards and soon after their son, Craig, Jr., was born, the pair began to emerge from their shell.
That led to Craig Sr., be- coming engaged with a local group for children with Down Syndrome and their parents. But after a couple of years, Craig Sr., decided last year it was time to branch out and found his own group, the Down Syndrome Association of Tampa Bay.
In the year since, the orga- nization’s members have hosted a fashion show, a 5K run, and most recently a fundraising gala at the Tampa Museum of Art.
The goal is to provide par- ents the support and resources they’ll need to raise a child with Down Syndrome right from the diagnosis, Craig Sr., said.
“I want to change that feel- ing for families when they re-
ceive that news,” he said. “It would unsettle you a little bit but we’d let you know things are ok. You’re not alone.”
It’s important for parents and families to know that Down Syndrome can vary greatly per individual and have different effects, Craig Sr., said.
For example, Craig Jr., 4, isn’t very verbal, but communi- cates well with sign language, he said.
“Everybody has a different experience,” he said.
Another side of the organi- zation’s mission is to make the community at large more in- formed about Down Syndrome.
For Craig, Sr., it means meeting with school officials to initiate a dialogue about how the district can make the sys- tem more welcoming and ac- cessible for parents and Down Syndrome students. Those con- versations have led to the es- tablishment of a relationship between the association and the school district, he said.
Craig, Sr., said he wants to make it easier for parents to adjust following a Down Syn- drome diagnosis and offer them a community on which they can lean.
“I know there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I just have to shine it for them.”
World Down Syndrome Day
Thursday, March 21 is rec- ognized as World Down Syn- drome Day by the United Nations. It’s purpose is to raise awareness about Down Syn- drome, what it means to have Down Syndrome, and how peo- ple who have Down Syndrome play a vital role in our commu- nities.
To learn more about World Down Syndrome Day and how you can help spread awareness, visit www.worlddownSyn- drome2.org. For more infor- mation about Down Syndrome, visit the National Down Syn- drome Society at www.ndss.org.
Contact the Down Syn- drome Association of Tampa Bay at www.dsatb.org.
Trinity CME Church To Hold Closing-Relocation Ceremony
The church closing and re- location ceremony for Trinity CME Church will be attended by former members, former pastors, pastors who were mentored and ordained while attending Trinity, the descen- dants and family members of deceased founders and officers of Trinity, and visiting CME district and national leader- ship officials on Sunday, March 24th, at Trinity CME Church, 2401 N. Howard Av- enue.
Youth members will par- ticipate in the ceremony as praise dancers, soloists and readers.
Former pastors Anthony Thomas, Joe L. Johnson and Michael Hopkins are expected to attend along with other CME pastors, who en- tered the ministry and were ordained under the leadership of Trinity CME pastors.
Some of the pastors who entered the ministry while at Trinity include: Rev. An- thony O. Thomas and Rev. Debra Thomas (Mount Cal-
REV. ALTON AND DORI MCGRIFF
vary Church, Lake Wales), Rev. Aryk Bingham, cur- rently serving and stationed in the USA Air Force (Fort Ben- ning, Georgia), Rev. Michael Hopkins, Pastor of Bethany CME Church (Clearwater, Florida), Rev. Fred John- son, Trinity CME Church, (Tampa), Rev. Raven Ramos, Mount Calvary CME Church, (Lake Wales, Florida), Rev. Anthony A. Thomas, Rev. Anthony R. Thomas, Rev. Carlos and Rev. Lynn Sims, and Rev. Esther Ross, Tampa Florida.
Other Bay Area leadership who have been invited to at-
tend the ceremony includes, the descendants of Trinity’s founders and deceased leaders who will be honored. Among the family names are Bais- den, Rhymes, Wiggins, Singleton, Stanley, Gaulden, Johnson, Shorter, Glover, Greens, Richardson, Knowles, Wallace, Kelly, Thomp- son, Savage, Maddox, Williams, Sumes, and Gilmore.
Family members of Trin- ity’s founders, officers, and longtime members are asked to call Pastor Alton Mc- Griff at (904)-534-7674 or Joanna Tokley at (813) 310- 0994 if you plan to attend the ceremony.
Trinity will also honor pas- tors of other churches who have a history of support for Trinity to include Pastor Laura Hargrove, Speak Life Church, Pastor Delores Cain, Heritage Baptist Church, and Pastor Barbara Richardson, Ambassadors Of Christ Church (Tampa).
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