Bipartisan Congressional Members & Celebrities to Champion Down Syndrome Research in DC

Representatives Robert Aderholt and Diana DeGette to Receive GLOBAL’s Highest Honor, Celebrity TV Journalists Chuck Todd & Autria Godfrey to Emcee

/EIN News/ -- Denver, April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) announced Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) will receive GLOBAL’s highest honor, the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, at their annual AcceptAbility Gala on Wednesday, May 21^st at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC. Each year, the awards are bestowed upon Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who have gone above and beyond to support GLOBAL’s mission to elongate life and improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome.

Six-time Emmy® Award-winner and NBC News’ chief political analyst Chuck Todd will co-emcee the gala. Todd was the former moderator of NBC’s flagship Sunday program Meet the Press from 2014 to 2023, and is currently the host of The Chuck ToddCast, a near-daily podcast offering in-depth interviews with political figures, experts, and thought leaders. Three-time Emmy Award-winning former WJLA ABC News anchor Autria Godfrey will co-host alongside Todd and bring her Good Morning Washington energy to the event. Multiplatinum artist and actor Phillip Phillips, soloist and member of the Maryland-based RhythmXpress dance team Robert Wallop, and GLOBAL Ambassador and actor from Baltimore Tucker Emry will headline this inspirational event. Tickets, Tables and Sponsorships are now available here.

The evening also features Congressional Hosts including Senators Cory Booker, Steve Daines, John Hickenlooper, and Jerry Moran; and Representatives Katherine Clark, Tom Cole, Rosa DeLauro, Lois Frankel, Richard Hudson, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Pete Sessions, and Pete Stauber.

In addition, each year at the gala, two students with Down syndrome are provided post-secondary GLOBAL Advancement Awards named in honor of Representatives Tom Cole (R-OK) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). The winners will be announced on May 21^st at the AcceptAbility Gala, and it is anticipated that the representatives will present the awards at the event.

GLOBAL’s annual AcceptAbility Gala brings together policymakers from both sides of the aisle, key scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Down syndrome community. Each year, the gala recognizes two Members of Congress with their highest honor, the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award. Past recipients include Representatives Tom Cole, Rosa DeLauro, Pete Sessions, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Katherine Clark, Pete Stauber, Lois Frankel, and Richard Hudson; and Senators John Hickenlooper, Jerry Moran, Steve Daines, and Tom Harkin.

Other notables include AcceptAbility Gala Board Co-chairs Natalie Farr Harrison, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Avoq, and her husband, Guy Harrison, a Partner at OnMessage Inc.

The AcceptAbility Gala Board consists of business and government advocacy leaders as well as leaders in the Down syndrome community. In addition to the Harrisons, the board includes Jan Adams, Founder & CEO JMA Solutions; John Ashbrook, Founding Partner, Cavalry LLC; Amy Best Weiss, Executive VP, Global Government Affairs, American Express; Kevin Brennan, Principal, Bluebird Strategies; Emilie Eager, Director of Business Development, Julie Parker Communications; David Egan, Quincy Jones Awardee, self-advocate and author, from Vienna, VA; Felicia Emry, Esq., Life Skills Program Coordinator and Client Care Liaison, Heaven on Earth NOW; Erin Book Mullen, Principal, Williams & Jensen, PLLC; Matthew Perin, Head of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Kroger; Cliff Riccio, Senior Vice President and Chief, Government Relations, NCTA; Julie Riccio, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy, PwC;  Frank Stephens, GLOBAL board member, GLOBAL Ambassador, self-advocate and actor, from Fairfax, VA; Richard Waysdorf, Legal Consultant, Global Down Syndrome Foundation; and Michelle Sie Whitten, President & CEO, Global Down Syndrome Foundation.  

The AcceptAbility Gala supports the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, funding life-changing government advocacy, research, and lifesaving medical care for children and adults with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is the most frequent chromosomal condition, affecting an estimated 400,000 Americans, but it has been one of the least-funded genetic condition by NIH.

With GLOBAL’s leadership bringing together multiple stakeholders, the NIH Down syndrome research and medical care budget has increased by $440 million over the last seven years. The AcceptAbility Gala is an opportunity to celebrate major new federal research funding increases after years of being one of the least funded genetic conditions and to educate Congress and the community about the transformative DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act that ensures funding that will elongate life and improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome.

The AcceptAbility Gala starts at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and red carpet followed by dinner, a live auction, and performances by local dancers with Down syndrome and Multiplatinum artist and actor Phillip Phillips. Tickets start at $700 and can be purchased online at www.globaldownsyndrome.org. To cover the event or receive photos or b-roll, contact Shawn Flaherty at 703-554-3609. For more information, visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org.

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About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) is the largest non-profit in the U.S. working to save lives and dramatically improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome. GLOBAL established the first Down syndrome research institute and supports over 400 scientists and over 2,700 patients with Down syndrome from 33 states and 10 countries. Working closely with Congress and the National Institutes of Health, GLOBAL is the lead advocacy organization in the U.S. for Down syndrome research and care. GLOBAL has a membership of over 110 Down syndrome organizations worldwide, and is part of a network of Affiliates – the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the Sie Center for Down Syndrome, the University of Colorado Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center – all on the Anschutz Medical Campus, and the GLOBAL Adult Down Syndrome Clinic at Denver Health.

GLOBAL’s widely circulated medical publications include Global Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome, Prenatal & Newborn Down Syndrome Information, and the award-winning magazine 
Down Syndrome World TM. GLOBAL also organizes the annual AcceptAbility Gala in Washington DC, and
the annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world. Visit globaldownsyndrome.org and follow us on social media Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Attachments

• AcceptAbility Gala Emcees Chuck Todd and Autria Godfrey
• AcceptAbility Gala Ambassador Tucker Emry and Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award Recipients Diana DeGette and Robert Aderholt

Anca E Call
                    Global Down Syndrome Foundation
                    (720) 320-3832
                    acall@globaldownsyndrome.org
                    
                    Shawn Flaherty
                    Global Down Syndrome Foundation
                    703-554-3609
                    shawn_flaherty@creativestratpr.com