Mile High Magazine 11/01/2026 Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Monday, November 02, 2026 | 17:10

Guest: Michelle Sie Whitten The Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to improving health outcomes for people with Down syndrome, will host its 19th annual Be Beautiful, Be Yourself Fashion Show on November 7. As the world’s largest Down syndrome fundraiser, the event attracts about 1,400 attendees from across the U.S. and around the world for an auction and runway show featuring celebrities alongside individuals with Down syndrome. This year’s event will honor Kennedy Garcia, the first person with Down syndrome to hold a recurring role on a daytime soap opera, and Maria Menounos with the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Awards. Global Ambassador Letitia Napoleone, a model and aspiring actress with Down syndrome, will also be featured. Celebrity attendees include Justin Timberlake, who will walk the runway with his niece, along with Geena Davis, Christian Slater, Terrell Davis, John C. McGinley, Katherine Scorsone, and Olympic gold medalist Alana Myers Taylor. The Foundation also continues to advance groundbreaking research, helping secure more than $538 million in NIH funding over the past eight years and expand clinical trials for people with Down syndrome. Advocates are also supporting the bipartisan DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, legislation that would make the NIH’s Down syndrome research program permanent. bebeautifulbeyourself.org globaldownsyndromefoundation.org