Moxie, she of the fierce courage, love of pink and all things Barbie, bright sparks and glittering smiles, she of towering neon flip flops (who knew they made them that high?!) and commitment to Alexa. Moxie’s all this and then some. She’s also one of the very few teens with Down syndrome on the Big Island of Hawai’i. She is the only girl with Down syndrome in her school, and she will likely be the only student with Down syndrome in the middle school she will be starting in August.
Moxie’s at a point in which she wants connection with other people her age with Down syndrome, and with people without Down syndrome who want to be around people with Down syndrome. Does that make sense? I’m talking about people without Down syndrome who are not just kind or tolerant; people who want to be friends with her and her tribe.
We found out about the PALS camp, a camp that is run on the United States continental mainland. It’s in a wide variety of states, and has youth and adult programs for people with Down syndrome. For her age group, it’s a week, and since there was a camp in the San Francisco Bay Area, we applied! Thrillingly, Moxie was accepted!
A while down the line, my hearing aid broke and my medicare won’t cover the cost of new hearing aids (and fixing them was not a possibility). Since I don’t have a ton of savings to begin with (- remember, I just graduated last May and am still pre-licensed), this wiped out what I had planned to cover the camp with. Hearing isn’t a luxury! (can we get our government and insurance to understand that, please?)
Anyway. Moxie, she of the indomitable spirit, was given a scholarship by the PALS camp (thank you!) and we just need to find our way there. Which is from the Big Island of Hawai’i to the continental US in high season.
That’s what this fundraiser is about.
It’s about getting Moxie to the mainland, for that opportunity to connect with other kids her age with Down syndrome. It’s about connecting with the people in the camp.
Toward that end, if you are able to be her community and support her in going, we thank you!
Any amount is appreciated – it’s all extremely helpful. THANK YOU.
Here’s Moxie’s video:
Meriah Nichols is a counselor. Solo mom to 3 (one with Down syndrome, one on the spectrum). Deaf, and neurodiverse herself, she’s a gardening nerd who loves cats, Star Trek, and takes her coffee hot and black.
