President Milanović Meets with Organizers of “Run for Down“ Race on the Occasion of World Down Syndrome Day
On the eve of World Down Syndrome Day, observed on Friday, 21 March, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received today the organizers of the “Run for Down” humanitarian race from the Down Syndrome Association Zagreb and the “Perpetuum Mobile” Athletic Club.
The “Run for Down” race will be held in the Zagreb Bundek park, for the fourth time, in May this year. It will bring together runners of all ages and abilities to support the work of the Down Syndrome Association and help create a better world for people with Down syndrome, the president of the Down Syndrome Association Zagreb, Natalija Belošević, announced. The organizers expect the race to bring together more than 800 participants. This humanitarian race promotes not only the importance of physical activity, but also empathy and inclusion, and, for people with Down syndrome, it represents a key tool for socialization and development of motor skills, it was noted at the meeting.
In addition to the activities that will mark World Down Syndrome Day, the daily needs of people with Down syndrome, as well as the problems they face, were also discussed. One of the problems highlighted by the president of the Association is the employment of people with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome are insufficiently employed even though they have qualifications and are educated for many jobs, said Belošević.
The Association for Down Syndrome Zagreb represents the interests of all people with Down syndrome in the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County and actively implements programmes that provide support to people with Down syndrome from an early age, through day care, preschool and school age, all the way to preparation for independence. The Association includes around 200 families, has over 130 active members, and has been operating since 1999. The “Perpetuum Mobile” Athletic Club was founded in 2014 due to the need of former participants of the running school for further physical activity, both recreationally and competitively, and as a co-organizer of the “Run for Down” race, the club wants to help include people with Down syndrome in society.
In addition to the president of the Association, who was accompanied by her son Leon, a young man with Down syndrome, the meeting was attended by the Club vice-president Tamara Grgić Erdeljac.
Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Education, Jadranka Žarković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta