GLOBAL DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION

Denver

News: Any of the 1,400-plus who attended the 16th Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show who had not seen the movie “Champions” might have expected a somewhat different message from Woody Harrelson when he accepted the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s 2024 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award.

His movie and television roles involved him portraying characters with personalities ranging from goofball to intense in shows like “Cheers” and “Frasier” and movies like “White Men Can’t Jump,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” and “Natural Born Killers.”

It’s safe to say no one expected tears.

The Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor drew from the 2023 sports comedy “Champions,” in which Harrelson plays a former minor-league basketball coach ordered by a court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities.

Surrounded by “Champions” castmates Madison Tevlin, Matthew Von der Ahe, James Keith and Kevin Iannucci, Harrelson choked up as he told them they had “Enriched my life and made me a better person. You’ve enlarged my soul.”

Addressing the audience, Harrelson added, “In a world that often feels divided, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation brings us together.”

“Champions” was directed by Bobby Farrelly, a former recipient of the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award and one of the celebrities attending this Nov. 16 dinner and auction that raised an astounding $2.4 million.

Also receiving the 2024 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award was Sofia Sanchez, a Ukranian-American actress, model, author and Down syndrome advocate.

“My journey began as an orphan in Ukraine,” Sanchez said. Today, she has gained fame for her role as Wovey in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and as the author of three Scholastic books detailing her adoption story. She is the youngest person with Down syndrome to present a TED Talk and has appeared in Old Navy and Target commercials.

The star-studded gala, chaired by Carol and Dominic Capuano and Gia Price, also was the occasion to celebrate the 2024 GLOBAL Ambassador, Zaya Biel, the daughter of Rose and Justin Biel and niece of actress Jessical Biel.

In a video presentation, Zaya’s mom noted that her daughter has “Taught us that the world isn’t full of differences. It is filled by love.

Jessica Biel is married to music superstar Justin Timberlake, who is on tour but sent his congratulations via video. When Jessica texted him to let him know that Grant Snyder had just sold the Justin Timberlake VIP concert experience for $18,000 in the live auction, Timberlake texted back that he’d offer a second one, which also sold for $18,000.

The money raised over the years, said Michelle Sie Whitten, GLOBAL’s president and chief executive officer, has enabled the Denver-based nonprofit to make significant strides in elongating life and improving health outcomes for those with Down syndrome. These include getting the National Institutes of Health to increase Down syndrome research funding from $18 million in 2009 to $130 million in 2023. GLOBAL’s advocacy also helped introduce the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act of 2024 in Congress, where it was passed and is now awaiting Senate approval before it can be signed into law.

Dixon, the late sister of Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, is a former GLOBAL Ambassador and attended almost every Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show until her passing in 2020.

The highlight of the evening is a fashion show, during which youngsters with Down syndrome are joined by a cavalcade of celebrities for an often animated walk down the runway.

The 18 models were joined by such celebs as Laura Linney (“Ozark,” “Mystic River”); John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”); Caterina Scorsone and Niko Terho (“Grey’s Anatomy”); supermodel and actress Amanda Booth; soccer star Kellyn Acosta; Max Carver (“Desperate Housewives”); Beverley Mitchell (“7th Heaven”); Denver Broncos cheerleaders Vika and Mikayla and Miss Colorado April Hawkins. 9News anchors Kim Christiansen and Tom Green were the masters of ceremony.

About the organization: Since its start in 2009, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation has become known worldwide for significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education, and advocacy. Its signature fundraiser, the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, is the single-largest annual fundraiser benefiting people with Down syndrome.

Website: globaldownsyndrome.org

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