This photo of Madison Greene, which will be shown today in Times Square, was taken when she was 14 and a cheerleader at Loftis Middle School. Greene is now 16 and a sophomore at Soddy-Daisy High School.A local teenager with Down syndrome will be one of about 200 faces to show up today in New York's Times Square.
Madison Greene, 16, will be featured in a video presentation that starts at 10 a.m. on the Clear Channel Spectacolor screen in Times Square. The video is part of the city's annual Buddy Walk, an event that aims to heighten awareness of Down syndrome and raise money for research.
The video can be seen on the National Down Syndrome Society's YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/TheNDSS1979.
A photo of the Soddy-Daisy High School sophomore was selected from thousands sent in from around the world. The photo being used was shot when she was 14 and a cheerleader at Loftis Middle School.
The Buddy Walk was created in 1995. In 2014, more than 315,000 participants raised almost $13 million in more than 250 events around the world.
Down Syndrome Awareness Month runs through October. In Chattanooga, the 2015 Buddy Walk takes place Oct. 17 at AT&T Field. Madison will be walking in the event. For more information, go to www.ds-stride.org/chattanoogabuddywalk.