Planning is underway for the 2023 Lots of Socks Business Window Display Event in support of World Down Syndrome Day in the Municipality of Kincardine and Township of Huron Kinloss.
Each year, our community comes together to celebrate inclusion and create awareness of the goals of World Down Syndrome Day with brightly coloured displays - made of socks!
Why socks?
Down Syndrome International, who started the Lots of Socks movement, adopted the sock as a symbol to help spread the word. Socks were chosen as a symbol for this campaign because if you take two socks and place them heel to heel they resemble a chromosome! What do chromosomes have to do with it? Down Syndrome is the result of a person being born with an extra 21st chromosome (3 instead of 2).
On March 21st, World Down Syndrome Day, everyone is encouraged to wear their loudest, most brightly coloured, patterned, and even mismatched socks to create awareness and start a conversation. On this day, we even encourage you to wear your socks overtop of your pants to really get people asking what this day is all about.
Why we Celebrate and Why Portraits?
Everyone deserves a sense of belonging and we all deserve to be able to relate to those around us from peers, to those we see in the media. Hanging portraits of community members living with Down Syndrome also helps to normalize disability while shining a spotlight on the individual and what makes them, them. We are more alike than different and the beautiful portraits captured by photographer Jamie Edwards of JME Photography Studio show everyday people, in everyday situations or, with some special effects, everyday people in some seriously cool scenes based on their relatable interests. The themes of these portraits reinforce the message that we are more the same than different.
Kincardine started the Lots of Socks Window Display Event back in 2015 with only a handful of businesses. Since then, it has grown to see over a 100 participating businesses gaining tons of traction on social media and lots of supporters sporting their socks on March 21st and taking part in the event by voting for their favourite display.
The participation we see from our local businesses show us just how fortunate we are to live in an inclusive and caring community.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing photographer, Jamie Edwards of JME Photography Studio and this year, a huge thank you goes out to Bruce Power who donated the printing of all the posters and portraits for this year's event.
Important Dates:
March 14th
Please have your Windows Decorated and start sending in your photos for judging
March 17th
Deadline for photos. You MUST submit a photo to compete for the Golden Sock Award. Please email photos or a short video to cmc@clkd.ca.
March 21st, World Down Syndrome Day
Voting is OPEN until noon and available to everyone.
Business window and Golden Sock Award winner will be announced!
Wear your most colourful, patterned and even mismatched socks in support of World Down Syndrome Day. Take your "Sock Selfies" and post them to social media. Don't forget to email them to cmc@clkd.ca so we can include them on our social channels.
Use #LotsofSocks #WDSD23 #WorldDownSyndromeDay and join the global conversation.
Questions? email cmc@clkd.ca or call our office 519-396-9434