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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Join the 6th Annual 31 for 21 Challenge

6 years ago Tricia came up with a most wonderful idea for raising awareness during National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (which is in Oct). 6 years ago I joined in on her blog challenge and have been participating every year.

Down syndrome is medically known as Trisomy 21. Trisomy 21 is for the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have.

There are 31 days in the month of Oct.

The blog challenge is to blog for 31 days for (T)21. Blog every day in the month of Oct in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

This year Tricia is stepping down from hosting 31 for 21 and asked me if I would like to continue what has become a tradition for hundreds of bloggers with 31 for 21 and host it.

I told her of course I would be honored to continue what she started and keep the ball rolling with this awareness campaign!

Please join in with the blog challenge of posting every day for the month of Oct.

You do NOT have to blog about Down syndrome every day. Just post once a day about anything. But at least mention once that you're participating to raise awareness for Down syndrome.

You do NOT have to be the parent of a child with Down syndrome to participate!

The more bloggers outside of the Down syndrome community who participate, the more awareness we can raise. Please consider participating! Please don't feel that if you're not a parent to someone with Down syndrome you wouldn't know what to blog about. Just blog about what you want to blog about ... you'll be raising awareness when you link back to this post for information regarding what 31 for 21 is all about.

Participating is easy!

1. Grab the button
2. Sign Mr Linky so other bloggers can see who else is participating
3. Blog every day in Oct
4. Mention on your blog why you're blogging for 31 for 21
5. If you tweet about it use hashtag #31for21 to spread the awareness

Please share and spread the word!

I think I have the button issue fixed (crossing fingers!) - sorry about that! Please let me know if there are still problems getting the button to display properly on your blog.

Grab This Button

Here are a couple other ideas and opportunities to raise awareness during National Down Syndrome Awareness Month:

The National Down Syndrome Society has a wonderful Blogger Guide put together about the NDSS initiatives and other great ideas about raising awareness throughout the month of October.

Join the DS Awareness Weekend Blog Hop. This hop will run every weekend in Oct. You don't have to blog anything new during those weekends. If you're participating in 31 for 21 you pick a favorite post from that week and link it up; if you're not doing 31 for 21 you pick any favorite post to share. There are optional prompt ideas listed if want to blog something new on those weekends.

  post signature

123 comments:

Tricia said...

Looks great! Thanks, Michelle! So excited you are willing to take this on. xoxox

ckbrylliant said...

Thanks for posting this reminder!

Deborah said...

Thanks for hosting!

Stephanie said...

ha! I was just thinking it's almost that time again! Thanks for hosting this year and continuing this tradition for us!

Laura said...

So excited to be a part again this year! I'll be posting about this next week! Thanks for taking this on! Hope your family is doing well.

Michelle Z said...

Looking forward to another year of 31 for 21! :) Thanks for hosting!

Kristin said...

Hope I can keep up - it gets harder every year ;)

Mariska said...

Thanks for hosting! Our second year participating :)

Julie said...

Thanks! Looking forward to this :)

Unknown said...

I am excited to participate!

Education: Exploring Online Learning said...

We'll see how this goes with work!

Liz said...

Glad I saw this because I do enjoy participating. Thanks for hosting.

Carrie said...

Love being a part of this community! I have faith that I'll manage a post every day... though they may be short ones!

Alaina and Kyle said...

So glad you are keeping this going. After having my son 3 years ago this is the place where I met so many other families going through exactly what we were. Thank you!

Sabrina Steyling said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sabrina Steyling said...

Hi Michelle! I just started following your blog! I'm a freelance writer and blogger, and I'm always looking for a great reason to get my creativity going, so I'm looking forward to the 31 for 21 Challenge!

Leah said...

Exciting to be participating for the second year!

starrlife said...

Ooohhh, so glad it's going to happen! Thanks Tricia and Michelle!

Lisa said...

Very excited to be included - this will be a huge challange for me since I'm lucky to get out two posts a week after chasing around a 6 yrs old and 3 yrs old! But to raise awareness for my Cate, I'd do anything!

Laura said...

I didn't take part last year but I'm ready this year!

Jaida said...

I'm in!

Becca said...

I wasn't planning on it this year, but I've been socking away post ideas!! Let's give it a whirl!

Kristi said...

Hope I can keep up this year...thanks for hosting it this year..last year was my first year doing it...

Kristi said...

I cant get the actual button on my blog..it only says grab this button instead..any ideas why???

Good Goats said...

Joining! This will be my 3rd year in a row!

Haley's Mom said...

I have been away from my blog for awhile and this is a great reason to push myself. 31 for 21!

Hanunyah said...

I'm joining for the 3rd time in a row! My blog has been quite, but this gives me a reason to post everyday.

Eco Erin said...

First time mom and first time blogger, lets see how it goes :)

Qadoshyah said...

Looking forward to this ... 3rd year in a row for me :).

Kim Fish said...

What is a blog about drones doing in the 31 for 21 blog challenge? Because of freedom. Freedom for us. Freedom for our blessings with Down syndrome.

Arael Young said...

Very excited to do 31 for 21 this year! I am very thankful God has given me a friend with Down Syndrome. He is a ball of fun.

Nan said...

Help! I can't seem to get the button up as a widget (I'm so backwards here) and when I go to sign in, it won't let me ... it won't accept my blog url and says it has to start with some $%& something. Do I have to go get something to do this/ Help! thanks NAN at www.dsbutterfly.blogspot.com

Tiffany said...

So excited to see you continuing the tradition!! :) Thank you!!! My 3rd year!!

Jill said...

Thanks so much for doing this! Looking forward to the challenge!

AZ Chapman said...

Not sure if I will be able to do it every day but we will see

AZ Chapman said...

Not sure if I will be able to do it every day but we will see

Nan said...

Yikes! Okay. Nan IS Widening Circle. So I figured out how to list myself, but now I am listed 2X !!!!! Is there anyway to take off the first one? (i.e., the Nan one?) OM goodness.

goldenleaves said...

Okay, I think I'm going to do it!

DandG said...

My first ever 31 for 21! Didn't even start my blog until May, but I am so excited to participate. Will be in my local Buddy Walk next Sunday!

Unknown said...

This is my first time participating, as I just started my blog in August. I'm very excited to try this and I look forward to finding some new blogs to read too! Happy Ds Awareness Month to everyone!

Tonya said...

Thank you for the link up! Love it! and I have longed loved "Bid Blueberry Eyes" blog!
Thanks again!

Unknown said...

I also cannot seem to get the button to work so I can post on my blog. It keeps telling me the URL is broken. Can anyone help me out?? Thanks!

DandG said...

Oops, I made the same mistake as Nan.... Where it says "Your name" it should probably say "Blog name". Could you please change "Galit" to "Matir Asurim"?

Thanks!

Kristin said...

I have a suggestion - maybe other's wouldn't like it, BUT, I would LOVE to have the state you live in listed after your blog link on the linky list, if possible! I love reading blogs from all over, but would love to connect especially with those in my state :) Maybe for next year????

Leah Spring said...

This is my 6th year participating!

Maura said...

My first time for 31 for 21! Thanks for hosting!

Psychojenic said...

So happy to be amongst such prestigious company! I look forward to reading some great blogging this month!

lovemy3 said...

Looks awesome! Thanks for setting it all up!

Kelley said...

Thanks for hosting! Here we go!

Heather said...

Gonna give this a try. Thanks for hosting!

Unknown said...

This is awesome - what a powerful way to create awareness! Thanks for reminding us all.

Emily said...

My first year as a 31 for 21 blogger. Thanks!

Tonya said...

...decided to link up my little one's nature blog too!

thanks again for the link up!

Jaime said...

This will be my first year. I'm also having issues with grabbing the button. I tried using the html in the box, but it isn't displaying the image. Any suggestions from anyone on how to get it to work?

Cate said...

I'm in!
I saw someone commented about putting states/locations. Maybe we could make a map? I've seen this ZeeMaps thing used elsewhere, people can pin their own location Want me to set one up? Or you set it up? I think you have a lot more traffic than I do. http://www.zeemaps.com/

Mary said...

Looking foroward to this years challenge. Hopefully I can make it happen this year.

Sarah said...

I'm also having button troubles... it says Grab this button, but isn't displaying the image. Please help! :)

Looking forward to doing this again! Thanks for hosting! :)
Sarah
www.matthew18vs14.blogspot.com

Deanna said...

Excited to participate another year!

Gillian Marchenko said...

Excited! Thanks :).

My Little Wonders said...

Thanks for hosting! I just linked my blog too, but having button trouble.

Robin said...

Excited to participate,this is my first!

Patti said...

I don't see Mr. Linky? help ! I'm a little slow...

Debra Forand said...

I just posted on my Blog! Thanks for doing this again. Hopefully I can keep up this year. www.voicesfordownsyndrome.com

I was not sure what or where Mr. Linky is?

Leslie said...

Thanks for hosting this. Looking forward to participating and seeing what everyone has to share!

Susan Carson said...

I'm in. Thanks for hosting and thanks to all the bloggers out there for participating!

lovemy3 said...

Button works! Thanks!!!

Erin said...

I'll be posting a photo a day. A snap of Lucas's life and a small caption. That's all I can commit to these days!

Shepherds Ministries said...

Thank you for this opportunity to participate. We're looking forward to the challenge!

Anna said...

thank you for hosting! Not sure if I am up to the challenge but I will do my best!

Jenn said...

Thank you for hosting!

Anna said...

oops! I linked up with the wrong URL. It didnt have just my homepage but a link I did a few weeks ago! Let me know if/how we want to fix it. SO sorry.

Kristen said...

Hey Michelle! I was trying to sign up, but was getting an error message! So, my blog addy is www.faulknerfam.blogspot.com. ~Kristen

Kristen said...

Hey Michelle! I was trying to sign up, but was getting an error message! So, my blog addy is www.faulknerfam.blogspot.com. ~Kristen

Anonymous said...

Alright, ready for another year.. Looking forward to seeing all the beautiful faces and reading all the wonderful stories we as parents have to tell :)

Unknown said...

Hello everyone....!!
New to this AND the blog thing. My daughter Michelle just celebrated her 24th birthday.....;)

Kathy said...

Thanks for hosting this, and I hope I make it posting every day! I post about a lot of different things, because having a daughter with Down syndrome is just one of many facets of my life. First time participating for me!

evrfwd said...

Thanks for hosting. Looking forward to reading lots of great post.

Momma2Bean said...

I'm in for 31 for 21! It's the kick in the pants I needed to get blogging again. Thanks :)

Unknown said...

I was going to do this even though I didn't think it was being organized. Thanks for taking on the hostessing duties!

eliz said...

So excited to have time to do this this year!! Thanks for hosting! (((HUGS)))

Unknown said...

Very cool. New to bloging, but this should be an interesting challenge.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the invite and for hosting this year. I love the challenge of writing each day and always raising awareness.

Medr1e said...

Thank you very much for hosting this great initiative. This is my first time participating and I'll try to keep up!

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting - I'm in!

Megan said...

Excited to be sharing some updates on Gwyneth this month!

Elicia said...

My son was just born in June, this is our first year participating! Thanks for hosting.

Mary Ellen said...

Excited to be participating for the third year running!
Mary Ellen

Elsha said...

Count me in! This will be my first time participating, Daniel (our 3rd) was born in March, so we're relatively new to the world of Down syndrome.

Andrea said...

Hello! Excited to help raise awareness!

Penny's Peeps said...

excited to join in again!

Karrie said...

Excited to join in again this year!!

SuSu said...

Excited to join the challenge again this year. As the grandmother of two Down Syndrome children it is a honor to participate. Thanks for hosting.

Brandee said...

Thanks for hosting! I'm in!

Kaleigh said...

Thanks so much for hosting this! I was so excited when I found out about it today, and I can't wait to blog and read everyone elses blogs!

Kaleigh

Chriss said...

Thanks for hosting! Can't wait to read a lot of other blogs!

khepworth said...

First timer here! Looking forward to reading these great blogs!

TishaRie said...

New to blogging but was planning on lots of "awareness" posts this October anyway. Thanks for allowing me to participate in this great endeavor! Happy October!!!

krlr said...

No. 133!! Go me! Way to get in there early!

(kidding. thanks again for hosting!)

JC said...

Excited to be a part of 31 for 21 again, thanks for hosting!

Kim said...

Yea! I'm in!

Damien Kurrin said...

I was delighted to find your blog. My daughter also has Trisomy 21 Down's, and is autistic. And, believe it or not, her name is also Kayla. She's 28 years old now, and doing great!

Unknown said...

It's my first time to participate! I am a little overwhelmed at the thought of posting everyday, but I want the challenge.

Anonymous said...

Another year and another opportunity to tell the world about our awesome kids! Mine are a teenager and 2 young adults.

Amy said...

All linked up!

Unknown said...

Hey there! Thanks for organizing this awesome event. I messed up when sharing my link - can you tell me how to fix "The Reese Report" connection? Thanks!

The Happy Half Dozen said...

Gonna be a great month!

Lisa said...

Jumping in! Ahhhh!

Unknown said...

yes

Unknown said...

Thanks for the invite! A day late but I am in :)

Briana said...

This is my first year participating - so excited to be a part of it!

Krista said...

I'm in...but have no idea how to "grab a button." Anyone able to help, particularly if you are using google blogger/blogspot.com?

Shauna said...

I'm in again! But I accidently put my name instead of the blog name...fearfully and wonderfully made.

Avivah @ Oceans of Joy said...

I'm the lucky mom of a 3 month old boy with T21 so this is my first year participating! What a privilege to be part of this group.

(Sorry for double entry up above, accidentally hit 'enter' prematurely - I'd love it if you can delete the first one!)

Cindy said...

A couple days late, but I'm in!! Thanks!

Nichole Fisher said...

I'm a few days late but I'm in!

Evelyn said...

I am in, a little late, but that's okay.

My blog is not a blog where I post about my daughter, sometimes I do, but most of the times I don't, because it is a health blog.

I will publish a weekly post about Down Syndrome this Month. I have grabbed the button and I am in.

Thanks for hosting!

Evelyn Parham

Beth said...

We're late but happy to be a part of this. :)

Beth

Adelle said...

Hey! It's my first time doing this challenge, and I'm participating in honour of my baby girl with Down syndrome who is on her way!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for promoting 31 for 21. I did my best to do this again this year, but only managed a few posts.

Deepa said...

It's going to be my first time challenge. happy to be a part of this..

Happy Soul Project said...

My first year too!!!

The E Clan said...

How do I get on the Mister Linky's list? I have an account but no clue how to go from there. Let me know, thanks! :)

Rose said...

How do I get on the Mister Linky's 31 for 21 list? I have an account but no clue where to go from there! :)