Alexis Ewing shakes hands as she makes her way around the Fairview Park pavilion during the the Macon County Strides for Down Syndrome Buddy Walk with family and other Down syndrome families.
Right before 150 people began their run/walk, the crowd heartily cheered Peggy Conaway as she and her sister, Phyllis Romine, led the parade of people with Down syndrome who walked through the Fairview Park pavilion.
Conaway, 61, who works at Macon Resources Inc., bowls regularly and formerly performed in Special Olympics gymnastics events, is one of the best known people in town.
“Everyone knows Peggy,” said her mother, Fritz. “People have always been good to her.”
The Conaway family brought a contingent of about 25 people Saturday to the Macon County Strides for Down Syndrome Buddy Walk, an event designed to raise awareness of the condition and raise funds to help affected families.
Romine was one of the chief sponsors. She sold a playhouse she recently won at a raffle and donated the proceeds to the event.
Romine said there are not many events for Down syndrome people and their families.
“That’s why it’s great Mark and Melinda (Dereak) started this (event),” Romine said.
Peggy Conaway’s family members said that Peggy, the second of six children, has always been treated like everyone else, with regular chores, and penalties for misbehaving. They believe that is why she has been doing so well and has lived so long.
Fritz Conaway said that when she was growing up in Mount Auburn, there was a boy with Down syndrome who was kept inside his home at all times.
“There’s still people like that now,” she said, adding that she believes people do that because they are ashamed of them.
Since Peggy was born, her mother took the opposite approach.
“I’ve never hid her,” Fritz Conaway said. “I’ve always taken her places.”
Although the Saturday event was called “Peanut’s Walk,” after the nickname of 7-month-old Xavier Dereak, the son of the organizers, there was a banner stating that the event was in honor of Peggy.
“She was so excited to see that sign,” her mother said.
Peggy Conaway’s niece, Jami Martin, was the prime coordinator of Team Peggy. She became aware of the event when Mark Dereak, a Wal-Mart manager, brought fliers into the workplace a few months ago. Martin was working at the northside Wal-Mart store at that time.
Martin, Romine’s daughter, said she wanted to get involved right away, because she has been close with Peggy her whole life. Peggy used to stay at their home when Martin was a child, and sometimes she stayed at Peggy’s house.
Romine said it is important that people understand the positive qualities of people with Down syndrome, such as they are happy and smile often.
“Peggy would never say she didn’t like someone,” Martin said. “Even if someone is mean to her.”
“A lot of people don’t recognize them as people,” Romine said, adding that some are increasingly being employed in the community, at stores and restaurants.
The key to success in raising a Down syndrome child is not any different than raising other children.
“More of the kids are being raised in loving homes,” Romine said.
Martin and Romine struggled to find the right words to describe Down syndrome people. They rejected the word “special,” definitely a cliche, but were not happy either with the word “normal.” Martin finally arrived at a fitting description.
“They’re regular people, but they’re nice,” she said.
Acorns to Oaks Centre 