Matt Dillon and John C. McGinley to Attend Denver Fashion Show Fundraiser

Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award-nominee Matt Dillon and actor John C. McGinley will walk the runway with models with Down syndrome at the Be Beautiful Be Yourself fashion show on Nov. 12 in Denver. The Global Down Syndrome Foundation also announced Frank Stephens, a distinguished advocate for the differently-abled community, as the 2016 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient. They join previously announced co-hosts Mario Lopez and Kim Christiansen, Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning, and model Amanda Booth.

"Matt and John are amazing role models who believe deeply in fighting for equality and celebrating diversity. We are so pleased they will be at our event sending our message to the world - that people with Down syndrome are more alike than different," said Global Down Syndrome Foundation President and CEO Michelle Sie Whitten. "Global is also proud to announce that Frank Stephens, an upcoming TV and film star, is our 2016 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient for making a profoundly positive impact on our world."

Dillon, who has a nephew with Down syndrome, has long carried a notable and charitable track record having previously been involved in supporting programs that provide resources to children facing medical challenges. McGinley, a Global board member and international spokesperson, received the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award in 2011 for his dedication to fighting discrimination.

As an active spokesperson for Global and a member of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Virginia, Stephens has traveled throughout North America and Europe promoting the inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities. In addition to having been praised by President Obama for his writing work on pain, exclusion and respect, Stephens was named one of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's "Most Extraordinary Ordinary People" of 2012.

The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show is the single largest fundraiser benefitting people with Down syndrome in the world selling out each year with 1,200 guests and raising over $2 million. The event culminates in a fashion show featuring models with Down syndrome clothed by REVOLVE. Proceeds from the event benefit Global's life-saving and life-changing medical care and scientific research at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus and the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children's Hospital Colorado.

About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public nonprofit dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. Global supports two affiliates which together constitute the only academic home in the United States committed solely to research and medical care for people with Down syndrome - the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Sie Center for Down Syndrome. Global also publishes Down Syndrome World, a national award-winning quarterly magazine. For more information, visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org. Follow Global Down Syndrome Foundation on Facebook & Twitter @GDSFoundation.

About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome

The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first medical and research institute with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Children's Hospital Colorado. Headquartered on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children's Hospital Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer's Disease Center. It partners both locally and globally to provide life-changing research and medical care for individuals with Down syndrome. The Crnic Institute is made possible by the generous support of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, and relies on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for fundraising, education, awareness, and government advocacy. It is a research and medical-based organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.

About Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition, affecting one out of every 691 live births in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The average lifespan is 60 years. Down syndrome is caused by the genetic condition known as trisomy 21, whereby a person is born with three copies of chromosome 21. The presence of an extra copy of the chromosome affects human development in many ways, protecting people with Down syndrome from developing some diseases, such as most tumors, while predisposing them to others, such as autoimmune disorders and Alzheimer's disease. The reasons for this different 'disease spectrum' in the population with Down syndrome are unknown. Elucidating the molecular basis of this phenomenon could advance our understanding of many diseases affecting the typical population.

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