Cody Binger, a first grade student at Leggee Elementary School, will appear in New York City on Saturday, September 17, as part of the annual National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) Times Square Video presentation. The one-hour video of roughly 500 photographs includes children, teens, and adults with Down syndrome from all 50 states. These collective images promote the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome in a very visible way.
The photo of Cody was selected from more than 2,400 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos. Cody is pictured in a bright blue shirt with his big, contagious smile in his photo. Cody’s mom Nancy started a blog and Facebook page a few weeks before he was born called Growing with Cody to help tell the other side of the story about Down syndrome. Cody has over 1,000 followers learning more about Down syndrome and following both his and his mom’s growth as they journey through life with Down syndrome.
“So many moms of children with Down syndrome have gone before me to blaze a trail of opportunities for our kids that did not exist before. I am forever grateful for them,” said Nancy Binger, Cody’s mom.
“Because of this I have committed myself to advocating in any way possible to make sure the other side of the story of Down syndrome is told and the perspective of Down syndrome continues to improve. The work that the NDSS has done is so impressive. They are a valuable resource for families while also advocating and educating the public and government agencies about Down syndrome. I follow the work they do and when I saw the request for photos I submitted one for Cody and am thrilled that he was chosen!” said Mrs. Binger.
Cody’s photo will be shown on two JumboTron screens in the heart of Times Square, thanks to the support of ClearChannel Outdoor. The two screens are located above Dos Caminos restaurant in Father Duffy Square. The presentation will be live streamed on the NDSS Facebook page from 9:30-10:30am ET on September 17. Cody will be on the video between 9:30-9:30 am ET.
At Leggee, Cody’s favorite subjects are reading, phonics and P.E. His favorite part of the day is when the class talks about the day of the week, the date and the weather each morning.
