sudbury girl to be featured in times square video presentation
5 minute read
jenna mackin with her daughter moana, 5.
john lappa
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sudbury star
when five-year-old moana mackin and her family stand in times square in new york city on sept. 12, parents jenna and gerald will be sure to record video on two separate devices.
one camera will capture moana’s photo as the sudbury youngster is featured on the giant jumbotron screens as part of the national down syndrome society’s annual video presentation, while the other will wait for her delighted reaction when she sees her own face.
“she loves pictures, she loves to look at herself, and she goes to her aunt’s house and scrolls through one of those electronic picture frames, and she always asks us to take pictures of her,” jenna told the sudbury star. “she’s like, let me see, let me see — so i can just envision her face when she sees herself up there, the look that’s going to be on her face.
“she will know that’s her and she will be stoked.”
moana’s photo was one of some 500 to be chosen from around 2,700 applications for the hour-long presentation, which her proud mom called “a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
“we have the hotel booked and the time off work is booked, so we’ll do a little road trip,” jenna mackin said. “i think it’s something we need to be there for in person.”
jenna is thrilled to know her daughter, who is named after the titular wayfinder in the hit disney film and has developed a similarly strong independent streak, will soon have the chance to represent her hometown, her country and the down syndrome association of sudbury, in which she is an active member.
“she’s really coming into her own,” jenna said. “she’s loving, she’s kind and she’s happy. i know there’s this stereotype about individuals with down syndrome being happy all the time, but she definitely has her moments, because she wants to be very independent. she’s starting to challenge things more, wanting to be like i can do this myself, so we sit and let her work through things. she’s very smart, and she’s very good at problem-solving, and everywhere she goes, she’s happy, and she’s kind to people, really compassionate.
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“she’s a great kid to be around, and she makes mothering very easy. it has been a very good experience so far with her.”
set to run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. et, the times square presentation is part of ndss’s efforts to increase visibility and representation for people with down syndrome — something about which the mackins feel very strongly. they’re active in the dsas, where jenna serves as director of social events, and they take part every year in the sudbury walk for down syndrome awareness, a gathering to celebrate and promote inclusion in the community. this year’s walk is scheduled to be held at lockerby composite secondary school on oct. 4.
members of the sudbury association sent a delegation to the world down syndrome congress in geneva this year and plan to travel to buenos aires for the 2027 edition.
“everybody has a right to be included in things, whether that’s in our community, whether that’s in education or whether that’s in the workforce, looking forward to her future,” jenna said. “i don’t want her to be left out of anything. i think it makes us better as humans to have diverse representation everywhere we go, and i would hate the thought of having my child alone in this world. community is very important to me and people are very important to me, so that’s why it’s so important to me that we’re involved in the down syndrome association of sudbury.
“i want her to have a community and i want her to be involved. i don’t want her to have a life of loneliness, and also, i don’t want people to set expectations on my child because she has this label of having down syndrome. i don’t want labels to be placed on her, what she can or cannot do, because she can do so much. she’s in a regular classroom, she has an ea who supports her to thrive. she’s just like anybody else — she has her strengths and she has things she needs to work on.”
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having applied for the video presentation in previous years, jenna could scarcely contain her excitement when she learned moana’s photo had finally been chosen.
“they post on their social media every year to submit the applications, so i sent in an application, her picture, who she is, and why it matters to our family,” jenna recalled. “they said in the email they received 2,700 photos and she was one of close to 500 that were chosen. i was super excited that this was the year.
“we’re a very active community and every time an opportunity presents itself to one of our members, we’re so excited. it brings recognition to sudbury. there are many people in sudbury who have down syndrome and we are out there and we are doing things.”
it’s the mackins’ goal, and that of their fellow association members, family members and friends, to ensure people with down syndrome are “seen as individuals — with their own personalities, interests, abilities, goals and accomplishments.”
“opportunities like this support efforts to change perceptions and help people understand that people with down syndrome belong in every part of community life,” jenna said. “they should have opportunities to participate, contribute, dream big, and be recognized for everything they bring to the world.”
she believes anyone who gets the chance to meet moana or any other individual with down syndrome will come to understand a frequently used saying in their community: more alike than different.
“she has such a presence and she’s also unique,” jenna said.
“i want people, if they have an opportunity to meet someone with down syndrome, to take that opportunity and you’ll see they’re more alike than different.
“we’re just so blessed to have her.”
for more about the national down syndrome society and the times square presentation, visit ndss.org.
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