By By Jane Kaufman,Stephanie Zollshan — The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

DALTON — When he was just 18 months old, George Wallace moved to Berkshire County with his family.

Now 18 years old, Wallace is in his senior year of high school at Monument Mountain High School where he’s a percussionist in the school’s marching band. He’s considering college options with an eye to technical work, possibly backstage in a theater or video production.

He also has Down syndrome, the genetic condition related to being born with an extra chromosome.

On Saturday, George’s Buddies, a team of 10 family members and friends, walked with him as part of the 2025 Buddy Walk of the Berkshires, organized by Berkshire County Arc. They were one of 40 teams and more than 600 people at the event.

Down syndrome is the most common chromosome-related condition in the United States. An estimated 6,000 babies are born with the condition in the U.S. every year, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

At the event, people hugged, hung out and supported one another over enjoy lunch, dances and raffles.

While the walk raised money for BCArc’s programming for families who have a person with Down syndrome, that was not the main focus, organizers said. Instead, it aimed to create visibility and awareness.

“This is the best day of the year in my opinion,” said Christine Ferrari, Down syndrome family group adviser at BCArc. “Mother Nature has blessed us with sunshine. And this whole town comes together.”

Dalton Police were on hand to monitor the walk, as were firefighters bringing up the rear and at Craneville Elementary School, cooking hot dogs for a post-walk lunch. Students from Wahconah Regional High School coordinated parking. Ozzie’s Steak & Eggs of Hinsdale brought a food truck.

Nicole Negri, manager of evaluation and placement services at BCArc, helps people with disabilities find jobs as they finish high school.

“We’re helping hundreds,” Negri said. “We’re in all the high schools in Berkshire County. We’re teaching resume writing classes. We’re bringing them out into the community and doing informational interviews where they meet with the employees.”

Negri said BCArc used to offer paid internships but due to a loss of state funding, those are not available now.

“So now we’re going out on our own and recreating our program,” she said.

State Sen. Paul Mark, who has advocated for people with disabilities at the state level, spoke at the opening ceremony.

“It becomes more and more important than ever that as a state we’re there to make sure that we’re keeping agencies and organizations like this and municipalities and school districts as close to fully funded as we can,” he told The Eagle, adding, “making sure that community support is encouraged and that we’re pulling together to weather what might be a three- to five-year storm of unreliable partners at the federal level.”

Aaron Robb, assistant superintendent of the Central Berkshire Regional School District, read the litany of teams, noting several that have been involved in this event for all 19 years. People cheered and applauded as each team name was read.

“Big shout out to Charlie’s Angels,” he said. “Another original team let’s hear it for Christine’s Friends. All the way down from Williamstown Cole’s Crew.”

Team names included Elijah Sole Mates, the Love of Bubba, Hayden’s Heroes, Helen’s Hot Shots and The Peach Corps.

Gail Robinson of Pittsfield was cheering for every team. She’d been hugging friends since her arrival and danced when a DJ played music.

This was George Wallace’s 18th Buddy Walk. His mother, Sue Wallace, said she was grateful for BCArc’s services.

“Honestly, without Christine Ferrari, I don’t know what we would have done,” she said. “We moved here when George was 18 months and got in touch with BCArc and they’ve led the way for us. They’ve given us support at schools, at IEP (individualized education plan) meetings and just providing the social contact with other families with kids with Down syndrome.”

Through her journey raising her son, she said she has not felt isolated.

“We’ve had such a strong community around us, we’ve been very fortunate, and just people around us,” she said. “Even today, he’s seen so many people that he’s known forever in his world. So it’s really cool. And events like this remind you how cool it is.”

As George Wallace enters his senior year of high school, he’s got a one-on-one aide to help navigate, advocate and assist with curriculum planning. And he looks ahead, BCArc is advising the family on what programs are available in the area and which he might benefit from.

Who’s the most important person in his life right now?

“My mom, honestly,” he said. “Because when I was little, she raised me.”