Rocklin girl with Down syndrome to be featured on Times Square Jumbotron
ROCKLIN – A Placer County fourth grader is getting ready to go to New York this weekend to see herself lit up in the bright lights of the big city.
Grace Garcia wants to be in the spotlight when she grows up – and she's getting her first big break on Broadway this weekend, appearing on the Jumbotron in New York City's Times Square.
"I want to be an actress and a famous singer," Grace said. "It's really cool and I like being on TV."
The ten-year-old Rocklin girl was born with Down syndrome, and her picture is going to be featured on the big screen as part of an awareness campaign for the disease.
"I want them to look at my daughter and hopefully have hope to see a little girl that can do pretty much everything that everyone else can do," said Amy Garcia, Grace's mom.
Her family is flying back to the Big Apple to see her debut firsthand.
"It's going to be amazing," Grace said.
She's one of 500 people being shown during the Saturday morning event as part of the kickoff for the National Down Syndrome Society's annual "Buddy Walk."
"Times Square is such an iconic place, and having our community up on the screens is just a wonderful way to raise awareness," said Kandi Pickard, CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society.
There's been a lot of progress made with Down syndrome in just the last few decades.
"We're seeing folks included in sports teams, we're seeing folks go to college, we're seeing folks employed in their local communities doing jobs," Pickard said.
And medical advancements continue to climb.
"If you look back in the mid-80s, people with Down's syndrome, people with Down's syndrome were living into their mid-20s. Now people are living into their 60s and 70s," Pickard said.
Though Grace's time on the big screen may be brief, it just may be the start of a bright future.
"I want them to know that people can do anything even when things are hard, you just keep doing it," Grace said.
The presentation will be live-streamed on the NDSS Facebook page from 9:30-10:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 9.