The Global Down Syndrome Foundation organized the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Jet Set Fashion Show to raise money for the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the Anschultz Medical campus over the weekend.

With the help of the John and Anna Sie Foundation, researchers and doctors at the University of Colorado and The Children's Hospital are working to eradicate the ill effects associated with Down syndrome and significantly improve the lives of people with it, by expanding their abilities and allowing them to reach their full potential.

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation reports Down syndrome is the most frequent chromosomal disorder in the United States accounting for 1 in 733 live births. There are over 400,000 people in the US and millions worldwide with the condition. Despite the frequency it is the least funded genetic condition by the National Institutes of Health. In 2008 Down syndrome accounted for just 0.0006 of its $28 billion budget. Michelle Sie Whitten is the executive director of the foundation.

The inspiration for the establishment of the Linda Crnic Institute is Sophia Kay Whitten, the granddaughter of Anna and John J. Sie, who has Down syndrome.

For more information, go to http://www.uchsc.edu/som/crnic or www.coloradojetset.com.