The 2009 Buddy Walk will take place Saturday at the Champaign County Fairgrounds in Urbana. The Buddy Walk is an annual fundraiser for the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network. The organization's president is SSO secretary/registrar Ellen Lindsey, whose son, Joey, is featured in a promotional billboard.

Most people in the Uni community know of Ellen Lindsey, the registrar in the Student Services Office, but not everyone has met Joey, her son. Joey is an adorable blond 4-year-old who has Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects everything from cognitive skills to physical appearance. But that hasn't stopped Ellen from making sure her son lives as full a life as possible.

Uni's own Ellen Lindsey, mother of Down syndrome son Joey, has been involved in making the public aware of the film's treatment of the disabled. Katherine Allen recently talked with Ellen and disability advocate Jennifer Schrad to learn more about the controversy over "Tropic Thunder."