About Us

Our Story

UP21 began when a group of moms attended a conference on educating children with Down syndrome in Atlanta in 2010. After the conference we all agreed that the information we learned was extremely beneficial in educating our children. We were determined to bring the conference to St Tammany which was the impetus in forming UP21. Our 5-year goal was to raise $50,000 (the cost of the conference). Surprisingly, we were able to host the Downs Ed International Conference in 2012, in Covington, within 1 ½ years of UP21’s inception. Over 300 attendees were present for a 2-day conference with the majority of those being St. Tammany parish educators. We’ve since hosted well renowned experts who have spoken on important topics pertaining to Down syndrome to parents, educators, physicians and other professionals.