Bishop England senior embodies the spirit of Daniel Island Buddy Walk, celebrating Down syndrome on Oct. 18

Maybelle Biffle-Piepmeier has plans. 

The Bishop England High School senior wants to go to college, study meteorology, intern at a TV station, become a weather reporter, live on her own, and someday come home to two golden retrievers and a cat. 

First, though, she has a state championship to chase. 

Biffle-Piepmeier swims the 50- and 100-yard freestyle for Bishop England, whose swim team has won three straight state championships. She also runs four events in track, belongs to several clubs, serves as a lector and altar server, and has developed a particular interest in forensic science. 

“I really love to learn about crime,” she said. 

On Sunday, Oct. 18, Biffle-Piepmeier will add another activity to that list when she heads to Etiwan Park for something she has done for as long as she can remember: the Lowcountry Buddy Walk. 

From noon to 4 p.m., the park will be filled with music, dancing, jump castles, face painting, arts and crafts, and lunch from the Knights of Columbus. The Dave Landeo Band and Mount Pleasant Unified Sports’ Team Swagger return this year, while the GiGi’s Playhouse Charleston dance team joins the lineup for the first time. 

Then, at 3 p.m., the crowd will walk together through the Daniel Island neighborhood in celebration of people with Down syndrome. 

Biffle-Piepmeier already knows where she’ll be. 

“I am super excited to dance and go to the jump castles,” she said. “This year would be the best if we raised money for more grants.” 

Those grants are one reason the Buddy Walk matters well beyond its four hours in the park. 

The annual event is the major fundraiser for the Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry, an all-volunteer nonprofit that connects with more than 350 families across Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties. 

Last year’s walk raised about $58,000. This year, DSAL has set a much bigger target: $100,000.  

The organization hopes to grow its grant program while creating more opportunities for teenagers and adults with Down syndrome as the people it serves get older. Grants can help families cover opportunities and services that insurance might not, from adaptive bikes and music therapy to swim lessons, college scholarships, and emergency assistanceduring difficult hospital stays. 

Biffle-Piepmeier knows firsthand what those dollars can do. 

She has received DSAL grants for Camp Spearhead and a personal trainer who taught her how to lift weights safely. Going away to camp without her parents, she said, has also helped prepare her for the independence she wants after graduation. 

“The Buddy Walk helps people with Down syndrome be leaders,” Biffle-Piepmeier said. “I want to be a leader.” 

Where inclusion leaves the classroom 

At Bishop England, Biffle-Piepmeier is one of 15 students in the school’s Options program, which provides an inclusive high school experience for students with intellectual disabilities. Four students in the program have Down syndrome. 

Biffle-Piepmeier takes general education courses alongside other students, including world history, biology, economics, theology, Spanish, and U.S. government. She makes Quizlets, studies for tests, joins clubs and teams, and spends weekends at dances, parties, and football games with friends she has met throughout the school. 

“I have different people in all my classes so I can make lots of friends,” she said. “Some of my friends have disabilities and some do not.” 

Options Department Chair Kristen Common said those relationships are not manufactured by the program. They grow out of students sharing classrooms, clubs, practices, and the everyday routines of high school. 

“The friendships that are developed between our options students and their neurotypical peers is the highlight of my job,” Common said. “This happens naturally as our students are welcomed and included in general education classes, clubs and school events. These friendships are reciprocal and are a testament to the school culture at Bishop England.” 

Those friendships will be hard to miss at Etiwan Park. 

This year, 120 Bishop England students and teachers signed up to participate in the Buddy Walk, and the school will donate $1,500 to DSAL. Students from Hanahan, Wando, Lucy Beckham, Academic Magnet, and other area high schools have also participated in the event. 

For Tucker, watching teenagers spend a Sunday walking, volunteering, cheering, and dancing alongside their friends is one of the clearest examples of what the day is meant to accomplish. 

“It means a lot to our families to see teenagers choose to spend their Sunday celebrating people with Down syndrome,” Tucker said. “They bring so much energy to the day, whether they’re volunteering, cheering along the route, or walking with their friends. It’s a chance for those friendships and that support to extend beyond school and into the wider community.” 

Biffle-Piepmeier puts it more simply. “It makes me feel awesome.” 

What life with Down syndrome can look like 

For some families, the Buddy Walk is a tradition. For others, it is their first introduction to a community they did not know they would need. 

Tucker, whose son Logan has Down syndrome, thinks especially about parents arriving after a recent diagnosis and trying to imagine what their child’s future will hold. 

“When you’ve recently received a diagnosis, it can be hard to picture what life will look like as your child gets older,” Tucker said. “Then you come to the Buddy Walk and see older kids and adults with Down syndrome dancing, getting their faces painted, jumping in the jump castles, and having the best time with people who love them. That can bring so much hope.” 

They also meet parents who have asked the same questions, navigate similar challenges, and understand the significance of milestones that others might overlook. 

“When your child works incredibly hard to do something others might take for granted, you have a whole group of people who understand what that accomplishment means and are ready to cheer with you,” Tucker said. 

That community is increasingly thinking beyond childhood. DSAL wants to expand programming for teens and adults, while Bishop England’s Options staff works with students and families as graduation approaches, helping them explore higher-education life programs and employment. 

Biffle-Piepmeier is already thinking several steps ahead. She wants meteorology classes. She wants that TV station internship. And she wants people to understand that those ambitions are not remarkable simply because she has Down syndrome. 

“I want people to know that if you have Down syndrome, life is good,” Biffle-Piepmeier said. “You can play basketball. You can swim on the swim team. You can run on the track team. You can altar serve and lector which means reading the Bible in front of the whole church. You can take forensic science. You can get a job. You can go to college. You can live on your own.” 

The Buddy Walk celebrates those possibilities while acknowledging the barriers that remain. Biffle-Piepmeier points to limited college options and difficulty finding employment as examples of why advocacy and inclusion still matter. 

She also has an answer for anyone who sees Down syndrome before the person. 

“Some people think Down syndrome is bad,” Biffle-Piepmeier said. “They are wrong. I am very awesome.” 

On a Sunday on Oct. 18, she’ll have plenty of company ready to agree. 

Those who want to join Maybelle at the Oct. 18 Buddy Walk can register, donate, or find volunteer opportunities through the Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry at dsalowcountry.org. 

Lowcountry Buddy Walk 2026