We were proud to celebrate the Red Sox’s Down Syndrome Awareness Day at Fenway Park on August 3rd where MDSC was honored to receive the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society’s Ability Transcends Challenges (ATC) Award for MDSC’s Your Next Star Employment Center, which helps people with Down syndrome pursue meaningful careers. Special thanks to PBATS for this amazing recognition and to our friends at the National Down Syndrome Society for nominating the MDSC for this award!
The Red Sox’s Vice President of Sports Medicine, Brad Pearson, presented the award on behalf of PBATS to MDSC’s Director of Communications Josh Komyerov, and three incredible MDSC self-advocates who participated in the program and started their own businesses:
- Mike Avakian, specializing in acrylics, paints everything from greeting cards to full-sized canvasses, with a special passion for landscapes. Michael’s paintings can be found throughout offices of the MA Statehouse.
- Tucker Collins is a freelance photographer specializing in showing everyday things from a unique perspective. He is an official photographer for the WooSox.
- Kayla Snover uses her own inscrutable technique to craft unique, precise artwork defined by vibrant grids of color. Kayla’s canvas is often recycled Tyvek, but her final designs have been printed on merchandise from backpacks to coffee mugs. Her Etsy shop maintains a 5-star rating.
Their products and more can be found on MDSC’s Your Next Star Employment Center shop at yournextstar.com/shop.
Across 20 Major League Baseball cities, PBATS is honoring champions of disability employment with their 2nd annual ATC awards for businesses that showcase and value the positive impact of people with disabilities in the workplace. Read more about the award at https://pbats.com/atc-awards-2025/