The Misericordia University cheerleading and men's lacrosse teams participated in the Fourth Annual Luzerne County Down Syndrome Network Buddy Walk, September 13.

Patrick Cleary, an employee in the MU athletics department, has served as the official starter at the Buddy Walk and Scott Crispell, MU's assistant athletic director for media/community relations is the president of the Luzerne County Down Syndrome Network.

The Buddy Walk was created by the National Down Syndrome Society to promote awareness, acceptance and inclusion for individuals with Down Syndrome.

The local walk attracted more than 1,000 participants and helped raise funds for educational and social programming.