Geena Davis Headlines Denver's 2026 Down Syndrome Fashion Show

Geena Davis is lending her star power to one of the biggest nights in disability advocacy. The Academy Award-winning actor and longtime inclusion advocate has joined the celebrity lineup for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's 2026 Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, a November 7 gala at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel that the foundation calls the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world, according to an announcement released September 29.

The newly announced guests also include Emmy-winning journalist Maria Menounos and Kennedy Garcia, the actor who made history as the first person with Down syndrome to hold a recurring role on American daytime television. Both will receive the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, named for the late music legend and longtime supporter of the cause. The evening marks the 19th edition of the fundraiser, which draws more than 1,400 guests each year for dinner, live auctions and a runway show where models with Down syndrome take center stage.

Why Geena Davis fits the night

Geena Davis has spent more than two decades pressing Hollywood to tell fuller stories about who appears on screen. In 2004 she founded the Geena Davis Institute, a research organization that measures representation in media and works directly with studios and creators to close the gaps. What began as a focus on gender has widened to include people with disabilities and other communities long left out of the picture, a mission the foundation says aligns closely with a runway event built around models with Down syndrome.

Her involvement gives the evening more than celebrity gloss. Whitten said Davis, Menounos and Garcia "truly believe in GLOBAL's work to increase lifespan and dramatically improve health outcomes," adding that the foundation depends on the celebrities who show up every year.

The honorees: from daytime TV to the morning shows

Menounos brings one of the most decorated careers in television journalism to the stage. She became the youngest host of Entertainment Tonight, conducted the only sit-down interview with the Obama family and founded AfterBuzz TV, the streaming network that popularized digital TV after-shows. A longtime supporter of Special Olympics and Best Buddies, she now hosts the Noovie cinema pre-show, guest-hosts Live with Kelly and Mark and hosts the daily podcast Heal Squad, a project inspired by her own survival of brain tumor surgery.

Garcia, meanwhile, represents the generation the night celebrates. Discovered by American Girl as the brand's first model with Down syndrome, she has since appeared in campaigns for Disney, Instagram and McDonald's, including the company's 2023 Super Bowl spot, and her acting credits include 9-1-1, Sesame Street and the award-winning short film Brownies. Since 2024 she has played Felicity Greene on Days of Our Lives. She serves as an ambassador for Best Buddies International and the Breaking the Chains Foundation and has spoken at more than 100 schools and colleges about inclusion, friendship and authentic disability representation.

They join a returning cast of supporters that includes six-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor, NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, actor John C. McGinley and several Grey's Anatomy cast members, plus 2026 GLOBAL Ambassador Letizia Napoleone. Denver's 9NEWS anchors Kim Christiansen and Phil Lipof return as co-emcees for the evening.

The stakes: ten more birthdays

Whitten framed the night in personal terms. She called the show "joyful, glamorous" and "magical," but stressed that it raises life-saving funds behind a historic ten-year increase in life expectancy for people with Down syndrome. She said that, as a parent, nothing matters more to her than "10 more birthdays," and that the work is unfinished, with another decade of progress still needed and healthier years the goal.

The research engine behind that progress is the INCLUDE Project at the National Institutes of Health, launched in 2018 after years of bipartisan advocacy. When the foundation was created, annual federal funding for Down syndrome research stood at just 14 million dollars a year; the advocacy push has since helped drive more than 528 million dollars in research investment over eight years, supporting a team of more than 400 scientists. Medical teams affiliated with the foundation now provide care to over 2,700 patients from 40 states, Puerto Rico and 10 countries.

This year's event lands at a pivotal political moment. The foundation is leading the bipartisan DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, named for its late ambassador, the sister of supporter Jamie Foxx. The bill must pass by the end of 2026 and would formally authorize the NIH research program, giving the scientific effort a permanent statutory footing.

For readers, the takeaway is concrete: proceeds from the fashion show support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center, alongside clinical care for thousands of families. Tables and tickets for the November 7 evening are available through the event's official site, where the foundation also shares updates on its social channels. For Geena Davis, the night is another stage for a cause she has championed for twenty years: making sure everyone gets seen. More on stars using their platforms: the site's Celebrity coverage, including Netflix's trailer for its Matthew Perry documentary.