By all accounts, Robert Griffin is not your ordinary child.

Robert, who has Down syndrome, is a fourth-grade student in the Life Skills Program at West Penn Elementary.But, before long, Robert, 9, of Hometown, will appear in the bright lights of Broadway as part of the National Down Syndrome Society's annual Times Square video presentation on Sept. 16.The featured photographs highlight children, teens and adults with Down syndrome, reminding the world in a very big way about the contributions and milestones of people with Down syndrome.These collective images promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.Robert is pictured taking time to smell the flowers. The photo of Robert was selected from over 2,000 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos.His mother, Heather, said that while browsing Facebook one night, she saw that the National Down Syndrome Society was having a contest to submit a picture of a person with Down syndrome, and if it was picked, would be displayed on the jumbotron in New York City."I was just really shocked when he was picked," Heather said. "We were very excited to see he was picked."Almost 500 photographs will appear in the video, which will be shown in the heart of Times Square.However, Heather said she and her husband, Adam, won't be making the trip to New York City."Due to other commitments, we will not be able to attend, but will be watching the event online throughout the day, and will also catch it on YouTube," she said.Down syndromeHeather said she and her husband didn't know Robert had Down syndrome until eight days after he was born and they ran an official test."He was having difficulty breathing and couldn't hold his temperature, so he was transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest NICU, where they ran the test," she said. "Even if we did, we wouldn't have changed anything."Heather said Robert has two nurses who go to school with him because of his feeding tube, and the fact he doesn't have the same mobility other children do."He loves all of his teachers, they all love him," she said. "He loves his puppy dog, he loves going to the beach."Heather said Robert is an absolute joy to be around."He's probably the easiest kid ever to walk the earth," she said. "He lights up everybody's day."The couple also has a daughter Ashlee, 11, a fifth-grade student in the Autistic Support classroom at West Penn Elementary.Heather said dealing with two children with totally different disabilities can be quite the challenge."It's not an easy life, and too many people judge," she said. "I just think people need to look past the parents sometimes; we get judged," she said. "Don't be so hard on people."The couple also has another son, Andrew, who will be 14 and is an eighth-grade student at Tamaqua Area Middle School.About the videoThe Times Square video presentation kicks off Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October.The video presentation will be followed by the 23rd Annual Flagship Buddy Walk in New York City.This year, Buddy Walk events will be held in more than 275 cities across the country, as well as select international locations, in and around October with over 325,000 people participating around the globe.For information about the NDSS Buddy Walk Program, visit

www.buddywalk.org or call 800-221-4602.The National Down Syndrome Society is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome.It provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive programming to all individuals with Down syndrome and their families with four main areas of programming that include the National Advocacy & Policy Center, the National Buddy Walk Program, Community Outreach and Resources and Public Awareness.It envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities.For more information visit

www.ndss.org.