Somerset — Lucas Gadberry is a familiar face at Kroger North. The grocery bagger enjoys his job and the friends he’s made while carrying out his duties, and he’s vocal about his loves: Frozen pizza, Pulaski County Maroon sports and, perhaps most importantly, the television show “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

But there’s another characteristic of Lucas that catches one’s eye. The 21-year-old part-time worker also has Down syndrome, a disorder considered to be one of the most commonly occurring genetic birth defects.

But that doesn’t slow him down, according to his parents, Jerry and Pauletta, who say Lucas has friends everywhere he goes.

“We’ll be out ... and people always say hi,” Pauletta said.

The vast majority of those with Down syndrome have three copies of the 21st chromosome, as opposed to the two copies others have. That excess genetic material leads to a variety of symptoms that can differ in their severity.

Physical attributes include an upward slant to the eyes, decreased muscle tone, a flattened facial profile and small hands and feet, among others. Those with Down syndrome also develop cognitively at a slower pace than others.

Lucas began working one day a week at Kroger while in school as part of a special program meant to introduce students with special needs into the workplace. After Lucas finished high school and graduated last year, they were asked if Lucas would like to work part-time with the company permanently.

The answer was an easy yes for Lucas, who stays busy with the Special Olympics and with his adult education classes, which he takes one day a week.

“We just want to say how thankful we are for the program and the people here for giving him (Lucas) an opportunity,” Pauletta said.

To Ruth Ann Burton, a teacher at Pulaski Elementary School who has a seven-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, giving those with Down syndrome the opportunity to grow and develop — and contribute to the community through a job or volunteering — is immensely important.

“They have the same needs, feelings, hopes, dreams and goals that other people do,” Burton said. “We as a community have to offer them those chances.

“They can’t become better people if we don’t give them those opportunities,” she added.

And those with Down syndrome are being offered those chances more now than ever before. But Ruth Ann said more awareness is needed.

That’s why March 21 has been declared World Down Syndrome Day, or WDSD, named so because 3-21 stands for the triplication, or trisomy, of the 21st chromosome. The campaign began in 2006 “ ... to promote awareness and understanding of Down syndrome and related issues and to mobilize support and recognition of the dignity, rights and well being of persons with Down syndrome,” according to the WDSD official Web site.

Ruth Ann, Pauletta and Jerry are part of a tight-knit group of parents and family members living with and raising persons with Down syndrome. Pauletta, who works at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, has even been called to talk with parents of newborns with Down syndrome to better prepare them for what’s in store.

But a large majority of those in the area still don’t really know about Down syndrome, its causes, symptoms and other related issues.

“After they’re born, you realize they’re more alike other children than different,” Ruth Ann said.

Ruth Ann and her husband discovered their fourth child, Olivia, had Down syndrome while Ruth Ann was still pregnant. Suspicions arose when it was discovered that Olivia suffered from congenital heart defects — a common issue in those with Down syndrome.

The family didn’t find out officially that Olivia had Down syndrome until just a week before Olivia’s early birth, but Ruth Ann said her instincts had told her long before that Olivia would be a little different than her siblings.

But, like Lucas, Olivia isn’t slowed down by her limitations.

“We expect the same things from her as we do the other children,” Ruth Ann said.

Olivia has made friends easily in school, and Ruth Ann said she spends much of the day in first-grade classes with her friends, and for a certain amount of time, an instructor works one-on-one with her to help her develop her letter and word recognition skills and number recognition skills.

“It’s neat to sometimes get a peak in her world to see how she’s doing,” said Ruth Ann, who gets to watch her daughter develop every day since she attends Pulaski Elementary.

And Olivia — an avid swimmer — is just as active at home, where Ruth Ann said she loves to read words to her family and act out scenes from television shows and movies.

“They (Olivia’s siblings) just accept her for who she is,” Ruth Ann said. “They have a normal sibling relationship.

“They fuss and love on her, and probably give in to her more than usual.” Ruth Ann added.

Pauletta and Jerry said Lucas — who loves to camp, fish and mow the yard — has a close relationship with his 17-year-old sister, who they say recently got her license. Lucas’ sister often takes him “everywhere she goes” around town, according to Pauletta and Jerry.

And Lucas considers his coworkers to be just as important to him as his family and friends.

“They treat him just like family,” Pauletta said, and Jerry agreed.

“The managers and employees here are just wonderful,” he said.

Ruth Ann, Pauletta and Jerry all agree that raising a child with Down syndrome has its unique issues, but they emphasized that a strong support system and a mostly tolerant community has made it easier.

“For every one (intolerant person) you run across, you’ll find a thousand more who are accepting,” Pauletta said.

Ruth Ann said Olivia’s peers aren’t phased by her differences because they’ve grown and developed alongside her since kindergarten.

“It’s not a mystery because they grow up with her,” she said. “They just accept her.”

And Ruth Ann wants Olivia to experience the things and situations that all developing children should experience.

“I want her to be just as normal as ay other child,” Ruth Ann said.

The family is looking forward to checking into registering Olivia with the Special Olympics when she’s older, and Ruth Ann said she expects to make strides to ensure Olivia can live as independently as possible when she’s older.

“The possibilities are almost limitless anymore,” she said.

That includes allowing Olivia to take on a part-time job — as Lucas is doing — or volunteering position.

“It just depends on how she matures and gains knowledge as she gets older,” Ruth Ann said.

While public perception has come a long way in the last several decades toward acceptance, there’s still room for more growth in that area, Ruth Ann said.

“Be more aware that we do have people with Down syndrome, and that they are capable of many things,” Ruth Ann said. “We have to give them the opportunity ... to be a part of the community.”

Pauletta and Jerry agreed, saying that Lucas simply needs the opportunity to show that his loving personality and unique attributes add up to more advantages than he has disadvantages.

“He’s just got to have the chance,” Pauletta said.

Ruth Ann said she’s been asked before whether she would do it all over again if it meant Olivia would be born without Down syndrome.

The answer, emphatically, is no.

“If I changed it, she wouldn’t be Olivia,” Ruth Ann said. “She wouldn’t be who she is if she didn’t have Down syndrome.”