The Dubai Mall, the flagship mall development of Emaar Malls Group, is marking March with an array of activities that puts the spotlight on the community.

The activities held during the month include exclusive online promotion to celebrate Mother’s Day, a walkathon and associated activities to enhance awareness of Down Syndrome, and the third Bidaya exhibition to showcase Emirati creative talent.

Nasser Rafi, CEO, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The Dubai Mall continuously explores opportunities to engage visitors through activities that are focused on all cross-sections of the community. From the Mother’s Day celebration to our corporate social responsibility commitment to enhance awareness of Down Syndrome, the activities in March will further underline that The Dubai Mall as a family and community-oriented destination.”

The Mother’s Day online promotion, currently ongoing through The Dubai Mall’s Facebook page and Twitter account, is organised in partnership with a number of retailers in the mall.

Through the promotion, ‘Because Moms deserve the best,’ Facebook and Twitter followers of the mall are invited to share their wishes online and get a chance to win an array of attractive prizes including a Grand Prize. The promotion is ongoing until March 19, 2012.

The mall will mark the World Down Syndrome Day in partnership with UAE Down Syndrome Association from March 21 to 23. In its third year of partnership with the Association, it will host a special art exhibition portraying works by people with the disorder.

A series of workshops and knowledge sessions will also be held to further strengthen public awareness about the genetic disorder that causes damage to mental development, a statement said.

The UAE has one of the highest rates of incidence of Down Syndrome at one in every 449 live births compared with the global average of one in 800 to 1,000 newborns, according to a report.

To highlight the concern, the mall will host a World Down Syndrome Day Walkathon open for the public on March 23. A number of dignitaries are expected to attend, the statement said. Several retailers in the mall are stepping forward to support the event.

The third edition of ‘Bidaya,’ an exhibition that highlights Emirati creative talent, will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. – TradeArabia News Service