I hope you are all enjoying the summer weather and wow what a summer it has been. Summer camps are underway and ‘Get set for school’ camps coming up soon. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our new little SKIP graduates a smooth transition into their new schools and know they will all thrive in their new environments and add so much to their class and their peers around them.

You will see a few changes occurring over the next few months with the addition of new staff both in the clinical departments and administration. We are delighted to announce that we are introducing not one but two new Speech & Language therapists into the centre commencing 8th October, we would like to thank you for your patience in the absence of services but we wanted to ensure we had the right candidates to join our team and provide the professional services you have become accustomed to.

We were delighted with the coverage we received over the last week with our 21 Faces campaign and would like to thank Dunnes Stores for providing us such a vast platform to promote the cause, Dublin bus, IPA and RRD for their support and of course Conor Healy for the wonderful images of the children, capturing as always those special individual personalities.

Quite a few events coming us so do keep posted to both the website and facebook pages for further updates and hope you will be able to join us at one of the events along the way.

In the meantime continue to enjoy the sun and have a wonderful summer.

If any parent wishes to enrol their child for the new term in SKIP commencing the week starting 11th September please contact Dani Dowling at skip@downsyndromecentre.ie.

There are currently only 4 spaces left throughout all the classes for children around the 2 yrs age bracket.
For more details on term times and the programme go to https://www.downsyndromecentre.ie/our-services/skip/

 

 

As a fast growing centre we are very conscious that we develop our services alongside the children’s growth to ensure that we are meeting all the children’s needs and that they keep the strong connection they developed in early intervention into their pre-teens and teenager years.

To do this we would really like input from parents to discuss what that gap is (if any) and what you would like to see for your children introduced into the centre. This is your centre and this is your opportunity in having an input into how you would like to see it develop.

We are looking at 2 age groups 1. (8 yrs – 12 yrs) and   2. (13- 18 yrs)
If you could register your interest by emailing sharon@downsyndromecentre.ie  with a contact email and the age category that is relevant to you prior to 20th August.

Could we ask you to spread the word amongst other parents you know that may or may not attend the centre but who would be interested to sit and discuss over coffee one evening.

Depending on numbers and interest we would hope to hold these focus groups early September.

Firstly we would like to thank you all for your patience while we have been recruiting a new Speech & Language Therapist.  We are delighted to announce that due to the growing demand for this service we have recruited two new Speech & Language Therapists.  Both of therapists will commence on 8th October.  Further information to follow in the next newsletter.

Our services will be commencing in the Autumn here are the dates for your diaries:

Baby Massage is for 5 weeks commencing on 10th September the cost for the 5 weeks is €50.00

SKIP is recommencing on Tuesday 11th September – apply early for SKIP as these places are limited.  Contact skip@downsyndromecentre.ie for further information.

Triona will be recommencing T21 Tots on Monday 17th September.  For further information email http://t21tots@downsyndromecentre.ie

New Speech & Language Therapists Monday 8th October, for further informatino please email http://info@downsyndromecentre.ie

We have been very busy over the past couple of months with two really big events taking place in June – the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon 2018 and Hell and Back. We had amazing teams representing the Down Syndrome Centre at both events.

VHI Women’s Mini-Marathon

On the June Bank Holiday weekend – 100 women donned Down Syndrome Centre t-shirts and completed the 10km Mini-Marathon for the Centre. It was a scorching hot day and the ladies (and some men!!) did brilliantly raising €20,000 for the services we provide. Our after-party took place in Vinoteca at the Unicorn and it was amazing to see all of the families and friends there to cheer on the finishers.

Hell and Back

A crazy bunch of 120 lads and lassies braved the Hell and Back course in Kilruddery on June 16th. The course was super tough and the crew were phenomenal battling through ice-baths, jumping from piers and more muck then you could ever imagine for 7km. They were unbelievable and they raised an amazing €30,000 for the Centre.

We recently launched year 3 of our 21 Faces campaign which celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of children with Down syndrome, aims to challenge some misconceptions and asks the viewer to look past Down syndrome and see the individual with all their potential.

21 Faces features 21 children that use the services of The Down Syndrome Centre aged between 2 and 11. Over the last year, the children in 21 Faces have continued to amaze and inspire. We’ve had children performing on stage, passing exams, learning to type, winning awards for creative writing, Irish speaking and sports, speaking another language on holidays, modelling in a fashion photoshoot and acing their first year in primary school!

The campaign got fantastic media coverage this year, the highlights included a four page feature in The Irish Times  an interview on The Pat Kenny Show  and an appearance on Ireland AM  plus lots more.

21 Faces is proudly supported by Dunnes Stores who are currently displaying a 21 Faces Photo Exhibition throughout their Cornelscourt Store and Dublin Bus, who are displaying 21 Faces posters in their buses.

You can follow the journeys of these 21 fantastic kids here

 

Join us for our Challenge 21 event on September 16th and become a member of our Challenge 21 team, and help us raise €75,000 for services at the Down Syndrome Centre!

Here's your chance to dust off those runners, get your friends together and enjoy the last bits of summer by joining us for a  21km walk or run from Booterstown to Howth (you can check out the route here).

Don’t worry, we’ll have stops and surprise guests along the way, and of course the end of the show party to celebrate you completing your 21km journey!

Meet us Sunday, September 16th at the Booterstown DART Station to start the fun that will continue all the way to the finish line. The day is sure to be full of laughs, entertainment, and good craic with family and friends. We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to sign up, or more details! For any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Emma at (01) 661 8000 or email: emma@downsyndromecentre.ie

We are delighted to announce that one of Ireland’s best known and loved chefs, Neven Maguire, will be joining us on Wednesday 24th October 2018 to demonstrate a range of easy to prepare home-cooked meals which are bound to suit all tastes.

It will take place in the Pavillion, Leopardstown Race Course from 6:30pm.

There will also be stands with the Simply Better producers to sample some of their many Irish food products.

Neven’s Cookery Demonstrations have become renowned for the learning and fun experienced by those who attend. Whether you are an aspiring home chef, or simply want to do something different with a group of friends, this is a fantastic opportunity to see one of Ireland’s finest and best-loved chefs demonstrate his skills on a live stage.

Tickets are on sale at €25.00 which includes a glass of prosecco on arrival and many more surprises on the night.

Click here to purchase your tickets here 
or phone (01) 661 8000 to place your order or email http://nuala@downsyndromecentre.ie

We have been looking at different avenues to raise funds and have recently introduced collection boxes. If you would be interested in supporting us we have two varieties on offer.

1. Small cardboard box for personal or home use.- perhaps you could take a few and hand out to family members, colleagues or neighbours.

2. Larger hard plastic container for retail or office use - You may possibly have connections with a retailer in your local area or a business that would be interested in taking one.

If you could contact roy@downsyndromecentre.ie he will arrange to leave one at reception for you, post it out or deliver it to a retailer or business on your behalf.
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We are currently updating and creating a new look for our website and as part of that process we are putting a call out to parents and families to send in personal blogs about their experience of having a child with Down syndrome in their family. The blog can be about anything at all – some themes that we have had in the past are how the child is getting on, milestones reached and challenges faced, transitions to Montessori, primary school and secondary school, joining clubs and having hobbies, other people’s perceptions about Down syndrome.

We also ask families to send photos along with their blog. The photos and blog will be uploaded onto our website and will promoted on our social media platforms. If you are interested in submitting a blog for our website, we would be delighted to hear from you - please contact Lorraine at lorraine@downsyndromecentre.ie