DOWN SYNDROME CENTRE CORK WINS COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD

 

The Down Syndrome Centre Cork has been awarded the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Award for May. The Community Spirit Awards recognise outstanding contributions or special achievement made to the community by volunteer groups or individuals.

The Down Syndrome Centre is based in Forge Hill and was presented with the award for its provision of vital services to the community including early intervention programmes, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and parent and baby classes for young children with Down syndrome and their families. Approximately 110 babies are born with Down syndrome in Ireland every year and the centre provides important resources for families in Cork.

The  Centre also provides family resources including events for siblings of children with down syndrome and networking events for parents so that families can connect with like-minded people and avail of a supportive community. All services and resources provided rely entirely on fundraising. In June, more than 300 people ran and walked 21km from Haulbowline to Pairc Úi Chaoimh to raise funds for the charity. Down syndrome occurs when there is an extra copy of chromosome 21 which is why the half marathon distance was chosen.

General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Eoghan Murphy said, “The Down Syndrome Centre Cork is an incredible charity that was set up by a group of parents. They have created a home-from-home atmosphere where families feel relaxed and the children can thrive. It is so important to have a welcoming community where families can share their experiences and support each other. The charity also provides invaluable early intervention programmes with growing numbers of families needing  these services. However, the centre relies entirely on donations and fundraising to be able to do so. The fact that it is so successful is a testament to the centre, the families and their supporters and their fundraising efforts over the last eight years. They are very worthy winners of this Community Spirit Award.” 

Among the services provided by the Down Syndrome Centre Cork is the Special Kids Intervention Programme (SKIP) for children aged 0 to 5 years old. It’s play-based and targets all areas of a child’s development including speech and language, fine motor skills and social skills. It aims to prepare a child with Down syndrome to go to mainstream school at the end of the programme.

The Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards are sponsored by The Carrigdhoun Newspaper and Gerald McCarthy Giftware. The judging panel for the Community Spirit Awards are made up of a mixture of representatives from the public and private sector within the community.

 

The judging panel for this award was:

• Carmel Lonergan Group Director of Operations, Trigon Hotels
• Nicola Radley Senior Executive Officer, Municipal District Operations & Rural Development at Cork County Council
• Aisling Killilea Bank of Ireland Manager Carrigaline and Douglas
• Vincent O’Donovan Carrigdhoun