Connect with us
Klimbing up for Down Syndrome coffee morning recently held in Barretts Pub in Glin Klimbing up for Down Syndrome coffee morning recently held in Barretts Pub in Glin

News

Limerick woman to climb Kilimanjaro in aid of Kildare Down Syndrome Ireland for her little cousin

Published

9 months ago

on

Limerick woman, Enya McIntyre set to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in new Down Syndrome centre fundraiser for little cousin. Above: Enya pictured with her little cousin Aoife on a warm summer’s day in Ballybunion.

Limerick woman, Enya McIntyre set to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in aid of new Down Syndrome centre for little cousin

Limerick woman, Enya McIntyre set to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in new Down Syndrome centre fundraiser for little cousin
Limerick woman, Enya McIntyre set to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in new Down Syndrome centre fundraiser for little cousin. Photo: Klimbing up for Down Syndrome coffee morning recently held in Barretts Pub in Glin

Limerick woman, Enya McIntyre is set to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in aid of Kildare Down Syndrome Ireland (KDSI) and their quest to build a “forever home”.

The decision to raise funds for KDSI came about when Enya learned of the lack of a resource centre for Down Syndrome services in Kildare and what this means for her younger cousin, Aoife who attends their services.

“I was shocked to learn, in a place as big as Kildare there is no community centre specifically for those with Down Syndrome to meet and host services and events,” says Enya.


advertisement



advertisement



advertisement


Originally, from Glin Co. Limerick, Enya’s Uncle Maurice, and his family are based in Naas and have been availing of KDSI and their services since Aoife’s early years.

These services include early development groups, speech and language therapy, dance classes, adult classes and more.

Presently, the voluntary-lead organisation is run across several local halls and event spaces and relies on whatever time slots are free leaving way for a lot of instability.

“Most of the volunteers are parents. They’re working full-time jobs, caring for their children and then managing this organisation and trying to raise funds, all at the same time. It’s a massive undertaking, I don’t know how they do it,” admits Enya.

The group are campaigning for what they are calling “a forever home”.

This purpose-built facility will remove the middleman, giving KDSI a stable address to run all their current facilities while making some new additions, including cookery classes.

“I paid a visit to a KDSI dance class and saw firsthand the amazing community they have created and the dedication of these parents involved. I can imagine what a positive impact a permanent building will have for my cousin and the group at large”, says Enya.

If you would like more information or to donate click here.
Read more charity news here.

Related Topics:

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.