About Us - Our Mission
A message from the Founder:
At the beginning of 2002, I sat down to make some goals which would have long range benefits for my own family and for the over 8,000 other families of people in Ireland who have Down syndrome.
In my own case, having two children with Down syndrome, I had become painfully aware of just how inadequate government services were in providing for the future of my kids. Children with this disability have difficulty in learning many of the simple tasks which so many of us take for granted such as feeding, walking and talking and the help is just not there.
And when I asked around, I discovered that it was not just my own children’s developmental needs that were suffering. Parents countrywide had the same concerns and complaints. What could we do about it?
From this frustration sprung the establishment of the Down Syndrome Centre - a charity that would fundraise for the delivery of a centre where the progress of people with Down syndrome could be monitored, from birth, by dedicated, medical and educational professionals. Nothing like this exists in this country.
My goal is to raise €5 million to build Ireland’s first Down Syndrome Centre - a home for developmental excellence in all matters relating to the care and treatment of people with Down syndrome. Since 2002 we have been working steadily to raise funds and to begin the liaison processes which I hope will deliver us the perfect site, close to amenities, community and transport links.
By creating a dedicated centre of this kind in Ireland we hope to:
With your support, I hope we can establish a world class centre here in Ireland that can provide for a better future for Irish people with this disability.
But we need your help. If you are interested, the first thing you can do to help is subscribe to the site and make sure to indicate your support for the project www.downsyndromecentre.ie/register/ .
Through the website, we hope to begin to offer our subscribers a quality information service that in the short term will be followed by the establishment of the first Down Syndrome Centre.
Thanks for looking in!
Peter Gaw
In my own case, having two children with Down syndrome, I had become painfully aware of just how inadequate government services were in providing for the future of my kids. Children with this disability have difficulty in learning many of the simple tasks which so many of us take for granted such as feeding, walking and talking and the help is just not there.
And when I asked around, I discovered that it was not just my own children’s developmental needs that were suffering. Parents countrywide had the same concerns and complaints. What could we do about it?
From this frustration sprung the establishment of the Down Syndrome Centre - a charity that would fundraise for the delivery of a centre where the progress of people with Down syndrome could be monitored, from birth, by dedicated, medical and educational professionals. Nothing like this exists in this country.
My goal is to raise €5 million to build Ireland’s first Down Syndrome Centre - a home for developmental excellence in all matters relating to the care and treatment of people with Down syndrome. Since 2002 we have been working steadily to raise funds and to begin the liaison processes which I hope will deliver us the perfect site, close to amenities, community and transport links.
By creating a dedicated centre of this kind in Ireland we hope to:
- Generate a greater degree of professional expertise in the care and management of Down syndrome in this country.
- Provide a permanent home for the headquarters of Down Syndrome Centre.
- Create a family focused service which embraces the needs of the whole family unit and not just those of the person in the family with Down syndrome.
- Establish a "homeplace" of help, support and advice for the child and family throughout their lifetime.
- To offer a first and last port of call to many parents, who are battling with the frustration of not having access to an adequate level of service in Ireland.
With your support, I hope we can establish a world class centre here in Ireland that can provide for a better future for Irish people with this disability.
But we need your help. If you are interested, the first thing you can do to help is subscribe to the site and make sure to indicate your support for the project www.downsyndromecentre.ie/register/ .
Through the website, we hope to begin to offer our subscribers a quality information service that in the short term will be followed by the establishment of the first Down Syndrome Centre.
Thanks for looking in!
Peter Gaw
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