Cork mum raises funds for centre which helps children 'reach their full potential' 

A CORK woman who has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the Down Syndrome Centre on Forge Hill has hailed the centre for its early intervention services.

Katie Desmond, whose five-year-old daughter Freya has Down syndrome, has been involved with the centre since it opened in 2017.

The centre was opened by a group of parents who saw the need for a centre in Cork that would provide services for children with Down syndrome. It does not receive any government funding and relies solely on the generosity of the public and fundraisers.

Ms Desmond has organised a sponsored walk from Haulbowline to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on June 19, where participants are invited to walk 21km with the aim for each participant to raise €21 from 21 people.

Speaking about how the centre has helped her along the journey of raising a child with Down syndrome, she said: “Our daughter Freya is an amazing little girl and we’re incredibly proud of her every day and we want to give her the best start in life and every opportunity to reach her full potential and the centre is a huge part of helping us to achieve that and make that possible.

“It provides early intervention for the children and the therapies that the children need so they heavily subsidise those otherwise they wouldn’t be available to the 120 children who are availing of the services and we’re lucky to have a fantastic team of therapists that work with the children.

“My own daughter goes there for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy and they also have a physiotherapist so they’ve got an amazing team so we really need the funds to be coming in to provide services for the children.”

Ms Desmond said they have also met families who are in the same position as them and have made friends for life, as have her children, which she said is “an important part” of what the centre is all about.

The centre also provides support to expectant parents by connecting them with parents already on that journey, which she found “the best source of information” and said that there is a “great sense of belonging to be involved and to be a part of that community”.

Those who want to take part in the sponsored walk challenge 21 can registerat eventbrite - those who sign up before Mother’s Day on March 27 will be entered into a draw for a weekend away for two.

Those interested in becoming a corporate sponsor or who would like to make a donation to The Down Syndrome Centre Cork can contact lisa@dsccork.ie.