This year we are supporting two local charities, Down Syndrome Ireland Waterford and South Kilkenny branch and the WLR Christmas appeal in aid of St. Vincent de Paul, Waterford. 2021 continues to be an incredibly difficult year, but they both continue to provide amazing support and services year on year.
Even when people are determined to help and really make a change in their community, we recognise that funding can be an issue. So, as a team we like to support the local community and chose these two charities due to personal connections.
“For Q1 Scientific, supporting the community in which we live and work is very important to us. We recognise that operating in the not-for-profit sector has never been more challenging with unprecedented conditions and escalating needs. We might still be socially distancing this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come together in our support. By supporting these two charities we hope to make a positive difference to the lives of others.”
Stephen Delaney, CEO at Q1 Scientific
Down Syndrome Ireland, Waterford and South Kilkenny branch
Down Syndrome Ireland (DSI) is a National Charity with 26 Branches all over the country. The Waterford and South Kilkenny Branch currently provides support to over 170 members and their families in the local area. This local branch is run by a voluntary committee of parents of children and adults with Down Syndrome.
They work to help people with Down Syndrome reach their full potential by providing information and support to them, their families, carers and professionals. To achieve this aim, DSI have a three-pronged approach: activities for members, Family Support Network and raising awareness of Down Syndrome among professionals and the public.
Why is the work of DSI so important?
The aim of the Waterford and South Kilkenny branch is to maximise the potential of all their members. They provide support to members and their families in three main areas:
- Therapies
- Education
- Life Enhancement
The Therapies provided by DSI include a Speech and Language service and an Occupational Therapy service. In the area of Education they provide literacy, work skills, Lamh sign language, Numicon, computer courses, potting and planting courses and a personal development course. For Life Enhancement, DSI provides activities including swimming, therapeutic horse riding, keep fit, bowling, social outings, counselling services and music classes.
Access to frequent, good quality, consistent, best-practice Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) is crucial for people with Down Syndrome to enable communication with their family, peers and the world. Access to public SLT services is irregular, limited in time and the quality of the service can vary widely due to frequent staff changes. Therefore, the service delivered by DSI is so important and gives members the chance to have regular, affordable, high quality SLT with a therapist with whom they have built up a relationship.
Everything they do is focused on improving the outcomes for all members and helping to achieve their maximum potential.
Why we chose to support DSI this year
Talking about why we chose to support DSI Waterford and South Kilkenny Branch, Fiona O’Riordan says:
“Down Syndrome Ireland, Waterford and South Kilkenny branch do trojan work for people with Down syndrome locally. Our little girl Tara is 7 and has Down Syndrome. Over the years we have received so much support in terms of therapies which have benefited Tara hugely. She is currently accessing speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and therapeutic horse riding, via support from our local branch. This is just a small selection of the services available. The branch relies heavily on fundraising with events running throughout the year.”
Fiona O’Riordan, Assistant Accountant at Q1 Scientific
WLR FM Christmas appeal in aid of St. Vincent de Paul, Waterford
So many families in Waterford have suffered terribly over the last year due to the pandemic and we hope our donation can provide much needed support this Christmas. As part of our support for the WLR FM Christmas appeal in aid of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) Waterford, we have donated to the appeal in addition to sponsoring a hotel stay in The Heritage Hotel and Spa, Laois for a live prize draw event. The prize draw event and bootcamp activities run by local man, Mark White helped to raise over €15,000 for SVP, Waterford.
Money raised will go directly to the SVP in Waterford so they can continue to help the people of Waterford City and County. The services provided not only include financial assistance for food and bills, but also support for people in making a better life for themselves and their families.
Supporting Down Syndrome Ireland and St. Vincent de Paul
There are many ways that you or your business can support Down Syndrome Ireland and SVP. Both have various options to volunteer, donate or fundraise with your colleagues and friends.
To find out how you can get involved, please contact Down Syndrome Ireland or St. Vincent de Paul.