Who we are
The Down Syndrome Victoria is a Foundation that came into existence in the year 1978. It was formed to provide various kinds of assistance and support to each and every child who has the Down syndrome, their carers or parents and the entire communities within which they live. This entails the provision of information, material, emotional and financial assistance to these groups of people who are in one way or the other affected by the Down syndrome.
What is the mission of the Down Syndrome Victoria Foundation?
The mission of the Foundation is to see to the empowering of each and every Victorian child suffering from the Down syndrome so that they will have the opportunity to live a well fulfilled life.
What is the aim of the Foundation?
To help with making the lives of children suffering from the Down syndrome as meaningful and enjoyable as each and every child deserves.
How you can help the Foundation
The Down Syndrome Victoria Foundation seeks for the support of the entire community in order to reach a lot of children suffering from the Down syndrome and as such has created a lot of avenues for them to also participate. These ways include;
Becoming a member of the Foundation
The community members are given the opportunity to fill membership forms which allows them to be involved in all things that goes into the running of the affairs of the Foundation. When an individual becomes a member of the Foundation, he or she stands to enjoy some benefits that go with being a member. To be able to enjoy these benefits, one has to also pay some monthly dues that each and every member is expected to pay. These membership dues are then used in supporting children who have the Down syndrome and to become a member can be done through the following ways;
- Telephone registration
- Email registration
- Mail registration
- Online registration
An individual can therefore use any of these ways to register and become a recognised member of the Down Syndrome Victoria Foundation.
Fundraising for the Foundation
This is another way through which the community members can also contribute to the work that the Foundation has been doing. It involves the organising of a number of events that are aimed at helping to raise funds for supporting each and every child who is suffering from the Down syndrome and their families. The Foundation has made available a lot of events which the can be used by these interested individuals in their bid to provide financial support needed to assist these children.
Donating to the Foundation
This is the avenue that has been created to allow people to also give their might to what the Foundation does. Donating to the Foundation can be done in a number of ways which include;
- Donations that are done on the internet/online
- Picking of a donation form
- Making of a donation over the telephone
- Donating into the bank account of the Foundation
This means that an individual has a number of ways through which he or she can also donate to the Foundation and it allows the individual to always settle on the one that suit him or her.
Volunteering for the Foundation
An individual can also opt for this way of getting involved with the Foundation if he or she solely wants to help without being given any form of pay in return. People who volunteer for the Foundation provide essential human resources that are needed in carrying out a lot of the supportive services that are provided to children suffering from the Down syndrome.
Shopping online
This is an avenue which allows the public to buy from certain online stores that support the Foundation. When such purchases are made, the online store gives a percentage of the amount to support the services that the Foundation has been rendering to patients of the Down syndrome.
Become a corporate partner of the Foundation
The Down Syndrome Victoria Foundation also gives corporate organisations the chance to go into partnership with them. The main aim of this partnership is to help each of the two parties involved to be able to achieve its organisational goals and objectives.
In going with any of these ways, an individual or a corporate body can also get involved with the Foundation and the crucial supportive services that it provides for children who have the Down syndrome.
What services are these funds used to provide?
The Foundation uses the funds that are realised from the various ways above to provide the following services;
- Early stage diagnosis
- Services for little children with the Down syndrome
- Information services
- Services for family members of children with the Down syndrome
- The provision of medical and other essential services that are given to the child to ensure that his or her educational needs are adequately met by the Foundation
These are the services that the support from government and the general public are used to provide to these children, their families and the community as a whole.
