Galway’s resident tunemeister DJ Flako will spin the best ‘80s dance hits this Friday, June 21, at Monroe’s Live for a fancy dress theme night in aid of children with special needs.
All proceeds from this classic night of old school ‘80s anthems will go to ‘It Takes A Village’, a new initiative founded by five mothers to support and build opportunities for children with disabilities. Proceeds from this fundraising event will go toward costs for families to partake in inclusive and fun summer camps.
“It will be a night of Eighties tunes, colourful outfits and outrageous dance moves,” says It Takes a Village member and well known singer, Barbara Vulso. “Your support will help create summer camps and activities for children with special needs. This is your chance to open the community to those amazing kids.”
‘It Takes A Village’ came to life when a group of five mothers realised they could help other families of children with special needs through new community initiatives.
“The idea started by five mums who decided to take the matter into their own hands to create a space for their kids in the community,” Barbara explains.
“The universe brought us, five mums of different nationality, background and personality, together. The love that we found in each other was so unbelievable that we couldn't keep it for ourselves. That's when we decided that sharing this love is what we were meant to do together.”
As one of the organisers of the ‘Back to the ‘80s’ fundraiser, Barbara highlights the challenges they face, but also the importance of connection and a willingness to develop new opportunities for support and friendship.
“Our life is challenging,” she says. “Our kids are so very special that few people understand what it is like to live this life. It can be a very lonely journey, especially for our kids, who don't have the same opportunities to meet up and make friends like the more typical kids. Like any kids should.”
The group is determined to take the first steps towards empowering parents and children with special needs to build connections.
“We want our kids to be part of our community like anybody else,” she continues.
“They are superheroes and so are we. For our fellow parents, we care, we are your community and we love you. This the first step for our village to be, where our community is going to be built, where a family is going to be built.”
Dust off your ‘80s attire, neon shirts and legwarmers for a night of big hair, shoulder pads and nostalgia at Monroe’s Live with this special ‘Back to the ‘80s’ fundraiser kicking off at 9.30om tomorrow night.
Tickets €10 available through Eventbrite.
