October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and Socks for Galway have been preparing for fundraising. Knitters around Galway have been making tiny, colorful socks all year around so they can give them away to be pinned to coats, jumpers, hats...anything. Wearing crazy odd socks as a representation of support for Down Syndrome Community is a worldwide initiative that usually happens on March 21 - World Down Syndrome Day.
Being unable to hand their little socks back in March, they got our sleeves rolled up and packed them individually so they can be safely posted to anyone. They are asking people to wear these little odd socks for the month of October.
The idea behind knitted socks is that every sock is handmade by someone not too far from Galway (with a few exceptions ) and it is a fun way of showing your support and acceptance of difference in all of us.
Ruta Graham a parent of Adam, a child with Down Syndrome said she is deeply moved by the number of socks that were knitted.
“It started with 50 pairs in 2019 when my mum sent a bag of tiny different coloured socks from Lithuania. They had a campaign running over there and handing the socks to people on the streets.
“I wasn’t sure what to do with them at first. We handed them out on March 21 in 2019 and it was so much fun. We received a very positive feedback so I decided to put a message on social media to see if I could get a few knitters around Galway and take pressure of my mum knitting for the whole of Galway. Little did I know I would end up with over 2000 pairs for 2020,” she said last evening.
If you would like to be part of this fun initiative you can get your pair of socks at HICKEYS, Eyre Square Shopping Center, contact [email protected] or on Facebook @lotsofsocksgalway
If you are wearing your pair - please share pictures with #lotsofsocks2020 If you decide to donate - you can do it online through: www.idonate.ie/SocksforGalway, cash donations can be left in HICKEYS, Eyre Square Shopping Center.
The funds raised go to Voices for Galway, Down Syndrome Galway- charity that provides Speech and Language therapy for children and young adults with Down Syndrome.
