A local group is appealing to women to donate a dress they once loved or never wore to a charity “Buy My Dress” campaign which will raise funds for the national Down Syndrome Centre.
Gently worn, pre-loved items will then be sold at Galway’s largest one day dress sale on Thursday May 20 at the Meyrick Hotel from 10am to 8pm. Admission is €10.
Dresses can be dropped-off at designated collection points - Peter Mark salons, Unislim classes, credit unions, Nestors SuperValu stores, Emily-Jean Designs, 1 Augustine Street, The Huntsman, Lohan’s Bar and Restaurant, Salthill and McCambridge’s of Shop Street.
Local co-ordinator Máirín O’Reilly promises there will be great bargains on the day.
“You just might be lucky to hit on a new or almost new Chanel or Prada little number so it’s well worth coming along. We already have new dresses from boutiques with price tags still attached, which are really attractive. Also, to add to the fun of the day, two fashion stylists Delilah, a fashion stylist, and Georgina Vahey, have kindly offered their services to provide fashion advice to attendees. Everyone who attends will also be entered in a draw for some lovely luxury prizes.”
The Down Syndrome Centre’s Buy My Dress campaign began in 2009 with the charity inviting women to donate a lightly-used dress to help them reach their target of selling 1,000 dresses at the Dublin event. Their efforts resulted in almost 1,500 being collected and sold raising €35,000 which funded the appointment of a specialist Down Syndrome liaison nurse in the Dublin region.
The concept has gone nationwide this year with the charity dress sale taking place in Dublin, Cork and Galway. The local organising committee includes Máirín O’Reilly, Evelyn Cormican, Mary Giblin, Tish Giblin and Tracey Nolan.
Speaking about the services Buy My Dress will fund, Sheila Campbell, the chief executive of the Down Syndrome Centre, says the success of last year’s Dublin event funded Ireland’s first Down Syndrome liaison nurse.
“The first nurse has taken up her post in AMNCH Tallaght and now provides advice, support and guidance to parents of infants with this disability born in Dublin maternity hospitals and afterwards, at home. This provides a hugely valuable service offering new levels of positive, early support to parents whose beautiful new child has Down syndrome. We hope to extend this service to the maternity hospitals in Cork and Galway in the not too distant future.”
Anyone who would like to help out with dress collections or volunteer to assist with this fundraiser should contact Máirín O’Reilly at (087 ) 2407903 or email [email protected] or follow updates on Facebook and twitter.
