This week in the Litter Box

[JCarson 744]

This week Molly the Cat is hosting children who work with the London chapter of the Down’s Syndrome Association. The Down’s Syndrome Association is a nationally recognized organization who is committed to improving the quality of life for people who have Down’s Syndrome, promoting their right to be included on a full and equal basis with others. 

 

The Association has representation across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and works hard to provide a variety of services including rights advocacy, training and support to parents and caregivers of individuals who have Down’s Syndrome, to providing information and training to Professionals such as Doctors, Therapists, and Social Workers. Lastly, they provide numerous support services for individuals living with Down’s Syndrome to allow them to be independent and productive members of their community. 

 

Specifically, this week we were assisting a group of teenagers who love hockey to come out to one of the games that London had and to give them an experience they will never forget. The children ranged from 13 to 18 years of age. Each attendee could bring 3 guests to the game, so we had several parents and siblings in attendance as well. In addition to the normal accommodation, meals and game access, the attendees got to take part in a morning skate and have pre-game dinner with the team in the arena dining room. Each attendee also received a signed game-worn jersey from their favorite player and other memorabilia. Everyone had a wonderful time. 

 

One of the attendees, eighteen-year-old Thomas Russell is an outgoing young adult. His eighteenth birthday was the night of his game. Thomas will be finishing his schooling this year and will be taking a year to travel England with his sister Kayla before he looks to attend university to become a social worker. Thomas would like to work for the Down’s Syndrome Association assisting individuals’ transition to work and independent living. 

 

We had the opportunity to sit with Russell between periods of the game to talk about his experience. 

 

“I want to thank everyone who is involved in bringing all these people to the game. We had so much fun skating with the team, spending the night at the hotel and getting to travel the city. Sitting and having dinner with the team was also neat, getting to see what they ate before the game. I got to sit with Jerome Reinhart; he is so nice and a talented player too. He let me ask him lots of questions and told me some of his secret plays, but I can’t tell you what they are as they are secrets. The game has been exciting so far, we are hoping that London wins, but it is nice to be able to come out and watch from this great box. Thank you for having me here. 

 

As a sports article writer we spend considerable time talking to players, coaches, managers, and team owners about the teams they are associated with. However, over this last year as I have been able to take time to sit with the various children, young fans of the sport, I must admit it has been refreshing to get an unfamiliar perspective.  

 

If you would like to donate to the work that the Down’s Syndrome association is doing or if you would like more information about the services provided, please go to their website at WWW.downs-sndrome.org.uk