Dance-a-thon at school raises over €6,000 for sensory pod

A ST Dominic’s National School pupil put his best foot forward when he held a lively dance-a thon in the grounds of the school last week and raised over €6,000 for a sensory pod, reports Aideen O’Flaherty.

Jayden Stephens, 13, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD when he was younger and he wanted to give the school a gift before he started secondary school, as a way to thank them.

The idea for the sensory pod was sparked when Jayden visited Old Bawn Community School and saw their sensory pod and remarked to his mam, Katherine, how great it would be if Dominic’s had one.

“Jayden saw the sensory pad in Old Bawn Community School, and said it would be so cool if they could have one of them in Dominic’s,” said Katherine.

“He said he wanted to get one for the school to say thank you to them.”

Jayden, who is a passionate dancer, then set about thinking of ways to fundraise for the pod and decided on a dance-a-thon.

He danced to ‘Give Me Everything’ by Afrojack, Ne-Yo, and Pitbull and was supported by his teammates in Thomas Davis GAA Club, and his dance school Got2 Dance Stage School.

Jayden fundraised over several months by bringing his dance moves and encouraging donations, and it culminated in a schoolwide dance-a-thon last Wednesday, June 26.

He also got to officially open the pod alongside school caretaker Josh White, as the two get on well and Jayden had helped him with painting and decorating the pod.

“Jayden graduated on Tuesday night from sixth class,” said Katherine.

“The principal said he’d like to invite the class back for the dance-a-thon the next day.

“Almost the whole class showed up to support Jayden and it was amazing. And the pod was put in and it’s such an amazing piece of machinery.

“It’s unbelievable the amount of kids who will benefit from it.”

The fundraising target for the pod was €5,000, and since Jayden’s fundraising exceeded this, he was able to purchase even more sensory equipment for the school.

The additional items include a sensory squeeze machine, sensory mirrors and two sensory tents.

When asked how Jayden feels after his fundraising bonanza, Katherine said: “He’s just hyped up, he feels like he’s a superstar.

“It’s been a whirlwind, and it’s given us the biggest sense of when a community gets together what can be achieved.

“It’s incredible the difference that one idea from a child has had on the whole school.

“He’s such an incredible child, he always thinks of others and has so much empathy.”