The Echo takes on cycle challenge for Social Circle
By Hayden Moore
NOW in its second year, The Echo has announced Social Circle as the chosen charity partner for their 2018 fundraiser.
Social Circle are a parent-led group that are focused on ‘supporting families with autism’.
Member families at Social Circle with staff members of The Echo at the cycle challenge launch on Tuesday
The Echo staff will be raising funds for Social Circle by taking part in a (static bike) cycle challenge over the course of 12 hours, from 9am to 9pm, in The Square Town Centre on November 29.
With a target set of €3,000, The Echo are hoping to raise the figure through bucket-shaking on the day of the event and on their GoFundMe page.
Social Circle is a parent run organisation that was set up in June 2014 with an aim of providing activities for local children that are on the autism spectrum, and their families.
Co-founder of Social Circle, Mairead Mekki said: “We were absolutely thrilled to get the phone call, we couldn’t believe it that you [The Echo] picked little old Social Circle out of all the organisations that there are.”
Promoting inclusion, Mairead said: “Our main thing is to provide activities for children with autism so that they get to experience everything that a child who didn’t have autism would experience.”
“Autism can be a very isolating condition but the worst thing you can do is keep that child at home and not have them experience things.”
Mairead has two children with different degrees of autism, and her along with Laura Hegarty run Social Circle voluntarily.
“With the activities that we run, if we run a Christmas party we will charge €5 to get in a Santa van, rent a hall, and buy all the sweets. There’s always a bit that they pay but not the whole amount, so that’s what our fundraising gets used for,” said Mairead.
The group has more than 120-member families, who engage in a number of weekly activities, such as art, Lego clubs, music therapy, science, football and swimming – with families also enjoying monthly trips and camps.
To donate to Social Circle, support The Echo at the cycle challenge on November 29 or log onto The Echo’s official GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/echo-fundraiser-for-social-circle
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