This change really allowed us to gear the social activities better for the different ages and also allowed us to take in more kids off the waiting list. We always have children waiting to get into the group though, which just shows the need for such services and how much families and children like the service. I mostly work with the children’s group, which is about 15 children aged 4-12 who have a wide range of disabilities.
Once a month on a Sunday afternoon, we meet for a social activity with the kids from 2pm-6pm. Sometimes we stay in the CASA house in Swords all day, other times we might go out such as to the zoo or bowling. It’s all about having fun. I look forward to it all month. One of my all-time favourite things is the bouncy castle, which we always have. Jumping on the bouncy castle with a dozen children is great, and definitely the best form of stress relief from assignments and exams!
Each volunteer is matched one-on-one with a child, and is matched with a different child every month. It makes for lots of fun as each child is so unique. One month, I might find myself being taught a Hannah Montana dance by a child, and the next, I’d be out playing a game of badminton with a different child, and the next month, I’d be doing arts and crafts with yet another child.
