A Musical Tribute to Aine

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Jump 10,000 feet for CAN

Neil Foley is organising a skydive with the proceeds going to C.A.N. Following is an extract from his fundraising page on Facebook.

Hi!!
my son Conor has autism. I'm on the committee for cottage autism network, a charity based here in the south east. so I'm thinking we should raise as much money as possible for a very worthwhile cause. and what better way to raise money than to throw yourself out of a perfectly good, fully functioning airplane!! lol I have a registration form downloaded so anybody interested just get back to me and I'll forward on the form. the more people do it, theoretically, the more money we raise! its a non refundable deposit of €30 to register, and that is deducted from the cost of the skydive.

How Much Do You Need To Fundraise? Choose From 2 Options

Option 1: Fundraise Minimum Target of €500
Reach this minimum fundraising target and you get to participate in either a Tandem Freefall Skydive (10,000ft) or Solo Static Line Parachute Jump (3,500ft). The cost of your Skydive (€250) is deducted and the other €250 plus all additional funds is forwarded to CAN.


Option 2: Fundraise Minimum Target of €600
Reach this minimum fundraising target and you get Option 1 plus you get the DVD & Photos. The cost of your Skydive Package (€350) is deducted and the other €250 plus all additional funds is forwarded to CAN.


You can also donate ALL of the funds raised to CAN and pay for the skydive yourself directly.

Think about it and get back to me?

The more people I get, the more money is raised, and the more people get an experience never to be forgotten. Come on people. please?

If you wish to get involved, please click here to be directed to the Facebook Page. Many thanks

Swindon Male Voice Choir

Swindon Male Voice Choir
in Concert
with special Guests
The Wexford Male Voice Choir
& Glen Tree Trad Group

ALL PROCEEDS TO COTTAGE AUTISM NETWORK, WEXFORD


Venue: Slaney Manor, Barntown
date: Friday 16th July
Time: 8p.m. Adm: €10.



Wexford Tickets available from:

Centra The Bullring Wexford,

Burke-O'Learys Rafter st Enniscorthy, Terry Byrne (Wexford Male Voice Choir) 0876483509 or wmvcsecretary@eircom.net or CAN 0863234742 can.wexford@ymail.com

And The Slaney Manor Barntown Wexford.

Supported by
Wexford County Council
Details: 086 3234742

Oylegate Mini Marathon

Time again to get the trainers out of storage as its nearing the annual Mini Marathon in Oylegate. This year it will be held on Monday 7th June at 12 noon sharp. Starting point is in Oylegate village.

Whether you are a runner, or prefer to cheer from the sidelines, all are welcome and we hope there is a good turnout again this year.

Sponsorship cards are available by contacting either Hilary at 086 3234742 or Susan at 087 6898359

Meet the SENOs......

Cottage Autism Network

have organised a meeting with SENOs Fiona Gaffney and Sean Carthy

Date: 25th May

Time: 8pm

Venue: Riverside Hotel


We would like you to forward us any questions you may have before Monday the 17th May so we can arrange the agenda and ensure that all topics are covered and that it may run smoothly and be hugely beneficial to all.

ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME

PECS Course 27th May

A little later than I promised but am posting up a link to a two day course in PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) that several new members were asking about at the recent social night in The Bailey. My apologies for not posting it up sooner. There has been a post up on the IAA Blog which explains the course well which you can read here and there is a little video made by Jen over at Autism, The King & I, which gives you an idea of what PECS is

Two Day Basic PECS Workshop hosted by Pyramid Educational Consultants

Title		Basic PECS 2 Day Workshop
Address		Portlaoise Heritage Hotel, Town Centre, Portlaoise, Ireland.
Date & Start Time		27th May 2010 09:00
Registration Opening Time		27th May 2010 08:30
Capacity		55
Professional fee / person		£270.00
Parent fee / person		£140.00

Go here to book.

Tonight Matthew I'm gonna be.....

STARS IN THEIR EYES

IN AID OF COTTAGE AUTISM NETWORK

FRIDAY 16TH APRIL

8.30PM SHARP

CAESERS NIGHTCLUB, BUNCLODY

ADMISSION €10

DOOR PRIZES

Three CAN members are singing Alan West, Adrienne Doyle and her mother May Doyle.  Come along and support them on the night!  Tickets available for them or Martina Redmond 0872679100

Saddle up your horses!

The CAN Horse Riding Easter Camp will be held this year at Butterfly Farm, in Camolin.

Dates: 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th April

Lessons will be 1:1 and each lesson lasts two hours duration.

Cost: €5 per day


Anyone interested please text your childrens names and ages to Rita on 087 2328730

Night out for World Autism Awareness Day!

World Autism Awareness Day this year falls on April 2nd, and to mark the occasion, Cottage Autism Network is holding a social night for all members and non members.  All too often, meetings are filled with talk of finance and grants etc., and leaves little time for socalising and getting to know each other properly.  We would like to invite all to join us for a night of fun, come raise a glass, have a few nibbles and just chat for a while.

Venue            The Bailey, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

Date               Friday 26th March

Time               8.30pm til the early hours....

March CAN Meeting

The next CAN meeting is scheduled for the 9th March.

Time: 8pm
Venue:  Spencer Room, Riverside Hotel, Enniscorthy

Guest Speaker on the night is Micheal Dunbar, Principal of St. Patrick Special School Enniscorthy.

New members welcome, hope to see you all there



Would also like to remind everyone to keep voting in the AIB Better Ireland Grant!  Time is running out and all votes greatfully received.  Text  ENNISCORTHY followed by a space followed by A to 51303 (standard SMS rates apply).  Alternatively you can vote free of charge by logging onto betterireland.ie select Enniscorthy branch and chose group A.

AIB Better Ireland Grant - Get Voting :)

Hi all

Please help St Senans ASD unit to get AIB better ireland grant for occupation therapy equipement by texting as many times as you can .......

Text:  ENNISCORTHY followed by a space followed by A to 51303 (standard SMS rates apply)

 

Voting open until 15th March

or

Vote free online

 

Online: Click on betterireland.ie select Enniscorthy branch and chose group A.

 

 

Thanks a millon

 

TTRS Article Irish Examiner 04.12.09

This was a wonderful write up published in the Irish Examiner last December about the TTRS Touch typing course held in Wesgate Computer Centre which many children from CAN attended.  This course was designed for people with learning difficulties.  Not only did it teach typing, but it improved both reading and spelling skills.  The children who attended were motivated by the course and it built up their self esteem.

www.ttrs.co.uk has details of courses that are run nationwide.

To read the article, please click on it and it will enlarge in a new window.

Michael Farrelly Osteopath

Cottage Autism Network as a support group for families affected by autism are circulating this item for information purposes only. Any follow up action by anybody in relation to this circulated information is entirely their own decision and they should not infer from our issue of the information that the content is being endorsed by C.A.N.

Micheal Farrelly a classical Homeopath, spoke at our CAN meeting on tuesday night 19th January . He gave a very interesting talk about homeopathic remedies etc. He will come for consultations in Wexford if there are families interested in seeing him.  Please contact Michael at 086 1596119 or email at farrellym@hotmail.com

Fees €100 first consultation and €50 for follow up consultations.

Making Movies with Terence White

As part of the Cottage Autism Network’s siblings programme a film camp was organised with local film maker Terence White.

It was a small group of eight with ages ranging from 11 – 14. The ethos behind this particular group was to give the older siblings of families affected by autism a chance to meet others in a similar situation and because of the small group we could include kids that are on the spectrum who could then mix with others in their age group to gain valuable social practice.

The workshop ran for four consecutive days in July during which they produced and wrote their own film. The workshop then continued for a further three Saturdays in September, during which they produced a second film which this time had been written by Terence himself based on having met the group and gotten to know their interests and strengths.

We had a great diverse group who really seemed to work well together and who responded well to Terence’s way of working. The sheer amount of work involved in film making is sometimes overlooked. For example when having to re-shoot scenes up to 12 times the process can often be very tedious. The whole workshop was a great achievement for our group and it is a great credit to them to have worked so well.

Most of the kids in the group showed great interest and talent in the different areas of film making, from the technical aspect to the acting side. Even the kids who may not have had a particular interest in film production really seemed to enjoy the company that came with the workshop.

Overall it was a very fun and positive experience for all involved. We hope to continue organising more workshops such as this in the near future.

Ladies (& Gents) who lunch...

On Sunday 17th January, a distinguished looking group of Ladies and more than a handful of Gents spent a fine afternoon, wining and dining in the plush surroundings of the Ferrycarrig Hotel at a lunch hosted by the Soroptomist Association, who once again arranged the event and prizes in aid of Cottage Autism Network. There was entertainment galore and a huge turnout once again this year. The theme was "Red & Chic" and indeed, the guests obliged and there was no finer looking group of people dining on fine food in the Wexford area that day! Indeed, we ate, we drank and we were certainly merry!

Duo present Autism Network with marathon proceeds of €18,000

Wednesday October 21 2009

WEXFORD'S COTTAGE Autism Network (CAN) recently received the proceeds of fundraising carried out by James and Paul O'Connor at a special presentation in Enniscorthy.

James and Paula raised €18,000 raised by running in the Oylegate Mini Marathon in June of this year. They have organised this event for the past few years and kindly donated the proceeds to Cottage Autism Network, a countywide support group for families living with autism.

On the night the CAN group also bade farewell to Occupational Therapist Claire Nicholl who had been recently employed by the group to offer occupation therapy to group members. She is wished well in her future endeavours.

Barndance fundraiser 09

On Saturday 25th July, crowds started to gather at a marquee in the centre of a farmyard. At first glance, you would do a double take as there appeared to be hundreds of cowboys, cowgirls and the occasional indian assembling at this unusual location... It was time for the annual "Barn Dance" in Cloneys Farm in Co. Wexford. For many years this has been a fantastically successful fundraising event with this years proceeds being divided between Wexford Mental Health Association and Cottage Autism Network, Wexford. In 2008, a staggering €65,000 was raised from the dance and it is hoped that this year was as successful!

The event was incredibly well run, with plenty of seating and tables for weary cowboys to rest their feet after dancing the night away. There was a fully serviced bar and the food served was fabulous. There was a hog roast, raffles, spot prizes and some incredible dancing exhibitions during the night. Everywhere you looked there were smiling faces and parents letting their hair down. A fantastic night out and I for one am already looking forward to next years!

Date for the 6th annual barndance has been set for Saturday July 24th, 2010.

How CAN came to life...

Published Wednesday February 27 2008

A WEXFORD based couple who have offered untold support to children with autism, are the worthy recipients of the Health and Welfare People of the Year award.

Frederike Frederiks and Servaas Dodebier have dedicated their lives to giving early intervention' to children with autism, with a view to helping them move on to main streem schooling. As founders of The Cottage School, the pair employed tutors who set up individual educational programmes for children with autism, and saw immediate progress in their own children. Through their dedication the paid campaigned to have the Department of Education provide a specific autism unit, and one is now established at Scoil Mhuire.

The unrelenting grit and determination of Frederike and and Servaas has helped over 30 children in Wexford, with a 57% success rate into mainstream schooling - a statistic which is even better than the experts anticipated.

As a result the Cottage Autism Network was born and now there are more than 50 families from Wexford who are members.

Early intervention for children with autism is crucial, and the first hurdle every parent encounters is getting a diagnose. Not deterred, Servaas and some friends from Irish Autism Action climed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to found Solas, a diagnostic centre of excellence.

People can bring their child there and have them assessed by a full team of occupational therapists, psychologists and speech therapists. The ethos behind the centre is that a diagnosis is made within six weeks. More than 26 children frm Wexford children from Wexford have been assessed and thanks to the generosity of the people of Wexford, through Autism life cycle 2007, the burden of cost was reduced for these families. For many people their home has become a home from home for other concerned parents, where a warm welcome is always offered. As one of their nominators put it Their home is a place of hope, where the abnormal and sometimes idiosyncratic nature of our special children is treated as normal and no different, and where I for one, always left happier, and full of hope and determination, knowing I wasn't alone in this one.'

Welcome to the blog

Welcome to the new Cottage Autism Network blog. We will be posting up news on fundraisers, events, meetings and functions that arise. If any member wishes us to put anything up on the page, they can contact Hilary at can.wexford@ymail.com or myself, Tracy @ canwexford@hotmail.com.

Why a blog? When a parent first finds out that their child has autism, or suspects there may be a problem, they usually first turn to the Internet to find answers or look for local support groups in their area. Now when they type autism and Wexford into Google, they will be able to access our page and get the contact details needed to join up with CAN and get the support that is vital to all families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Existing members will be able to access all the information regarding upcoming events and we will be posting pictures and reviews of events after for all to enjoy.

Please feel free to leave comments on the posts.