Ideal Home Show fosters spirit of giving

Receiving the donation on behalf of the centre, Ms. Mariam Othaman, Director General of RPTC said; 'We are extremely grateful for this fantastic contribution to the Rashid Centre. Donations such as this allow our valuable work to continue and make such a difference to our students' lives.'

The charity offering was made at the close of this year's four-day Dubai Ideal Home Show that was organised by Messe Frankfurt. Kitchen outfitters Nolte, who were exhibiting at the event, decided to donate the value of their unsold stock to the Rashid Centre, which provides education and therapy services to children with special needs. The total value of the stock came to $20,000 and a cheque was issued to the foundation.

'We would like to thank Nolte and Messe Frankfurt for this initiative,' added Ms. Othman on receiving the cheque. 'We depend on contributions such as this to maintain the essential services that we are able to offer; services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pre-vocational units and communication therapy. We are delighted that they chose the Rashid institution for their generous donation,' she said.

The Rashid Pediatric and Therapy Centre was inaugurated in 1994 and aims to provide international standards of care for children with special needs. Its purpose is to develop children's abilities to function and learn within their environments, that is the home, school and community and to develop maximum independence and participation in these settings.

The Centre is unique in the Emirates for providing a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach, with a tailored and individualized care plan for each child. Parents are actively encouraged to become involved with their child's learning and all aspects of the institution's functions. Although termed a pediatric centre, the Rashid organization provides services to those up to the age of 20 years, helping them to prepare for employment in the outside world.

The Ideal Home Show ran from November 30 to December 3 and was held at the Airport Expo, Dubai. The top draws this year were celebrity chefs Ainsley Harriott and Sanjeev Kapoor who demonstrated their culinary skills and lifestyle gurus Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen and Linda Barker, who dispensed essential interior design tips. A total of 18,000+ visitors attended the event, two and a half times more than last year's show.