An AED10 coin donation from each participant will raise much needed funds for the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, a non-profit school in Dubai for special needs children aged 3 to 17 years old.
Among the special needs that are catered for at the Centre are cerebal palsy, autism, downs syndrome as well as other mental and physical handicapped needs. To support the centre's operational costs, the only source of income in addition to school fees, is by means of fundraising as well as sponsorship from the community and businesses.
The Dress Differently for a Day initiative is based on the concept that special needs children experience the world differently and was created by Coins 4 Charity Founder Lizelle Jansen who launched the charity earlier this year to raise funds and awareness for the school, where her 3 year old son is a student.
The idea for Coins 4 Charity originated from the knowledge that most people have coins lying around, making it easy for us all to make a difference. The goal for the Coins 4 Charity 2009 - 2010 school year is to raise enough coins to support the development and maintenance of the Centre.
Commenting on Dress Differently for a Day Lizelle Jansen said:
"Coins for Charity is excited to announce the first edition of Dress Differently for a day, when the UAE community can dress up, have fun and in turn support the local community. We encourage all schools, students, parents, teachers, companies and the community in general to support this event by getting involved."
Mariam Othman, Directress of the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre said, "We are delighted that one of our parents from the school is showing such great initiative by launching this project. We encourage the community to support this day and help in the drive towards creating better awareness for special needs children in Dubai"
Participants are encouraged to take pictures from the day and send them to Coins for Charity or upload them on to the dedicated facebook event group. For those who prefer not to dress up, you can still show your support by wearing a campaign sticker, available from Rashid Paediatric and Coins for Charity.
So, get involved, get creative and spread the word amongst your friends and colleagues to make the first Dress Differently Day a success! Every coin can make a difference, with the money collected the goal of Coins 4 Charity is to give the children of Rashid Paediatric the positive memories and experiences that will help shape the rest of their lives.
Posted by Nadeen El Ajou
