World Down syndrome day charity book auction

You may not know but 21st March 2012 is World Down Syndrome day.

This is something that is very close to my heart because my beautiful daughter Kirsten has Downs syndrome.

This is her here

It was a complete shock the day she was born when we found out the doctor suspected (and confirmed a week later) she had Downs syndrome but now I wouldn't change her for the world, she's the happiest, friendliest little girl I know!

We've had tons of help and support all the way through and now I'd like to give back by raising money to help the charity I've picked.

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Here's a little bit about them and what they do:

Down's syndrome association

Our aim

Helping people with Down's syndrome to live full and rewarding lives.

Who we are

We are the only organisation in this country focusing solely on all aspects of living successfully with Down's syndrome. Since 1970, we have grown from being a local parent support group to a national charity with over 20,000 members, a national office in Teddington Middlesex, offices in Northern Ireland and Wales. Despite this, the organisation is run by a total staff of only 33 (many of them part time), and a network of around 126 regional volunteer-led support groups.

Our mission

• We provide information and support for people with Down's syndrome, their families and carers, and the professionals who work with them.
• We strive to improve knowledge of the condition.
• We champion the rights of people with Down's syndrome.

What we do

Our organisation is divided into various teams, including:

• Information - run the helpline; provide info about all aspects of living with Down's syndrome including specialist advisers on benefits, education and health; advise new parents or anyone experiencing difficulties
• Fundraising - responsible for raising money for the association through events, sponsorship and trusts
• Communications - give key messages to the media, public and professionals; influence policy making; responsible for external publications
• Training - provide training throughout the UK for members, professionals and carers
• Membership - responsible for all administration surrounding new members, existing members and affiliated groups

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The details.

To raise money I'm planning to run a charity book auction to coincide with World Down syndrome day in March and so I'm here today to beg you all to donate your new and lightly used books, bookmarks or anything else bookish for the auction. I know it's some time away yet but I didn't want to ask over christmas and this leaves plenty of time to get the word out about the auction. I've not worked out all the finer details just yet but the auction will likely run on Facebook and will be for a week.

Winning bidders will be able to pay to my Virgin money giving account so they know every penny (except tax) will go to the charity. (If you'd just like to donate you can any time from now until a month after the auction is over)
My goal is to raise £1000! It's a lot but it's good to dream big, if we do hit the target I'll have a big giveaway here to celebrate and thank you all.

So, if you'd like to donate something for the auction please contact me at bookaholics@live.co.uk and let me know what you'd like to give and I'll give you my address if you'd like to send direct to me (I'm in England) or if you prefer to mail directly to the winning bidder in March then I'll need a photo of the item and where your willing to post to and I'll also need to know if you'd like to be credited for your donation or if you'd like to remain annoymous. It would also be great if you shared this with your friends (maybe even blogged) to help spread the word.

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Additional

I also have a Down syndrome support Facebook page if you'd like to 'like' it. This page is for anyone who has Down's syndrome, is a parent to a Down's syndrome child, knows someone with Down's syndrome or just supports the cause.
You can talk about Your experiances, get support, make friends and get info.

There's also an online petition going around to make World Down syndrome day official if you'd like to sign it (No pressure lol)

Petitions by iPetitions.com | Get Widget

And I think that's everything.

I'll post fuller details about the auction closer to the time and will repost this a few times to.

A big Thank you in advance for your help!