Mother organises fundraising night for Offaly School of Special Education

An Offaly mother who owes “a huge debt of gratitude” to her daughter's school has organised a fundraising event to enhance the facilities available for all pupils attending the educational facility.

Yvette Millington who lives with her family at Wood-of-O, on the outskirts of Tullamore, admits she would be “lost” without the Offaly School of Special Education, which her daughter, Ava, has been attending since she was five years old.

Ava, who is now 15, was born with a very rare genetic disorder known as Cri du chat syndrome, which occurs when there is a partial chromosome deletion on chromosome 5.

“We heard about the Offaly School of Special Education through the Muiriosa Foundation and she has never looked back since,” explains Yvette.

The school, which is located at Spollanstown in Tullamore, is “a much needed resource” according to Yvette Millington, who points out that it is the only educational facility of its kind in the county.

“Ava has received exceptional care over her years there and the staff are just brilliant” she says.

While the school- which caters for 42 students with a variety of complex and differing needs - receives core funding from the Department of Education, additional therapies are funded through various fundraising initiatives.

Yvette Millington, along with other parents who are part of the fundraising committee, has organised a fundraising night in The Well, Moate, on Sunday, March 16 next, with popular country singing star, Robert Mizell and his band, The Country Kings, as the headline act.

Tickets for the event are priced at €20 each and can be purchased on the door, or in advance by contacting the school on 057 9320537.

Doors open at 8pm and the night promises to be a fun and entertaining night of music, song and dance with amazing spot prizes on offer as well.

Yvette Millington says all funds raised will go towards providing extra therapies for the students in the school, such as equine, swimming and music therapies, all of which she says are “hugely beneficial” to students with complex needs.

Each child attending the Offaly School of Special Education has their own individual needs, which requires individual care plans.

“There is no 'one size fits all approach',” says Yvette Millington, “and the attention to the needs of each individual student by the staff is really exceptional.”

Yvette, whose other daughter, Emily, attends Tullamore College, and whose son, Eoin, is a third-level student in the Atlantic Technological University in Galway, says the entire family will be “forever grateful” to the staff of the Offaly School of Special Education for providing for the complex educational needs of Ava.