Today, the 2nd of April, is World Autism Awareness Day. Whilst we have acknowledged this day at our hotel in the past, this year, this day has a very special meaning for the team. Earlier this year, we announced our partnership with The Rainbow Club’s Cork Centre for Autism. They were nominated by our team to become our Charity Partner for 2019 and we set a hotel-wide initiative to become a more autism-friendly hotel.
Why this is important?
The Rainbow Club is a non-government funded charity comprised of 62 volunteers who help autistic children develop their social skills using a wide range of activities. It was founded in 2015 by Karen and John O’Mahony whose sons Sean and Stephen have autism. The dedication and commitment shown by the team at the Rainbow Club is truly inspirational and we’re very proud the Cork International Hotel can play a part in supporting the valuable work they do. The funds we raise throughout the year will go a long way towards bolstering their services and activities and make sure we can keep helping children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Organising charity events
We have made a commitment to organising a series of events throughout the year to help the Rainbow Club reach their fundraising goals. The charity is establishing a new facility in Little Island, which will cost an estimated €2 million. We’re hoping that the events we run this year will help the Rainbow Club get a little closer towards building this new facility. We recently held ‘Pancakes with a Purpose’ which saw the whole Cork Airport Business Park join us to eat delicious pancakes made by our Chef, Martin and on Sunday, the 7th of April, we are hosting our annual Cork International Car Show. A wide selection of vintage cars, American cars, classic cars, custom cars and bikes will be on show on the day, with food, entertainment and more. Entry to the car show is €5 for adults which will be donated to The Rainbow Club. Entry is free for children under 12.
Making our team more autism-aware
As part of our partnership, we have vowed to become a more autism friendly hotel. The Cork International Hotel is to provide our team with awareness training and work with The Rainbow Club to determine what additions and changes are needed to be made at the hotel to better facilitate all our guests. We are also working with visiting groups and the local Cork Airport to ensure that our team recognise ‘hidden disability’ indicators on guests’ lanyards and event tickets, so that those who may need extra help can be provided with it. It also means that we are sharing and spreading the awareness with our guests and those who visit the hotel.
Keep an eye out on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all our events and activities and to find out more about how you can get involved with our fundraising initiatives in support of the Rainbow Club for Children with Autism.
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Blog by Carmel Lonergan, Managing Director at Cork International Hotel