Nuestro Voluntariado
The volunteering of the Down Syndrome Corporation (CSD) is a support team for this institution, focused on finding resources for the Scholarship Fund, raising awareness in society and promoting its image. Mainly seeks to contribute so that boys, girls, young people with Down syndrome who do not have the ability to pay, can access the therapeutic programs of social and labor inclusion offered by the Corporation, understanding that economic difficulties should not be a factor of exclusion for people with disabilities.
In this sense, volunteers carry out their work aligned with the General Directorate of the Down Syndrome Corporation, by virtue of achieving the missionary objectives set annually and articulated with the institution's motto, "We believe in a full and happy life" of people with Down syndrome and their families.
Consolidate ourselves as a group committed and aligned with the objectives of the Down Syndrome Corporation, seeking to be a benchmark for socially responsible citizens. For this, we support the programs and processes of the CSD, seeking an integral development of its population of interest and a real social and labor inclusion
- Assist in the achievement and mobilization of resources to strengthen the Scholarship Fund
- Track active and inactive donors
- Establish visiting programs for large donors
- Complement the donor network with families
- Achieve greater participation and commitment of the Down population and their families with the Corporation.
- Approach to the ¨Padres supporting parents¨ program
All the strategies that are established in the Volunteering action plan are aligned with the demands and needs determined by the Down Syndrome Corporation and are aimed at obtaining economic resources to benefit the population without the ability to pay, through the scholarship fund.
Initially, this search for resources was focused to cover the expenses that were required in activities such as Family Day, Silver Wedding of the Corporation, etc. Where, in addition to achieving integration of the Corporation families, economic resources were achieved
Later we expand our horizons to obtain more economic resources with activities such as: Bingo, Sale of Promotional Items and Bonuses.
During the ten years of work, we have managed to strengthen fund management strategies and alliances that have been institutionalized due to their great impact and contribution to the Corporation.
- Contacts were established and relationships were formalized with some companies and institutions such as PACIFIC RUBIALES, CEPCOLSA, BBVA, CONFINAUTOS, AMARILO, FRISBY, COLEGIO DE LAS ESCLAVAS DEL SAGRADO CORAZÓN, and FUNDACIÓN MARÍA TERESA ROLDÁN, among others.
- Congress support: the team was a fundamental part in the coordination and logistics of the Congresses organized by the Corporation.
- Visits to educational institutions: regular educational entities have been visited with the aim of sensitizing Directors and Teachers, seeking through them an inclusive society.
- Media support: Radio and television broadcasting of the Corporation's programs was successfully managed through Caracol radio and Caracol TV in 2013
- Concert: We actively participated in the organization and staging of the concert "Colombia sings to the Beatles", achieving great recognition of the image of the Down Syndrome Corporation.
Bingo: Event that is held annually where, through the economic or in-kind contribution of different commercial and industrial entities and natural persons, the prizes that are awarded are collected. The economic collection that is achieved is derived from the contribution that the participants make when acquiring the cardboard and from the money donations.
Family day celebration: Volunteering leads the annual planning, organization and execution of the Family Day, an event that seeks: the integration of families, increase the sense of belonging to the Corporation and the collection of funds for the scholarship program. In this space artistic, sports and entrepreneurship exhibitions are presented, giving the opportunity to know the progress and achievements of this population in the different areas.
Sale of promotional items: In each of the headquarters a stand has been set up for the sale of promotional items (caps, notebooks, pencils, etc.), to give greater identity to the image of the Corporation. Collections that strengthen the scholarship fund and also seek to increase the sense of belonging and identity of the Corporation itself. These products were initially contributed by volunteers.
Promotion and sale of Bonds: Volunteering supports the sale of Condolence, Baptism, Birthday, Anniversary and special events vouchers.
Flowers of Hope: With the support of AGROMONTE SA we deliver export bouquets of flowers as a thank you to those who make donations to the Corporation. These donations range from $30,000 onwards. Deliveries can only be made in the city of Bogotá.
Donations: Volunteering manages financial or in-kind donations with foundations, companies, entities and individuals directly destined for the scholarship fund.
The aforementioned activities have allowed us to realize our goals to strengthen the scholarship fund.
Family day
Bingo
Testimonials
Throughout our work, we find different experiences that are the result of the work of Volunteering and that are for us, the object of full and permanent satisfaction. We are motivated in our work to find processes that affect the change of life of people with Down Syndrome, for which some testimonies of young people with this condition who have received support are presented.
Andrés Felipe Rodríguez Nieto
“Since he was 4 months old, my son Andrés Felipe has been in the Down Syndrome Corporation. We are a family from Bogota that lives in Ciudad Bolívar of stratum 1. We live about an hour and a half by public transport until we reach the Corporation. From the beginning, it was very difficult to access the programs because we had to pay the co-payments for the service, the materials, and when it was older, the accompaniment of the professional at school (PAE Program). There were more and more expenses and it was more difficult to continue in the process. In 2015 we accessed one of the scholarships offered by the Corporation's Volunteers and we were able to continue with my son's process. He is currently 17 years old and is in the sixth grade at school with the support of the Corporación professional. We go to the headquarters once a week and continue working for Felipe's well-being. ”Yolima Nieto, mother of Andrés Felipe Rodríguez Nieto, a student at the Down Syndrome Corporation.