Fundraising for more opportunities for Deaf kids.

I will be taking part in the Leeds half marathon on the Sunday 5th of September and would like to raise money for Lollipop.

Ever since meeting my partner who is deaf I see the daily battles they encounter. This made me realise on all the things that I have had throughout my life compared to deaf people especially with children. Social life has never been an issue for me because I am a hearing person, I have the ability to do everything e.g going to sports events, swimming lessons with an instructor that I can hear and understand, going to afterschool clubs. When it comes to a deaf child with hearing difficulties, they struggle hugely with social skills due to their language, not everybody will try their hardest to be able to communicate with an individual child because they won't have the time or not understand their struggles. Most children use British Sign Language to communicate which is very refined English therefore hearing people don't always understand them. This affects deaf people even more in children because they are young and this makes them feel like they're not one of us so they would isolate themselves from the exciting opportunities for their future. When I visited lollipop, seeing all these deaf children mix with other deaf children, it was heart-warming for me to see, their faces lit up when they were involved in activities and communicating their language. This needs to happen all the time so their social lives for their future is bright. I am not saying that Deaf children can't succeed because they can, I want to make it more easier for them because they deserve it. This is one of the reasons why I want to make a small difference in the young deaf community. No matter how much your donation would be, it would be massively appreciated.

Christian

More information about LOLLIPOP (YORK & DISTRICT): Lollipop offer free activities for children and young people aged 0-25 in York and North Yorkshire who have any degree of deafness from mild to profound. This provides a deaf peer group to help build confidence, self-esteem and to promote a sense of belonging.