“Your support helps me live with hope and purpose” – Sharon’s story
“Your support helps me live with hope and purpose” – Sharon’s story
This Christmas, we're inviting you to join our Sparkle for Dementia NI campaign and fundraise to give local people living with dementia the gift of peer support.
Your support will change lives. It means that we can help even more people like our member Sharon, who attends our Empowerment Groups and finds they help her to make new friends and find hope and purpose after her diagnosis.
We asked Sharon how the support offered by Dementia NI helps her to sparkle...
What helps me to sparkle and shine
Hi, I’m Sharon, a member of Dementia NI. Thank you for supporting our Christmas campaign!
I love music and my late husband and I were in a Johnny Cash tribute band, along with our son Michael and a family friend Martin.
Tony sounded just like Johnny Cash and I really enjoyed being part of the band, playing bass guitar. We had many fun experiences, especially playing for charity fundraisers in Mahon’s Hotel in Irvinestown.
Following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, I joined my local Dementia NI Empowerment Group in Irvinestown. The Groups are important to me as they help me come to terms with my diagnosis and I enjoy the company and meeting other people with the same diagnosis.
Along with my fellow Dementia NI members, I recently took part in a wonderful project with Rock Choir to record our version of The Climb by Miley Cyrus. This project meant a lot to us as it raised awareness and challenged misconceptions around dementia.
My family are very important to me and support me to live well with my diagnosis. I also have a dog and cat and by looking after them I have a purpose to get up and out every day.
It is vital that people understand that we can still live full lives and continue to do the things we love - and of course Sparkle! Your support is vital to ensure people living with dementia across Northern Ireland can live with hope and purpose.
Thank you and Happy Christmas!
How to get involved
Whether it's dressing up sparkly with work colleagues for a donation, or holding a sponsored sparkle walk with friends, you can have a Sparkle Day and donate whenever suits you! Simply download our Christmas Fundraising Pack which is full of festive tips. Then let us know what you have planned by emailing fundraising@dementiani.org so we can provide you with the support you need.
For more information, step inside our Sparkle for Dementia NI campaign page: https://www.dementiani.org/new...
If you want to help but fundraising isn't your thing, you could make a donation now and be a sparkling star for local people with dementia needing support.
How your donations will make a difference
Our campaign isn’t just about sparkling, it's about empowering people with dementia to continue to do the things that bring them joy, with the help of our peer support service. We can’t do it without your contribution. As a local charity, all money raised will stay here to improve the lives of people living with dementia across Northern Ireland.