More than 120 guests attended Bloom’s first charity ball on Saturday, helping raise
R150 000 for special needs support.

The black-tie event was held at Maroupi Wedding Venue for Bloom Special Needs School and Therapy Centre.

Founded in Ballito in 2014 by qualified occupational therapist Nicky Stirton, the non-profit organisation relies heavily on fundraising to cover its monthly running costs. The school spent eight years at Eden Village before relocating to its current premises bordering Umhlali Preparatory School.

“We are over the moon that we managed to have so many people at our first Bloom Ball event, and we are really excited about having more in the future,” said Stirton.

“There were many new faces and it was really special to share our journey and future plans with them.”
Today, the centre supports 40 children with a wide range of needs, including Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and learning difficulties. Bloom offers programmes tailored to each child’s individual needs, ranging from early intervention to transitional support.

However, Stirton said there remains a significant lack of support for special needs pupils once they reach adulthood and appealed to the community for assistance in establishing an adult facility.

“There is no facility on the North Coast – and very limited options in KZN – for these children once they turn 21,” she said.

“We want Bloom to continue supporting adults by giving them purpose and creating an environment where they can thrive and become more independent. It’s important that we have accommodation and working facilities for adults with special needs.”

Contact 032 815 2701 or email info@bloomcentre.co.za for more information.

Bloom has also just launched it’s “100 Club” through which it hopes to get 100 people contributing R100 per month. You can find a link to donate here: https://paystack.shop/pay/7tzh0457kq