Welcome to Celebrate T21.
We believe all families should feel supported and informed when receiving a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21 or T21).
We work closely with families to educate, empower and advocate for their choices, by supporting and celebrating their child with Down syndrome, and extending a hand of comfort and compassion when a diagnosis is received.
Unfortunately, the majority of families receiving a diagnosis of T21 are given little or no support, which means the rate of termination in Australia is exceptionally high. We want all families to receive the information and support they need to make an informed decision, and to know they are not alone in their journey.
Our small business, based in the Illawarra region of NSW, operates as a community service. As part of our work, we have created two beautiful photo books which celebrate the lives and experiences of families who have a member with Down syndrome through wonderful photos and heartfelt stories - an Australian version of the book was published in 2018, and we published a UK version for British charity Wouldn’t Change a Thing in 2019.
We are working towards a new edition of the Australian book for 2021, to showcase even more of the inspirational families within our network.
These books are gifted to families receiving a prenatal or postnatal (up to 3 months) diagnosis of Down syndrome, as part of a gorgeous Celebrate T21 gift pack. Our hope is to provide all families with a new diagnosis of Down syndrome in Australia with this very special gift pack, which welcomes them into the supportive Celebrate T21 community, and provides comfort when it is most needed.
We are aiming to extend our network of book distributors, so that more people have access to the positive messages we share, and in order to educate the community about T21 and remove the outdated stigmas associated with Down syndrome.
We are associated with an amazing community of T21 families online, and have an impressive list of ambassadors, representing the diversity within the T21 community. Our ambassadors are people of all ages and stages – who help us advocate and raise awareness through photo and video campaigns, and help with essential fundraising.
We dream of a world where no family should feel isolated, unsupported or pressured to terminate based on a Down syndrome diagnosis.
Would you like to help?
You can get involved by:
Joining our Facebook community.
Contributing to fundraising by making a purchase through our online shop or hosting one of our Sock Fundraisers in March and/or October.
Stocking our Celebrate T21 books in your organisation - such as medical centers, doctors’ surgeries, preschools and schools.
Volunteering your time as part of our ongoing work - for example, we’re looking for photographers and families to take part in the next edition of our Celebrate T21 photo book.
Working with us to produce a photo book for the T21 community in your country - just as we did with Wouldn’t Change a Thing in the UK.
Get in touch to find out more.
