Nottingham Open Touch Tournament 2019 – For the Benefit of the Children at the Down Syndrome and Hyper Active Home (Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak Down Syndrome dan Hyper Active)

The Nottingham Open Touch Tournament is organised by the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) Touch Club and participants of the tournament will be local touch teams.

The Nottingham Open Touch Tournament is organised with the main aim of giving back to the society and donating to a specific Down Syndrome charity in conjunction with World Down Syndrome Day which falls on 21st March. The club has also decided to conduct the tournament in that same month. Through the organisation of this tournament, the club also aims to raise awareness of Down Syndrome within UNM and the local touch community. With these aims in mind, the UNM Touch Club has chosen Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak Down Syndrome Dan Hyper Active in Klang as the charity organisation for this event to provide them with the contribution and donation that they need. This will then hopefully provide them the support to continue looking after the welfare of the special needs individuals under their care, who are males aged between 8 and 28 years old, and continue providing good education for them, as well as maintain the good condition of the home.

The club plans to raise funds for the organisation by initiating a Down Syndrome awareness month for the month of March and conducting fundraising activities in the university throughout the month prior to the tournament being held on 31st March. The final fundraising activity will be conducted during the course of the touch tournament. As Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that is associated with chromosome 21 in the human DNA, the awareness month will consist of performing various fundraising activities that involve the number 21 such as a 21-donuts eating challenge. The one-day tournament is a great opportunity to raise public awareness of the disorder as UNM will be host to multiple touch teams, thus spreading awareness to people from various backgrounds all at once.

This fundraiser will provide funds for Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak Down Syndrome Dan Hyper Active to be channelled towards the specialised care and education of Down Syndrome individuals in the home. The specialised care and education of these individuals in the society are very important and the UNM Touch Club wants to contribute to that. For companies that wish to sponsor this event and donate to the Down Syndrome organisation we are partnering with, these companies could benefit from increased marketing of their name and brand. It will be good for these companies as the public notices companies that put in effort to improve not only their business, but also their community and surroundings. Lastly, this event will be a good means to promote both the UNM touch club and the university itself. This fundraiser can help bring about increased awareness of the sport within the university and make the club known to more UNM students.

Your support would mean a lot to us especially in raising awareness on Down Syndrome.

For more info, head to @UNMCTOUCH on Instagram!