Since 2021, the colleagues in Currys have had an amazing cause to band together and get behind.
In August 2021, our colleagues voted on who would become Currys Ireland first national charity partner. My Canine Companion, a small Cork-based charity, came out tops.
Who is My Canine Companion?
My Canine Companion is the largest provider of service dogs to children and young adults with autism in Ireland. These service dogs keep children safe, become their best friend and transform the lives of the families they’re placed in. They boost the child’s confidence, help their social skills, and bring a sense of normalcy to the family’s life from going for a walk to going to school. As well as transforming the lives of families, My Canine Companion have placed service dogs in almost 30 schools and 3 hospitals to provide comfort and companionship when children need it most.
How does Currys help My Canine Companion?
We help people enjoy amazing technology and we know that tech plays a huge role in the lives of our neurodiverse customers, which makes this partnership even more impactful to our colleagues.
At Currys, we aim to raise at least €170,000 for My Canine Companion. It costs roughly €10,000 to train a service dog so we’re funding the training of 17 service dogs one for each of our physical stores and one for our online store.
Watch the video below to see how Nicole and her son Riley’s lives changed once they got their service dog Willow. Once Riley was attached to Willow his whole world opened up from going to the shop, a simple walk or even attending a concert.
What changes have Currys made for neurodiverse customers?
While fundraising is fantastic, we wanted to go further with our partnership. Over summer 2022, we worked with the Willow Tree Autism Project to provide Autism Awareness & Understanding to our store and corporate colleagues. This helped our staff have a better understanding of our neurodiverse customers and how retail can be challenging for them.
To make positive changes in store, we’ve launched Quiet Hours until 11am every Monday to Friday where screens and music are turned off. Working with Hidden Disabilities Ireland, we’ve introduced Sunflower lanyards in our stores so those who need them while shopping can request one at the tills. We also have sensory toys and ear defenders at our tills, so the shopping experience is improved for both children with autism and their parents. Sensory maps are also available, so customers are aware of the sights and sounds as they shop.
If you would like to donate to My Canine Companion and help change the lives of families around Ireland, you can donate here.
