Activ customer Mia is an energetic nine-year-old with a love of fun, play and family.

Dressing up in fabulously creative costume for parties, events or just to brighten her day is one of her favourite past-times as well as playing with her family and getting out and about in the community.

Her mum Claudia says Mia, who is living with Down Syndrome, is a “ray of sunshine” to their family and has brought them closer together.

“It has been hard but then we do have a lot of good times,” Claudia says.

“We’ve been with Activ since Mia was three, so quite a long time. We are very fortunate to have Activ in our lives because things do get tough, it’s not all rainbows and fairies,” she adds.

Activ provides respite and support services to Mia and her family.

“We have a support worker to help. They also help when things get a little bit tough. When we can’t do our morning routine when Mia has her breakdowns, they come in and they do the morning routine for me so I can just have a breather basically, because sometimes we’re not all super mums.”

Claudia says the supports Mia and their family receive from Activ helps with their day-to-day lives as well as Mia’s development.

“No one comes into the life of living with disability just knowing everything, everything is unknown so when you have people that know what they’re doing, have done it before – it does help a lot.”

“If Activ didn’t exist it would be very hard for us and I think for a lot of families because Activ is there for when they’re little, when they’re teenagers and then when they’re adults. As a parent you want your child to be independent and accepted in the community…it’s all about teaching her daily living and the way she can just be in the community and be safe, because that’s all you want for your child, is to be safe.”