Galway Cycle Charity 2014
Galway Cycle President
Hello there,
Here we go again, just a beneficiary to choose first. It's GC14 time!!
We have gotten a great response with 15 charities looking for nominations from the members of the Galway Cycle. The charities are listed below and a brief description is given also.
To vote for your charity, please reply to pres...@galwaycycle.ie with the name of the charity you wish to support in the subject bar.
It is important to do this in this manner to facilitate the counting process.
Each member can only vote once. Closing date is Wednesday 2nd of October at 12 noon. After this the top charities will be selected to present at the Galway Cycle AGM. This is expected to be on Wednesday 9th October.
Talk to you soon,
Galway Cycle Committee 2013.
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1. AIMS Ireland
2. Anam Cara
3. Aoibheann's Pink Tie
4. Barretstown
5. Children's Medical and Research Foundation
6. Console
7. Foroige
8. Friends of the Coombe
9. ISPCC
10. The Katie Nugent Fund
11. The LauraLynn Hospice Foundation / Sunshine House
12. Make A Wish
13. Prader Willi Syndrome Association of Ireland
14. Saint John of Gods Kildare Services
15. Special Olympics Ireland
1. AIMS Ireland
AIMS Ireland is a charity providing information and support to women using maternity services in Ireland. A voluntary-run organisation depending solely on public donations, AIMS Ireland helps women who are having difficulties accessing the information and care that they need during their pregnancy and birth. It also supports women who have suffered a birth trauma or have had a negative birth experience that they would like to act upon. AIMS Ireland campaign for evidence based practice, informed decision making, consent and autonomy; sadly often lacking within Irish maternity care. We conduct independent surveys, highlight non-evidenced and dangerous care practices, and provide one-to-one confidential support and complaint services. Our most recent work is the 42 Weeks campaign, a public awareness campaign for expectant mothers.
Website: aimsireland.com
2. Anam Cara
Anam Cara is a national organisation providing a lifeline to bereaved parents through online and face to face Peer Support services. Their mission statement explains that Anam Cara will make a difference and reduce isolation for bereaved families affected by the death of a child or children, regardless of the age of the child or circumstances of death. Anam Cara will do this by providing easily accessible, quality support services, signposting and information through a safe and secure online or face to face environments.
Approximately 2,500 families each year experience the death of a child between ages of 0 – 44 years. Sudden deaths, outside a hospital or hospice system often find themselves outside the realms of any bereavement support. The intense grief can last longer than society realises. Anam Cara provides an important link to information and additional services.
Website: www.anamcara.ie
3. Aoibheann’s Pink Tie
Families of children diagnosed with cancer are completely and utterly focused on their sick child. The regular travel to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital from all over Ireland, the extended overnight stays consume all waking moments during this battle and the day to day necessities of life fall by the wayside or become impossible to manage. Medical cards are incredibly difficult to get if either spouse is in employment, mortgages, utility bills, motoring costs and general household bills become lost in the mire of the battle as they struggle with one of life's worst nightmares. Phone bills, accommodation costs and medical bills become a huge burden for the parents who have to endure the nightmare of watching their child battle cancer.
Aoibheann’s Pink Tie will help and offer practical support to the families of children diagnosed with cancer and who are attending St John’s Oncology Ward in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. Focused on children attending the only treatment center for childhood cancer in Ireland, we will support the complete family unit, of parents and siblings, who may not understand what is happening to their brother or sister.
Website: www.aoibheannspinktie.ie
4. Barretstown
Barretstown is a specially-designed camp that provides Therapeutic Recreation programmes for children with serious illnesses, and their families.
Founded by Hollywood actor Paul Newman in 1994 and modelled on his renowned Hole-in-the-Wall Camp in Connecticut, USA it provides unobtrusive medical supervision and helps children with cancer and other serious diseases to learn to have fun and rebuild their confidence and self-esteem.
Barretstown is much more than a holiday for these sick children – the summer camps for children and the spring and autumn weekend camps for families are carefully-directed psychosocial support programmes of Therapeutic Recreation.
Barretstown is a break from hospitals and medical treatment and a chance for sick children to be children again: to have fun, to make friends and create new memories, all within the beautiful and magical setting of Barretstown Castle in Co.Kildare.
Website: www.barretstown.org
When a child you love is sick, your top priority is finding the best care available. It’s ours too. At the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, our team has one simple mission – helping kids and their families.
The Children’s Medical & Research Foundation (CMRF) is the principal fundraising body for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin as well as the National Children’s Research Centre and is dedicated to working to improve the quality of life for this and future generations of sick children. We play a key role in supporting the hospital to deliver state of the art facilities; equipment, infrastructure, leisure and entertainment devices for the children, accommodation for families and other special requirements and needs. In addition we fund vital paediatric research and have been able to establish the National Children’s Research Centre (NCRC), a world class facility which provides state of the art laboratory facilities for investigation into the causes and treatments of childhood disease.
Website: www.cmrf.org
6. Console
Console is a national suicide prevention and bereavement charity, founded in 2002 by family’s who had experienced the loss of someone close to suicide. They have counselling centres in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Wexford, Tralee, Mayo and Athlone. They also provide Irelands only free, 24 hour telephone helpline for people with suicidal difficulties or in distress.
The range of services provided by Console is very varied – all are free to the public and very accessible around the country. Professional counselling, therapy or group support is provided for families, individuals or groups touched by suicide. In particular, they provide Irelands only, highly-specialised child psychotherapy service, supporting children as young as 6, siblings and parents, when bereaved or impacted on by another’s suicide.
Website: www.console.ie
7. Foroige
We are Ireland’s leading youth organisation, making a difference for over 53,000 young people through some 350 staff and 5,200 volunteers each year. We reach 1 in 8 young people in Ireland. We empower young people to develop their own abilities and attributes, to think for themselves, to make things happen and to contribute to their community and society. Our Services:
(1) Foróige Clubs Network – There are over 600 volunteer led clubs throughout the Country including Foróige Clubs (12-18yrs), Foróige Juniors (10-12yrs), Special Interest groups and Foróige Youth Cafés (12-18yrs).
(2) National Programme – Foróige offer 3 main national programmes for young people to get involved in: Entrepreneurship, ASLFL Leadership Programme and Citizenship.
(3) Targeted Projects – aimed at vulnerable young people, Foróige operates 140 projects nationwide including Youth Development Projects, Garda Youth Diversion Projects, Drugs prevention projects and the Big Brother Big Sister mentoring programme.
Website: http://www.foroige.ie/
Friends of the Coombe is a registered charity organisation (CHY 18654) established in 1982 to raise funds to assist the development of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital. There is a special place for the Coombe Neonatal Unit and its staff in the heart of any family which has spent time there with their precious baby. Its commitment to a philosophy of care which is family centred is visible in all aspects of the unit’s work, as is the commitment of Friends of The Coombe to helping promote that philosophy of care. As a national referral centre, the Neonatal Unit cares for babies from all over Ireland. Friends of The Coombe have funded a wide range of equipment; all of it is aimed at enhancing the lives of these vulnerable babies and helping the team deliver the best possible care.
Website: www.friendsofthecoombe.ie
9. ISPCC
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) is Ireland’s oldest and most well-known children’s charity. The ISPCC has a long, proud history of service delivery and advocacy on behalf of children.
The ISPCC is the only organisation in Ireland providing unique 24 hour support services for children and young people through our Childline service. Childline receives the majority of its 2,300 calls and messages per day after 6pm each evening, when most other support services are closed. Childline receives no government funding, relying on the generosity of donors and volunteers to help run this vital, unique service.
Childline will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2014.
Website: www.ispcc.ie
10. The Katie Nugent Fund
In May 2010, after a courageous struggle with leukaemia Katie Nugent died aged just six. Her illness was a severe trial, not just for this brave little girl, but also for her parent's Nick and Alice and her sister Lucy too.
Now, Nick and Alive have set up the Katie Nugent Fund to help other seriously ill children, and their families, as they face some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.
Chemotherapy treatment is supposed to attack the illness, but it attacks the spirit as well. Throughout her illness, Katie retained her joie de vivre, and in doing so, helped her family to remain strong. It is not easy for any family, and no parent should experience the despair that arises when abject misery replaces the normal optimism and innocence that previously defined your child.
Therefore the Katie Nugent Fund has been established to provide psychological and emotional support for the children of St. John's Ward in Crumlin and their families throughout the period of their treatment.
Website: www.katienugentfund.com
11. The LauraLynn Hospice Foundation / Sunshine House
"Putting life into a child's day, not days into a child's life"
It is through Jane and Brendan McKenna's sorrow that the 'LauraLynn Children's Hospice Foundation' came to be set up. "The loss of our beautiful daughters, Lynn and Laura, taken away so early in their lives, is something we must try to live with every moment of every day. The pain is indescribable, but we cannot change what is. There is our hope though, that some good can come out of our sadness".
Objectives:
- Practical and emotional support to those caring for a sick child.
- Medical care and Emergency care.
- Respite care, not only for the sick child, but for the family and siblings, offering siblings support groups and activities.
- Encourage families to build up a "buddy" support system.
- Giving families choices:
- To stay and share the care of their child.
- Be there as a family, or leave the child in Hospice care and take a break away, knowing their child will have the same loving care as they themselves give.
- Spend more time with the other children in the family, who are often left out and choice when the end sadly comes
- Offer Palliative care as necessary, and continued support as needed following a child's death.
Make A Wish Ireland has one simple aim - We grant the wishes of children aged between 3 and 17 years living with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. A wish granted is true magic for the child, providing respite from their normal routines of hospitals, doctors and treatment.
Since arriving in Ireland in 1992, Make-A-Wish has granted wishes for over 1,300 brave children. In all possible cases Make-A-Wish ensures that all immediate family members can participate in the child's wish. In doing so we provide long-lasting and happy memories for those relatives, whatever the future may hold. As a well-respected and popular children's charity, we are fully committed to providing the maximum level of care and enjoyment for our children and their families. We achieve this through a combination of professionalism, attention to detail and sensitivity. Nothing is too much trYours sincerely,ouble for our children - after all they are the only reason we exist!
We receive no government funding, and rely overwhelmingly on the kindness of people like you to continue with our work and succeed in our aims. With your generosity we can make a real difference to a child's life.
Website: www.makeawaish.ie
13. Prader Willi Syndrome Association Ireland
What PWSAI do:
Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic disorder that typically causes low muscle tone, short stature, sleep apnoea, scoliosis, cognitive disabilities, mental health issues, and is probably most recognised by a chronic feeling of hunger that can lead to excessive eating and subsequent life- threatening obesity.
The Prader-Willi Syndrome Association Ireland (PWSAI) works to raise awareness and understanding of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and to improve the choice and quality of care, education and support for persons with PWS.
PWSAI organises regular events including family support days and conferences, and facilitates contacts between individual families in which there is a person with PWS. PWSAI also offers current information about PWS to people with PWS, their families and carers, and the wider community.
PWSAI also seeks to encourage and promote research into PWS and maintains strong relationships with international PWS organisations, national organisations working to support people with disabilities, and organisations that provide services specifically to people with PWS and their families.
Website: www.pwsai.ie
14. Saint John of Gods Kildare Services
Saint John of God Kildare Services provides a range of services for over 400 children and adults with intellectual disability in north Kildare.Our services are based at St. Raphael’s, Celbridge, and in the towns of Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth and Clane.
We work in partnership with individuals and families to develop services that are responsive to their needs and reflect international best policy and practice. There are pretty adequate services for many mentally disabled children in our area, however these services are no longer available once the child reaches 18. From here their parents once again have to start their fight in finding funding for 'adult' program's, keep that funding and hope that it will last the year, until the fight starts again.
Website: www.sjogkildare.ie
Set up in Ireland in 1978 Special Olympics Ireland continues to create and deliver unforgettable experiences. Special Olympics Ireland is a sports organisation for people with an intellectual disability, but it provides athletes with far more than the physical benefits of sport. Special Olympics changes lives. Through sport, athletes develop both physically and emotionally, they make new friends, realise their dreams, and know they can fit in. Special Olympics Ireland enables our athletes to achieve and win not only in sport but in life too.
Special Olympics Ireland currently has almost 11,000 registered athletes participating in 15 sports in 409 affiliated groups throughout the island of Ireland. These athletes are supported by their families and a team of 25,000 volunteers who give of their time to help out at sporting and fundraising events. In 2014, they host the Ireland Games in Limerick with athletes competing in the hope to gain a place on Team Ireland for the World Games which take place in Los Angeles in 2015.
Website: http://www.specialolympics.ie/
Galway Cycle President 2012/13
Emma Kilgannon,
pres...@galwaycycle.ie
087 6182119
www.galwaycycle.ie
www.jackandjill.ie