The Jack and Jill Children's Foundation is calling for support as their 'Home for Christmas' appeal gets underway.
The children's charity hopes to raise €1 million through its Christmas Appeal to support children with highly complex and life-limiting medical conditions to stay at home, in their community, where they belong.
The charity recorded a 16% rise in the hours of nursing care it provided to families in 2021 and predicts a further uplift again this year.
The charity also provides end-of-life care for all children up to the age of 6, irrespective of diagnosis, has supported over 2,800 families since it was founded by Jonathan Irwin and Mary Ann O’Brien 25 years ago.
Launching the charity’s Home for Christmas appeal, CEO Carmel Doyle said:
“With more children under our care than ever before, public support is vital in helping us raise €1 million by Christmas to keep our service going – a service that is a lifeline to many of our families. We have a big fundraising mountain to climb to keep us going to Christmas, and beyond, and we need the public to support local Jack and Jill families in their community by signing up as a monthly donor, or by buying something from our Christmas Gift Collection. There’s lots to choose from including stunning candles from Paul and William Costelloe, our ‘Odlums Big Book of Baking’, Incognito Art Prints, signed by our wonderful Incognito artists, Gift of Time cards and exclusively designed Christmas cards from Kildare artist Laura Dempsey aka Pickled Pom Pom. By making a donation or purchase people are supporting local families through home nursing care hours that translate into a real gift of time this Christmas.”
