Galway people have been asked to support local and donate local by going ‘Up the Hill for Jack & Jill’ this October.
Funds raised will go towards the home nursing care of Jack & Jill children around the country with highly complex medical and life-limiting conditions, including 23 children in Galway.
The fundraiser is part of an SOS appeal underway to fill a €200,000 funding gap and to extend the age range of children supported by the charity from five to six years of age.
Jack & Jill’s frontline home nursing care and end-of-life care is more important than ever, given the lack of respite options in the community for the extra-special children it supports.
“Up the Hill for Jack & Jill” will be very different this October compared with previous years due to the pandemic – there are no big hill events being organised, and instead participants must keep their challenge small, safe and local.
People can walk, skip, jog, cycle or climb their chosen hill, with some people opting to climb the stairs and count their steps at work throughout the month.
People can register at www.jackandjill.ie for €16 which funds one hour of home nursing care and end-of-life care. No sponsorship card is required.
Funds raised locally, stay locally
For Cathy Keighery, Jack & Jill Specialist Children’s Liaison Nurse for Galway, every €16 raised will make a real difference to the family of a child being cared for.
“Every day our families have their own hill to climb at home,” she said. “With ‘Up the Hill for Jack and Jill’, we are asking people to physically climb a hill in solidarity with those who can’t.
“It’s about neighbour helping neighbour, friend helping friend and that community support really means so much to our families and our nurses.”
Cathy added that it’s very simple to get involved this year, and the hill you climb can be whatever you want it to be – a gentle slope, a mountain peak, or a simple walk with a friend.
“We are determined that this is one fundraising event that COVID-19 won’t flatten! Every person taking part contributes the cost of one hour of home nursing care.
“That one hour, along with all the other hours fundraised, makes a huge difference to the lives of the local families who receive ongoing support from Jack & Jill nurses.”
Carmel Doyle, CEO of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, added that as a charity, they need a big push up our fundraising hill in 2020 and beyond.
“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, we are determined to extend the age range of children we support from birth to six years of age, up from five years of age currently,” she said.
“We have started to roll this out by way of a pilot scheme and are committed to continuing this into 2021. Our families rely on our support now more than ever. So, we are asking people to support local and donate local and to help us climb this hill together.”
