Christmas comes early for Clare group thanks to RTÉ Toy Show Appeal
THE LIVES of children across Ireland and Clare will be improved in multiple ways through 147 RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grants announced this week, and which were made possible by the generosity of viewers of last November’s Late Late Toy Show.
One Clare organisation was among the recipients - Shannon Family Resource Centre which received €6,500.
The response once again from Late Late Toy Show viewers to the appeal will "help transform the lives of 1.2 million children, young people and their families, with every county on the island benefitting from grants totalling almost €4million".
Announcing the grants Dee Forbes, outgoing director-general of RTÉ said: “Children’s voices have always been at the very core of The Late Late Toy Show. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our viewers, thousands of children are now being supported in so many different ways. To everyone who donated a huge thank you; this will help so many young lives in the year ahead and is a remarkable testimony to Ireland’s renowned generosity.”
Denise Charlton, chief executive of Community Foundation Ireland added: “The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal continues to make an enormous contribution to our mission of Equality for All in Thriving Communities. Over three-years with the distribution of €17.6 million in total viewers have impacted on young lives in every part of our country. Children’s lives are being transformed thanks to the generosity shown by family, friends and neighbours who respond during the Toy Show to ensure the magic continues all year round.”
Charity partner Community Foundation Ireland, which manages the grant process on behalf of RTÉ and its viewers, says that the competition for funding across the sector is intense, given the impact of cost of living on donations across the sector.
The range of projects receiving funding are indicative of the range of challenges that children can face, but also of the innovative, practical and really valuable work being done by charities large and small, that are helping to make a difference.
Grants are being provided under three main areas of support:
Addressing Essential Needs assists those children in every country who face the greatest challenges. Projects include: afterschool care to children at risk of food poverty, improving the lives of children in emergency accommodation (Galway), and the development of specialist resources for children with Down Syndrome.
Health and Wellbeing focuses on supporting children facing living with health challenges or disabilities. In total over €1.9M is being awarded this year to provide health, disability supports, mental wellbeing and therapy services for more than 100,000 children and their families. Grants include funding a developmental trauma interventions for the Irish Foster Care Association, supports for children with a cancer diagnosis (Cavan), therapeutic care services (Kerry) and monthly home care support hours for life limited children (nationwide).
Creativity and Play will bring colour, creativity and fun into young lives all over Ireland, many of whom have faced serious adversity. Examples include: Exploring the World of Languages is a programme which will engage pre-school children (nationwide), the provision of musical instruments for children traumatised by the war in Ukraine (Mallow), the upscaling of a palliative care unit (Cork), and the creation of the first accessible surf centre for children with disability (Donegal).