DAA employees, supported by the company and members of the public, generated €80,000 each for the company’s three Charities of The Year during 2015. Celebrating the €240,000 raised were Tom Walsh, Diabetes Unit, Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin; Siobhan O’Donnell, daa Charity Chairperson; JB Bannon, Parkinson’s Association of Ireland; and Helen Biddy, Temple Street Children’s Hospital.
The fundraising efforts during 2015 means that daa staff have donated more than €1.7 million to 15 Irish charities over the past nine years.
Kevin Toland, daa Chief Executive, said: “I am immensely proud of the continuing support and passion of daa staff in raising this massive sum of money for charity. Since our charity programme started 15 Irish charities have received significant donations to the total value of €1.7 million over a nine-year period. This truly is a phenomenal sum of money doing a lot of good for Irish charities.”
Denise Fitzgerald, Temple Street Foundation Chief Executive, said: “We are so grateful to all the daa employees who worked so hard to raise a huge €80,000 over the last year from bake sales to fashion shows and even a team rowing from Ireland to France! These funds will help build our much-needed new Neurology & Renal Outpatients Unit and will go a long way in helping sick children in Ireland. Thank you to everyone for your kindness and support.”
Tom Walsh, Chairperson of Walk for Diabetes, part of CMRF at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, said: “I want to thank most sincerely all the staff in daa, the management and the travelling public for their overwhelming achievement in raising €80,000 for each of three charities during 2015. Raising funds of any amount for charity is never easy, but to continue to do so every year at these kind of levels since 2007 is just unbelievable. The funds will be used at the Diabetes Centre in Crumlin to maintain services at current levels and to ensure we continue our diabetes pump therapy treatment programme into the future.”
Paula Gilmore, Chief Executive of the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland, said: “The Parkinson’s Association of Ireland receives no Government funding and we are so grateful to receive this funding from the daa. This enables us to continue the vital services offered by the Parkinson’s Association, including a nurse call back service. We are overwhelmed with the generosity and support we have received from the daa. They ask so little and give so much.”
Over the course of 2015 a wide variety of events took place with daa employees, families and friends getting involved to support the three charities. Events included a 100/50k cycle; a Women’s Mini Marathon; a 5k road race at Dublin Airport; a parachute jump; a charity row; marathons, and books and cake sales.
The amount of money raised is greatly helped by the coin donations made by visitors to Dublin Airport using the many charity coin boxes throughout Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
This year three more Irish Charities will get a slice of the fundraising pot from activities organised by daa staff in 2016. Aoibheann’s Pink Tie, Childline and ARC Support Centre topped the poll of charities nominated by daa staff for their 2016 charity programme.
