Mayo communities join nationwide Power Hour campaign for Jack and Jill's in-home nursing care
The Jack and Jill Children's Foundation is calling on Mayo communities to get behind its nationwide Power Hour campaign, which aims to raise funds for in-home nursing care and respite support for local families.
People across Mayo are being urged to get behind a nationwide fundraising campaign that aims to turn one hour of fun into one hour of vital in-home nursing care for local families.
The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, which currently supports 15 families in Mayo, has joined forces with Today FM for Power Hour for Jack and Jill, a three-week fundraising campaign running throughout September.
The initiative is calling on workplaces, schools, sports clubs, community groups, families and friends to organise a one-hour fundraising activity, with every €20 raised funding one hour of in-home nursing care and respite support for a Jack and Jill family.
Jack and Jill provides up to 100 hours of in-home nursing care and respite support each month to families caring for children up to the age of seven with severe learning disabilities, often associated with complex medical needs.
The charity currently supports more than 530 families nationwide and has supported 112 children in Mayo since it was founded in 1997.
For families caring for children with complex medical needs, the support can make a huge difference. Children may be tube-fed, oxygen-dependent, experience seizures, require multiple medications and need around-the-clock care.
Jack and Jill’s in-home nursing service gives parents a much-needed break from the demands of intensive care, while allowing their child to remain at home, where they belong.
Mayo people taking part in Power Hour can choose any one-hour activity to raise funds. Ideas include coffee mornings, bake sales, quizzes, dance-offs, spin classes, sponsored silences, sunrise yoga, workplace challenges or community events.
Speaking about the campaign, Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation CEO Deirdre Walsh said an hour can have a profound impact on families.
“For most of us, an hour can pass in the blink of an eye. For a Jack and Jill family, that same hour can mean rest, relief and reassurance,” she said.
“It can give an exhausted parent the chance to sleep, take a shower, attend an appointment or spend precious time with their other children.”
Ms Walsh said the charity was particularly keen to see Mayo communities get involved.
“We currently support 15 families in Mayo and have looked after 112 children in the county since our foundation in 1997,” she said.
“We are asking people across the county to get behind Power Hour in whatever way works for them. Whether you gather your colleagues for a quiz, organise a coffee morning in your community or take on a one-hour challenge with friends, every €20 raised will fund an hour of vital care.”
“Power Hour is about people coming together, having fun and giving local families something truly priceless - the gift of time. We hope businesses, schools, clubs and communities throughout Co. Mayo will join us and show just how powerful one hour can be.”
The campaign will be supported by Today FM over three weeks, with listeners hearing family stories, fundraising challenges and special on-air activity highlighting the difference Jack and Jill’s care makes to families.
The campaign will culminate on Friday, September 25, when Today FM will dedicate a full day to Power Hour, with fundraising activities taking place across the country.
People in Mayo who would like to get involved can register a Power Hour fundraiser, donate or find out more through the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation website.