Appeal to save Jack and Jill service
The Jack and Jill Foundation which helps families care for sick children in their own homes, is facing a shortfall of €450,000 this year.
While it has some spare cash to cover the deficit, its reserve fund will be completely depleted by January.
The charity says it will have to consider cuts to its service in December if a public appeal fails to raise enough money.
It needs just €1.35m in funding from the Health Service Executive to save the state €15m in long-term hospital costs and is now urging people to donate 250,000 mobiles and cash in an Save Our Service appeal to be launched in Dublin next Wednesday.
The foundation says the cuts, if necessary, will be decided next month.
Founder and chief executive Jonathan Irwin said the charity was hoping to raise an emergency SOS fund of €750,000 over Christmas and the New Year by appealing to the general public and collecting 250,000 unused mobile phones.
The charity is also hoping to get as many people as possible sign up for a ‘Fiver a Month’ campaign and purchase its new Christmas Book which goes on sale next week.
“Hopefully, mobile phones will be the currency to get us out of this immediate financial crisis,” said Mr Irwin.
If the appeal fails to plug the funding gap, the charity will have to consider service cuts of up to 30% that will push many families to breaking point and force about 100 children back into intensive care.
The charity was disappointed the Disability Minister John Moloney gave an inconclusive response to its urgent request for increased funding last month. Mr Moloney has arranged to a further meeting with the charity early next month.
Mr Irwin said they would continue to put pressure on Mr Moloney as well as Health Minister Mary Harney and the HSE to invest in Jack and Jill.
He said the HSE had invested €4m in Jack and Jill since 1997 while the charity raised €30m, a situation that had to change.
“We’re not given credit by this Government for investing €1.2m in the education system in the form of interactive white boards for the classroom which students have exchanged for mobile phones – ironic when you consider the grant we’re looking for from the HSE for 2011 is not much more than this,” he said.
- Meanwhile the Toys 4 Big Boys Expo is going to try to beat a world record by collecting the highest number of unused mobile phones for the Jack and Jill Foundation in Dublin this weekend and Cork next weekend.
