54 brave individuals abseiled off Limerick’s home of rugby, Thomond Park, all in the name of a very deserving cause.
Led by TV chef and Limerick native Eoin Sheehan, they took to the top of Thomond Park’s east end to abseil over 8,000 feet to raise money for Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.
All the money raised from the daredevil event will go towards 19 Jack and Jill families in Limerick, with every €18 raised funding one hour of specialist home care nurses for respite care or end of live care for children under six with complex medical needs.
Jack and Jill need to raise over €6 million every year to meet the demands on its services, with over 2,800 families being supported by the foundation since it was set up in 1997.
Foundation chief executive Carmel Doyle, said: “For many of our families, learning their child has a severe to profound cognitive delay or a terminal diagnosis is a terrifying leap into the unknown.”
“Our nurses offer them some respite from these extremely difficult circumstances – a lifeline. Community fundraisers like these give the gift of time to the families of these children, and for that we’re very grateful for our gutsy participants challenging themselves to help our families.”
Jack and Jill currently supports over 400 families nationwide with up to 80 hours of home nursing care, at a cost of €1,440 per month, or €17,280 per year.
Jack and Jill are now turning their sights to Croke Park where another group of abseilers are set to make their way down GAA Headquarters in August.
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