THE DREAM of the late Shay Kinsella – to make sick children’s dreams come true – lives on as his son and a cohort of friends that are getting his charity foundation up and running again.
John Kinsella, son of Shay, the CEO and founder of the Limerick-based Share a Dream foundation, has been working for the last year to get his late father’s charity up and running again to help children with life-limiting problems have their very special dreams comes true.
The Share a Dream foundation closed in March 2020 at the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, not long after that both Shay Kinsella and foundation manager Ciara Brolly both passed away.
“It will be a total reset of the charity as Shay and Ciara will never be replaced,” said John.
“With the help of Ciaran Doyle, Karen O’Reilly, and Shane Sommers, we will hope to have the charity operating again in early 2024 with a new board and CEO”.
In the meantime, the wheels were already in motion when Santa paid a surprise visit to Dreamland over Christmas week. Santa was there to meet a number of special kids and their families and share in the happy news about the facility reopening. It’s hoped, all going to plan, that the official relaunch will be in February.
Share a Dream is an Irish National Children’s charity based in Limerick, dedicated to making dreams come true for disabled and seriously ill children.
It was established in 1989 and was run by Shay Kinsella until his death in 2020. The foundation touched the lives of over 25,000 children and their families since its inception.
Shay, described as a man with a heart full of compassion, founded Share a Dream with the belief that dreams could be a source of hope and strength for children facing illness and adversity.
“His dream was to create a space where joy and positivity could flourish, providing respite for families navigating challenging circumstances. With the reopening of Share a Dream, Shay’s legacy lives on and the impact of his vision continues to resonate within the organisation,” the Wexford man’s son shared.
“Ciara Brolly, the charity’s project manager, also played a crucial role in Share a Dream. Her dedication to the cause and her ability to connect with both volunteers and families made her an integral part of the organisation. As Share a Dream reopens its doors, Shay and Ciara’s spirit is felt in every festive decoration, in every smile exchanged, and in every dream fulfilled”.
The former Dreamland play centre, first opened in 2016, is sadly not due to return on account of a spate of burglaries at the premises.
“The charity will instead be directing all its efforts towards special children and their families who need their support most,” said John.
“We want everyone to know we are open for business.”
