Following the inaugural launch in 2022, the AIB Community €1 Million Fund has donated to over 70 national and local charities including Dogs for the Disabled, Irish Cancer Society, Aoibheann’s Pink Tie and Dyslexia Association of Ireland. In 2023 the fund received over 16,000 nominations from AIB customers, colleagues and the public, highlighting the fantastic support given by charities across Ireland. The 2023 fund has supported more than 70 more charities including Recovery Haven Kerry and Lough Ree Access for All.
Recovery Haven Kerry
Recovery Haven Kerry, located in Tralee, is a volunteer-led, community-based organisation providing a range of psychological, emotional and practical supports to cancer patients, their families and carers free of charge. Since it was founded in 2009 by breast care nurse Marian Barnes and a group of committed volunteers, it has provided services to more than 5,500 people. In 2022 a total of 772 people availed of the services. Up to the end of June 2023, 551 people have attended, an average of 22 clients a week, with an expectation that 1,100 people will have used the services by the end of this year.
Recovery Haven Kerry supports people to live well with and beyond cancer. Distress is a natural reaction when faced with a cancer diagnosis so by attending their services and programmes, the client has a haven where they can discuss their fears and concerns. The services are provided by a small team of professionals, trained therapists and volunteer listeners led by a cancer nurse.
The €31,500 secured from the AIB Community €1 Million Fund will support the training and further development of Recovery Haven Kerry volunteers. Volunteers are the first point of contact for new clients, taking information, carrying out follow up support calls and generally assisting in the day to day running of Recovery Haven Kerry cancer house. Each prospective volunteer must complete an 18-hour training programme to ensure they have the requisite skills, knowledge and confidence to undertake their role. As well as this, all volunteers are required to update their certification in first aid, manual handling and fire safety. The funding will enable volunteers to upskill, training existing volunteers to be group facilitators in courses such as cancer thrive and survive, building better caregivers and Climb (children’s lives have moments of bravery) and Cubs (children united in bereavement) programme.
The funding will also support the finishing of an extension to a high standard through the provision of a dedicated play therapy room and sensory space in the garden. Access to this sensory garden will help children develop life skills including emotional regulation and self-reliance.
The money secured will allow Recovery Haven to expand the provision of mental health and wellbeing supports for children, parents and families, including children with a cancer diagnosis and children who have a significant person in their lives with cancer. Recovery Haven will be further able to provide support to families who are struggling with the impact of cancer in their family and dealing with issues including separation due to treatment, financial concerns such as loss of income or the cost of accessing services such as therapy.
Recovery Haven Kerry was nominated by both members of the public and AIB employees. AIB’s branch manager in Tralee, Stephen Stack, said: “At AIB we feel very strongly about being part of the communities we operate in, not just by providing financial services but through the Community €1 Million Fund. We’re delighted to support Recovery Haven Kerry because we know the real difference they are making in people’s lives.”
Gemma Fort, a manager at Recovery Haven Kerry said: “The AIB Community €1 Million Fund will make a significant impact for Recovery Haven Kerry cancer support house. It will contribute towards the provision of a dedicated play therapy room and sensory space in the garden to the rear of our newly refurbished building and enable us to expand the provision of mental health and wellbeing supports for children, parents, and families, including children with a cancer diagnosis and children who have a significant person in their lives with cancer”.
Lough Ree Access for All
Since opening in near Lanesboro, Co Longford, Lough Ree Access for All strives to ensure that the mental and physical health benefits of the outdoors, in particular the blue space, are available to people with disabilities.
They offer the only licensed passenger boat service for people with disabilities on the Island of Ireland and in the UK. The innovative boat is designed to allow full access for wheelchair users and others on to the river Shannon through the use of a collapsing bow. Until this, wheelchair users could not access a licensed boat service without being hoisted or lifted by a third party. Over 3,000 people visited the facility in 2022 with numbers expected to increase greatly in 2023.
Lough Ree Access for All also features a purpose-built national facility on the shore of Lough Ree in County Roscommon which offers unique, totally inclusive activities for people with disabilities including angling, powerboating and sailing without restrictions. They promote social inclusion, community engagement and environmental awareness through their work with local communities, communities nationally and overseas.
Lough Ree Access for All was nominated as part of the AIB Community €1 Million Fund and received €6,500 as a result. The funding secured will support the building of a sensory area to assist guests visiting the facility who may have intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities. The sensory area will allow guests the time to relax and unwind when they arrive in advance of their boat trip. The installation of sensory areas will greatly enhance guests experiences while they are waiting before and after their boat cruise.
Speaking about the charity, AIB’s branch manager in Co Roscommon, Carmel Reilly, said: “As a team, we felt that Lough Ree Access for All was a worthy cause for the AIB Community €1 Million Fund because we have followed them for years and have seen that the determination and grit of a small group of people has led to such an amazing facility in the Midlands. We were really proud to be able to support an organisation in our local community”.
Discussing how the funding from AIB will support their organisation, Harry Sheehy, a skipper at Lough Ree Access for All, said: “The funding secured from the AIB Community €1 Million Fund is going to be a huge help to us. It will support the construction of a sensory area which will support even more of our guests to take some time out and relax when they arrive here, especially those that might be stressed out by their journey. When some of our guests arrive here, it’s not unusual for them to feel anxious and so the sensory area will be enormously important so we can take a few minutes to regroup and unwind before their boat trip”.
To see 2023 full list of charitable organisations from the AIB Community €1 Million Fund visit aib.ie