The Simon House of Cards Appeal, the Christmas fund-raising campaign for the Simon Community, was announced yesterday. The campaign, in its second year, partners the homeless charity with Irish businesses, offering companies the opportunity to donate all or part of their Christmas card budget to the Simon Community.
In lieu of sending cards, participating companies will send their Christmas greetings through a full page advertisement, which will be placed in The Irish Times in mid-December. The charity has set a fund-raising target of £100,000.
"Clients, colleagues and suppliers recognise that they are still receiving a Christmas greeting, while realising that money that would have been spent on cards has been donated to an immensely worthwhile cause," said Ms Sarah Forster, Simon's fund-raising executive. Last year the campaign raised £75,000 for the homeless.