Focus Ireland have launched Ireland’s Great Get Together, a brand-new fundraising campaign aimed at encouraging the people of Dublin to ‘get together’ to raise vital funds for the charity.
Taking place from April 20 to 22, the event was launched last week by comedian, actress, and Dancing with the Stars finalist Deirdre O’Kane.
Deirdre said that she is “delighted” to be part of the launch of the campaign, one that holds particular relevancy following An Taoiseach’s Leo Varadkar’s announcement that homelessness in Ireland is now at a level of national emergency.
She said: “Ireland’s Great Get Together is a fantastic chance for the people of Dublin to get together with the important people in their lives and raise money for a very worthy cause. It’s great to see Bord Gais Energy getting involved and helping Focus Ireland to combat this crisis.”
Almost 10,000 people are currently without a home in Ireland, with a child becoming homeless every 3.5 hours, based off the most recent statistics.
Deirdre added: “It’s shocking to think that one child becomes homeless every 3.5 hours in Ireland. It is also unacceptable and we all need to do our bit to try and help change this.”
The new initiative from Focus Ireland, who have teamed up with Bord Gais Energy, asks for the public to come up with any kind of initiative to get people together.
From a dinner party to a sports tournament, it doesn’t matter as long as vital funds are raised for Focus Ireland.
Focus Ireland’s chief executive Pat Dennigan said: “Focus Ireland helps more than 14,000 people a year and we need the great support we get from the likes of Bord Gais Energy and the public so we can reach all these people.
“Ireland’s Great Get Together is a new event and it will be really positive as it gives people the opportunity to do the things they love, and bring their friends, family and community together, while also helping our work.
“Thanks to the support of Bord Gais Energy, all the funds raised will go towards helping provide services for families who are homeless or at risk and we hope this campaign will also raise awareness of the deepening crisis in Ireland.”
Mark Prentice, managing director of Bord Gais Energy, said the partnership with Focus Ireland has recently been extended until 2021, and they hope to help more and more families through the Great Get Together and other initiatives in the future.
He said: “To date, this partnership has already supported more than 5,182 families in need, but there is still more to be done to tackle this issue and that is why fundraising initiatives such Ireland’s Great Get Together are so important.”
Anyone looking to take part is asked to register their get together at focusireland.ie, where they can download a host pack and get more information
