June NUI Galway An Ciste Carthanachta raises almost €27,000 for 13 local charities

NUI Galway has announced that a special scheme for staff to make charitable donations has raised €26,900.

The University’s An Ciste Carthanachta is supporting 13 charities in the Galway region thanks to monthly donations and one-off gifts during 2020.

President of NUI Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said: “We thank all of the staff who have contributed to raise funds for local charities. It is kindness made real.

“It is also a powerful signal that our vision and values of respect and openness permeate all of our thinking and our work, and it demonstrates that our focus on the public good can begin with modest ideas and grow to make significant differences to the lives of people in our community.”

The fund is being shared among 13 charities in the Galway region which support the homeless, the vulnerable and people with additional needs, as well as helping to address health, mental health and suicide, and in making the city and county a safer and more caring place to be.

The benefitting charities are Galway Simon Community; COPE; Galway Hospice; Samaritans; St Vincent de Paul; Galway Rape Crisis Centre; Croí; Kinvara Alive; Western Alzheimers Galway; Galway Autism Partnership; Order of Malta; Claddagh Watch; and the Blue Teapot Theatre Company.

Imelda Byrne, spokesperson for NUI Galway’s An Ciste Carthanachta, said: “The University’s An Ciste Carthanachta was acutely aware of the impact of the pandemic on charities and their ability to run their services, to meet demand and to raise funds. Our colleagues deserve credit for the way in which they have responded to this perfect storm, with a significant increase in donations on the previous year giving the University the opportunity to support 13 charities.”

Galway Simon Community is one of the charities to benefit from the fund, with chief executive Karen Golden explaining the difference the donations are making.

"Galway Simon Community supported 646 households in 2020, comprising of 1,216 individuals. In the midst of the pandemic, we were able to prevent hundreds of individuals and families from homelessness thanks to the extraordinary dedication and hard work of our staff and volunteer teams who continued to support clients every single day,” Ms Golden said.

“The funds from NUI Galway will enable us to support more people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in our community and to help them to leave homelessness behind for good.”

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