Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation joins forces with Today FM for nationwide Power Hour fundraising campaign

People across Dublin are being called on to get behind Power Hour for Jack and Jill, a nationwide fundraising campaign that will power hours of fun and fundraising into vital hours of in-home nursing care for local families.

Taking place across September, the three-week campaign will bring workplaces, schools, sports clubs, community groups, families and friends together behind one simple but powerful message that €20 funds one hour of in-home nursing care and respite support for a Jack and Jill family.

The charity which provides up to 100 hours of in-home nursing care and respite support each month to families caring for children up to the age of seven with severe learning disabilities, often associated with complex medical needs, currently supports 128 families across Dublin city and county  and over 530 families nationwide.

These children may be tube-fed, oxygen-dependent, experience seizures, take multiple medications and require around-the-clock care.

Jack and Jill gives their parents a vital break from that intensive care regime, safe in the knowledge that their child is being cared for at home, where they belong.

Jack and Jill is now calling on people across Dublin to choose any one-hour activity and use it to raise funds.

It could be a coffee morning, bake sale, quiz, dance-off, spin class, sponsored silence, sunrise yoga session, workplace challenge or community event.

Whatever the activity, every €20 raised will provide one hour of care for a Jack and Jill family.

Deirdre Walsh, CEO of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, said “For most of us, an hour can pass in the blink of an eye.

For a Jack and Jill family, that same hour can mean rest, relief and reassurance.

“It can give an exhausted parent the chance to sleep, take a shower, attend an appointment or spend precious time with their other children.

“We currently support 128 families in Dublin and have looked after 778 children in the county since our foundation in 1997.

“We are asking people across the county to get behind Power Hour in whatever way works for them.

“Whether you gather your colleagues for a quiz, organise a coffee morning in your community or take on a one-hour challenge with friends, every €20 raised will fund an hour of vital care.

“Power Hour is about people coming together, having fun and giving local families something truly priceless, the gift of time. We hope businesses, schools, clubs and communities throughout  Dublin will join us and show just how powerful one hour can be.”

The Jack and Jill Charity Boutique in Artane will be powering the activity  in the capital   where Christmas will be  coming early on Friday, 25 September.

The boutique’s Power Christmas Day will bring festive fun to the store, with Christmas decorations, seasonal treasures, festive jumpers and plenty of bargains to discover.

Shoppers can get a head start on the festive season while supporting a vital local service, as every €20 raised will help fund one hour of in-home nursing care and respite support for local Jack and Jill families.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit the shop, support the local team and find out more about Power Hour.

The campaign will be supported by Today FM across three weeks, with listeners hearing powerful family stories, fundraising challenges and special on-air activity highlighting the difference Jack and Jill care makes.

Power Hour will culminate on Friday, 25 September, when Today FM will dedicate a full day to the campaign, with fundraising activity taking place across the country.

To register a Power Hour fundraiser, donate or find out more, visit www.jackandjill.ie