THE
Founder of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation has won a major
international award for his selfless work.
Jonathan
Irwin, the CEO of the charity, won the Global Fundraising Award in Amsterdam.
He
is head of the kids’ charity that designs, funds and delivers home nursing care
to families of children with brain damage in Ireland.
Jonathan,
who was voted Irish Fundraiser of the Year in June of this year, was nominated
for this prestigious global award by Fundraising Ireland. Since 1997 Jonathan
has raised
?¬32 million privately for the Jack & Jill Foundation, which has
supports 1,400 children.
He
also created a whole new currency out of waste when Jack & Jill became the
first Irish charity to turn unwanted mobile phones into cash.
Recently
this was extended to computer games and crutches.
His
fundraising drive has given Jack & Jill the awareness and financial support
to keep going in tough times and to raise the
?¬2.7 million it requires every
year to run the nationwide service.
The
70-year-old is from an Anglo Irish background of actors and academics and his
grandfather was headmaster of Wesley College. He spent 35 years in the horse
industry before setting up Jack & Jill and was largely responsible for
bringing the Cartier Million, Europe’s richest race and the first £1 million
sports event in Europe, to the Phoenix Park.
His
varied career has included bloodstock agent, auctioneer, announcer, stud owner,
publisher and racetrack executive, at the British Bloodstock Agency Ireland,
Goffs, the Phoenix Park Racecourse, Dublin International Sports Council and the
World Special Olympics.
He
set up the charity after his son Jack Irwin was born healthy on February 29,
1996. However, Jack was oxygen deprived and ended up brain damaged. At the time
there were no supports for kids like Jack outside hospitals.
The
family decided to try to care for Jack at home with the help of two local
nurses and family and friends who set up a roster of care which became the
blueprint for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. Jack Irwin died at
home aged 22 months.
The
other big tragedy in Jonathan’s life was the loss of his 18-year-old son Sam in
Summer 2000 who died while on holiday in Portugal.
The
foundation raises the money it needs through mobile phone recycling, public
donations and regular fundraisers.
The
Jack & Jill’s County Text campaign asks people to donate
?¬5 to support
families in their home county by texting their chosen recipient county to
57034.