Charity boost thanks to PayPal staff

A NUMBER of local and national charities have received donations totalling €65,000 thanks to the generosity of PayPal staff in Ballycoolin, Dublin 15, and Dundalk.

Drumcondra based ChildVision, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and the Rape Crisis Centre were amongst the charities nominated by staff for the windfall.

The funding came through the company’s Financial Inclusion Charity Grant initiative.

Seven of the charities received funding as part of the PayPal Gives grant programme. Another three organisations received grants through the tech giant’s Financial Inclusion Charity Grant initiative.

The PayPal Gives programme is designed to empower staff to support the communities in which they live and work through volunteering and employee-sponsored grants.

Each of the organisations received €6,900.

Child Vision, which helps visually impaired young people, will use its contribution to provide advanced eye glaze technology to aid the development of sensory skills.

The Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre will use its funding to provide those affected by cancer with a safe and holistic environment.

SOSAD (Save Our Sons And Daughters), an organisation that helps those dealing with suicide, will put the money towards an IT upgrade and a refurbishment of its client area.

The Louth Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will use the contribution to assist with improvements to its facilities.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland will invest its donation in social clubs for people living with dementia and their carers.

The Louth/Meath branch of Down Syndrome Ireland, which is dedicated to being the primary source of information and support to people with Down Syndrome, is using the funds to support its education and employment officers.

The Rape Crisis Centre is putting the donation towards specialised counselling and support services for young people who have experienced sexual assault or abuse.

Three more charities received funding as part of Ireland’s Financial Inclusion Charity Grant programme, which aims to help people and organisations that struggle to secure affordable financial services.

ALONE, the Irish Youth Foundation and Sonairte Ecology Centre were selected for the programme because of their innovative ideas.

ALONE, which helps older people to live in their own homes, received €8,900 to fund its Launch Bwell mobile app. 

This software will form a major part of the ALONE technology platform, which aims to promote financial inclusion for those aged 60 and over.

In a bid to develop young people as social entrepreneurs, the Irish Youth Foundation is eager to develop its YouthBank programme using the donation of €4,800.

The organisation is dedicated to meeting the needs of vulnerable young people living in disadvantaged circumstances.

Sonairte Ecology Centre, a not-for-profit educational charity that focuses on sustainable living, received €2,800 ($3,500) which will be invested in the establishment of a permanent social enterprise within the organisation.

Maeve Dorman, Vice President of Merchant Operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, PayPal, says PayPal Gives and the Financial Inclusion Charity Grant programme are reflective of the culture within the company.

“We think it’s right to involve everyone in PayPal in helping to decide which good causes we should support,” she added. “It is fantastic to see so many charities benefit from the programme and we are proud to support the invaluable work that these organisations do in our local communities It also means a lot to our teammates to see the real impact they making.”