Galway Rape Crisis Centre (GRCC ) and the staff in Aviva Ireland’s Galway office continue to explore innovative fundraising opportunities to raise much needed funds in the absence of the charity’s normal calendar of activities. Local restaurant owners Alice Jary and Richard Kennan from Rúibín Bar & Restaurant in Galway’s historic docklands, recently came to the rescue and generously offered an inventive solution with a virtual cooking and cocktail demonstration, at which the Aviva staff participated. The participants donated directly to GRCC to get access to the session and all funds raised was matched by Aviva.
Commenting Alice Jary, Rúibín Bar & Restaurant said: “Unfortunately, we all know of people in our lives who are or have been victims of violence and abuse of power, an indication of the scale of the issue. The GRCC is doing amazing work providing much needed support to survivors and we are just delighted to be able to do something to support them”.
“Fundraising initiatives have never been as important”, according to Susan Costello, Fundraising and Communication Manager for GRCC. “Whilst we have seen an overall increase in demand for our services since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have also seen a sharp increase in the weeks post the two lockdowns in 2020, with people coming forward regarding assaults in their homes during the lockdowns. This is a trend that we fear may continue after the current extended lockdown is lifted.
“Unfortunately, we are experiencing an increase in our waiting lists for counselling due in part to inadequate resources and the increase in the numbers needing our services. Our priority is to reduce this waiting time as, given the distressing nature of what survivors have experienced, it is not acceptable that there are no resources available to support them when they need us most. We do our utmost to ensure that the waiting time is as short as possible, particularly in the adolescent clinic as research undertaken by us has shown the benefits of early engagement with our younger clients and the positive outcomes that are achieved by doing so. We will continue to lobby and fundraise for more resources to support those who seek our help in the community and are looking to the public for their support in this’.
“Our recent ‘cooking and cocktail’ demonstration is a creative way of fundraising that works really well in the current restrictions. Much of our fundraising remains impacted by the pandemic and we continue to play ‘catch up’ in getting funds in to support our services. We are truly thankful for all the support we have received from the community and we would encourage individuals and companies to get in touch at [email protected] or call 085-2462959 to find out how they can help support us”, concluded Susan Costello.
Galway Rape Crisis Centre’s Freephone Helpline: 1800 355 355
