The incoming president of the Business and Professional Women’s group in Galway for 2010 has been appointed a community fundraiser for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children service Childline.
Galway woman Carmen Taheny’s new position will cover the west which comprises Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Roscommon, Leitrim and Longford. She was formerly a director of the locally based National Breast Cancer research Institute.
Speaking at the announcement she said these are challenging times for charities because of the downturn in the economy.
“All of our mentoring services have received more referrals in the first seven months of this year than the total number received last year. The amount of calls coming into Childline has risen dramatically in the past year with families under increasing pressure and as a result more are seeking support. This, coupled with fundraising in the current economic climate, has placed an enormous strain on the ISPCC’s ongoing ability to provide a service for all the children who need it.
“Within Childline at the moment we can only answer just over 60 per cent of the 17,000 weekly calls made to us nationally. We urgently need more funds to allow us to increase this percentage.”
Childline, which does not receive any government funding, recently launched a Teentext service which allows children to text it or go online in a confidential manner.
“My job will be to go out into the heart of the community and raise as much money as we can to ensure that we are in a position to deal with all the calls and contacts that we receive,” explains Ms Taheny. “After all, children are the future of the country.”
The public can help Childline by supporting its fundraising Big Breakfast on October 11 at the Salthill Hotel. The event is being organised in association with Cheerios and the highlights include a jazz band and colouring competitions. Family tickets are €20.
