The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation is asking people to support local and donate local by going 'Up the Hill for Jack and Jill' this October.
Funds raised will go towards the home nursing care of Jack & Jill children around the country who have highly complex medical and life-limiting conditions, including nine children in Mayo.
The fundraiser is part of an SOS appeal underway to fill a €200,000 funding gap and to extend the age range of children supported by the charity from five to six years of age.
Jack & Jill’s frontline home nursing care and end-of-life care is more important than ever, given the lack of respite options in the community for the extra-special children it supports.
“Up the Hill for Jack & Jill” will be very different this October compared with previous years. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, there are no big hill events being organised.
Instead, participants must keep their challenge small, safe and local. People can walk, skip, jog, cycle or climb their chosen hill. Some are even opting to climb the stairs and count their steps at work throughout the month – the most important thing is to observe public health advice at all times.
People can register today at www.jackandjill.ie for €16, which funds one hour of home nursing care and end-of-life care. No sponsorship card is required.
Jack and Jill mobilises a crew of 700 nurses and carers to support parents who are looking after their children at home right around the clock.
Jack and Jill support is not just for a week or a weekend, but a vital and ongoing connection throughout the child’s early years, with the charity providing an average of 40 hours’ support a month to 362 children nationwide, increasing to 80 hours for end-of-life support.
This encompasses a range of tasks as per the child’s unique needs, and may include peg feeding, monitoring of vital signs and medication management. The service operates seven days a week, with no waiting list.
For Erin Watt Shepherd, Jack and Jill specialist children’s liaison nurse for Mayo, every €16 raised will make a real difference to the family of a child being cared for.
She said: "Every day our families have their own hill to climb at home. With ‘Up the Hill for Jack and Jill’, we are asking people to physically climb a hill in solidarity with those who can’t.
"It’s about neighbour helping neighbour, friend helping friend and that community support really means so much to our families and our nurses. It’s very simple to get involved this year, and the hill you climb can be whatever you want it to be – a gentle slope, a mountain peak, or a simple walk with a friend. We are determined that this is one fundraising event that Covid-19 won’t flatten.
"Every person taking part contributes the cost of one hour of home nursing care. That one hour, along with all the other hours fundraised, makes a huge difference to the lives of the local families who receive ongoing support from Jack and Jill nurses."
For more information on the work of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, visit www.jackandjill.ie
