The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation is urging the people of Mayo to go Up the Hill for Jack & Jill this October and climb a hill in solidarity with the eight families it supports in Mayo who have an uphill challenge in caring for their very sick child every day.
This is the seventh year of the nationwide fundraising challenge which aims to raise funds for Jack & Jill’s specialist home nursing care, respite support and end-of-life care for very sick children up to the age of six.
Notwithstanding the pandemic, in 2020 Jack & Jill funded and delivered over 94,000 hours of home nursing care to 376 families, through a team of hundreds of nurses and carers in communities across the country.
This was in addition to the 25,000 hours of hands-on, case management provided by the Jack & Jill core nursing team, which is made up of 15 specialist children’s liaison nurses. In 2020, Jack & Jill also extended the age range of children it supports by a year and that age extension continues today, with children up to six years of age receiving the vital care that they need at home. Because, for a Jack & Jill child, there is no care like home care.
With less than 20 per cent of Jack & Jill’s funding coming from Government, it relies hugely on the support of the public for the continued provision of this critical service for so many families. The Up the Hill fundraising challenge is one of Jack & Jill’s key flagship fundraising endeavours, and the people of Mayo are being asked to continue their long-standing generosity and to lend their support to its work in whatever way they can this year. The campaign is part of Jack & Jill’s ‘Support Local, Donate Local’ drive, with all money raised supporting local Jack & Jill family homes.
For Erin Watt-Shepherd, Jack & Jill specialist children’s liaison nurse for Mayo, Up the Hill means so much to local families, who depend on the funds raised for their support. She said: "To say that it has been a very tough 18 months for our Jack & Jill families is an understatement. As one of the vulnerable groups during the pandemic, our families have had to take refuge in order to keep themselves and, most importantly, their children safe.
"It has been really tough. Throughout this time, we have continued to provide in-home support, across the garden wall support, and over the phone support. Last year, we provided over 1,600 hours of support to families in Mayo.
"This support affords families the ‘Gift of Time’ to do things for themselves and other family members – whether it’s spending some quality time with a sibling, grabbing a quick coffee with a friend, getting some fresh air in the great outdoors, or simply taking a nap to recharge – it’s that time out which means that they can continue to spend time caring for their sick child and doing what mums and dads do best."
Registration is just €18 – the cost of one hour of specialist home nursing care for very sick children – with funds raised going to support the 396 families currently under the care of Jack & Jill around the country. For more information and to register, check out www.jackandjill.ie
