Staff of the Kavanagh Group recently celebrated the huge feat of raising over €100,000 as a part of their Help Us Help Others campaign for the purchase of the site for new hospice facility in Castlebar. The funds were presented to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice at a special event in The Wyatt Hotel. The money was collected through the tireless efforts of the management, staff and communities of Kavanagh’s SuperValu Westport, Castlebar, Claremorris and Kiltimagh. The significant donation will fund the purchase of the site for the new hospice care facility in Castlebar.
The money was collected through a series of energy fuelled activities and fundraisers during the last 14 months including headline events; HopUp4Hospice - an 50km and 100km Cycle, The Cube for Hospice – a live audience version of the popular ITV Game show and The Memorial Walks which were arranged in conjunction with the Mayo Roscommon Hospice.
Speaking on the night of the presentation Noel Kavanagh, managing director of Kavanagh’s SuperValu, said he credited the communities for their contributions to the fundraising. “Without their generosity we would not be here today handing over a cheque for over €100k,” he said. “It’s astonishing in hard times what can be achieved. Our customers participated in every event and for that we are so grateful. The fact that these funds stay in our county to provide what will be a wonderful new facility for the care of cancer patients is a very proud moment for all involved.”
Cynthia Clampett of Mayo Roscommon Hospice said: “We are grateful to the management and staff and so aware of the time and effort everyone put into reaching this tremendous goal of which will buy the site where we can build the hospice care facility. We will be going for planning in the next few weeks, going out to tender, choosing a builder, cutting the sod and would love to see as many of the Kavanagh Group staff as possible there as it will the Kavanagh’s sod we will be cutting. Cynthia said she looks forward to bringing all of the Kavanagh Group staff on a tour of the facility when it is finished. It will provide a caring, effective service and a great legacy for the people of Mayo for generations to come.”
A huge thank you was also given by Noel and Cynthia to customers in the four locations Westport, Castlebar, Claremorris, and Kiltimagh for their generosity.
Not new to the fundraising scene, the team in Kavanagh Group headquarters knew the task ahead and so undertook the massive effort to raise €100,000 in April of last year. A clear plan of how to raise the funds was devised. Noreen Coyne, HR consultant, People Matters, along with input from Noel and Mark Kavanagh, directors of the group, and head of finance, Sean Moran, all played integral roles in the foundation and success of the campaign. Over the past three years Kavanagh Group staff have raised more than €275,000 for hospices across the west and north west.
Noel Kavanagh, managing director of the Kavanagh Group, complimented the true sense of team spirit behind the whole campaign with cake sales, spinathons, sky dives, zumbathons, quiz nights and much more happening during the course of the last year. Noel commented: “You name it, they did it.”
