Jack and Jill #Upthehill

Dublin nurse gets helping hand from fellow nurses for ‘Up the Hill for Jack & Jill’ where people climb a hill, big or small, & donate €16 to fund 1 hour of home nursing care for a sick child in their home county

(L-R) Jack & Jill specialist children’s nurse for Dublin Caroline Thomas gets a helping hand from fellow nurses Saundra Nolan (who covers Offaly, Laois, Limerick), Anne Reilly (Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Meath), Margaret Naughton (Clare, Galway, Limerick, Mayo, North Tipperary) and Fiona Callaghan who covers Wicklow, Dublin, Kildare.  The Jack & Jill home nursing care model has an 18 year track record, having supported over 1,900 children nationwide, including 470 families in Dublin and 39 families in Wicklow and 106 in Kildare.  This fundraising campaign for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation asks people to climb a hill of their choice – big hill, small hill, emotional hill or treadmill – and to donate €16 to Jack & Jill to fund 1 hour of home nursing care for a sick child in their home county. Register at www.jackandjill.ie

Climb a hill for those who can't this September! #upthehill

Throughout September and October people, young and old, fit or aspiring to be, individually or in groups can now sign up on www.jackandjill.ie for a once off registration fee of €16, with a target of raising €200,000 to fund 12,500 hours of home nursing care for sick children who suffer severe development delay as a result of brain damage.  The charity is using the campaign to build awareness of the families under its wing nationwide with children, from birth to 4 years old, who have a life limiting or life threatening condition and the hill they climb every day to keep their child well cared for at home, where they belong, with the help of Jack & Jill nurses.

Urging people to get involved and to share their pictures on Facebook, to build momentum for this campaign, Caroline Thomas and here Jack & Jill nursing colleagues said:
“As nurses we are honored and inspired to support these children and their families who have a resilience and commitment to make every day count. These are precious children in every community in Ireland who typically take seizures, are oxygen dependent, are tube fed and have problems sleeping.  But underneath all of this disability, these are children who do better at home medically, emotionally, financially amongst their family, their community, where they belong.  This campaign is about community helping community, neighbour helping neighbour, and friends getting together to have fun and raise money for a good, local cause.  In particular, it is a great way for the friends and neighbours of families with Jack & Jill children, who can often feel unsure as to what they can do to help, to make a real difference.”

The Jack & Jill funded homecare plan is designed around the whole family, never forgetting the siblings.  There is no waiting list and the nurses provide an out of hours service for the families that need it and operate 365 days a year, in every community and every walk of life. The nationwide service includes home visits and care, advice, information, lobbying and bereavement support, with the Foundation providing funding for up to 64 hours of home nursing care per month at a cost of €1024 per family and up to 80 hours per month for end of life care.  With less than 20% of its funding coming from the State, the Jack & Jill Foundation relies on the generosity of the public and campaigns like ‘Up the Hill for Jack & Jill’ to keep going.


More details at https://www.jackandjill.ie/up-the-hill-for-jack-and-jill/ and  Facebook