2016 Diplomatic Ball Gallery

2016 ICB Diplomatic Ball Sponsors

2016 Supported Charity

Project: After School Activity for Deaf Children Programme: The programme is necessary because Deaf children experience exclusion and marginalisation in the mainstream community activities for children due to cultural and linguistic barriers. Deaf school residence does not have the resources to develop the after school educative activities. The project will provide opportunities and engagement through activities and challenges to enhance their ability to work as a team and develop their disciplines and knowledge through the programme that would be active on daily basis. Project cost: €12,000

Moipone Phamotse (Lesotho) and Vuyo Sigcau (South Africa) visited Catholic Institute for Deaf People and met with Keith Adams (CEO). CIDP is doing a lot of work to assist the deaf community with regard to learning in classroom, as well as in all forms of extramural activities, all of which enable the students of various ages to cope with everyday life and integrate well with the community. Kieth showed Moipone and Vuyo around the introduced them to the School Principal and the boarding manager both of whom very ably and passionately explained the very high standard of participating learning as well as in competitive sports and winning medals over the years, in water sports and Taekwon-Do for example. The after school activities that the institution do also help integrate the deaf with the neighbouring people who come into the deaf village to use the facilities. Keith was very grateful and exited to know that they have been selected as one of the 2016 ICB charities.

2016 Supported Charity

Project: Adolescent Positive Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Programme: The programme comes as a timely response to our most recent statistics which identifies Ireland’s suicide rate amongst teenage girls as the highest in Europe and the suicide rate amongst teenage boys as the second highest in Europe. All adults were once adolescents, and Cork City has the highest suicide rate in Ireland with levels more than 70% above the national average. The programme will incorporate a psycho-education prevention programme in schools across Cork City and County, support for parents and families in distress, and evidence-based resources for educators and schools. Project cost: €15,000

Ambassador István Pálffy (Hungary) met two extremely devoted peopled from Cork Counselling Services who informed him about a lot of things regarding the work of the Service and the project. They presented the method they use in schools to address the young people with suicidal problems and highlighted the reasons why there is a large number of suicides happening here. Ambassador Pálffy understood that a neighbouring town called Middletown has the highest suicide rate in the world!!!

2016 Supported Charity

Daisyhouse Education & Skills Fund: This funding will enable Daisyhouse to establish an Education Fund that will be available to target groups so they have the opportunity to gain new skills and educational qualifications to further their opportunities to move away from homelessness into independent, sustainable living. Funding would cover tuition costs for various areas of study that would result in diplomas or certificates. Project cost: €11,657

Ingrid Thorbjonsrud (Norway, Austria) and Judit Toth (Hungary) went to visit Daisyhouse, a charity helping homeless women. They went to the houses where 11 women live and met the coordinator, Orla. Orla told Ingrid and Judit that the women, aged 20-55, have all suffered serious trauma in various forms and that almost all of them are victims of violence. Most of them are eager to learn new skills and get more education , and this is where we are helping. There were tears of joy when they learned that they have been selected to receive the 2016 ICB funding. It is not every day you get to be called a "fairy angel"... This charity is doing great work and has 44 women on their waiting list. The photos show a few of the women Daisyhouse has helped, the house entrances. A room that is made ready for a new tenant and Orla, Judit and Ingrid outside the hut that is used as a recreation room in the nice garden.

2016 Supported Charity

Project: Horseriding/Cyclecamp: Horse Riding for 20 Children with Physical Disabilities. Horse riding whether or not therapeutic, has a lot of benefits: increasing balance and using muscles that improve strength of body, which can compensate for lack of strength in other parts. Cycle Camp for 20 Children with Physical Disabilities. Cycling can be an alternative to walking. This camp will teach children how to ride a bicycle. Adaptive technology will be introduced and enable children to work on their balance, which will increase the confidence of children who have difficulties with walking. Project cost: €4,000

2016 Supported Charity

Project: The Assistance Dog Program For Children With Autism: Funding to purchase breeding stock for the assistance dog program. It will provide up to four litters of pups for the assistance dog program which will provide up to 40 pups and change the lives of 40 children and their families for the better forever . An Assistance Dog is the same breed, age and temperament as a Guide Dog and is trained especially to work with a child with autism and his or her family. Assistance Dogs work with children with Asbergers, autism, and children who are on the autistic spectrum. Project cost: €15,000

Christina Hopfner (Germany) and Dena O'Malley (USA) met with John Burke, manager of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, which has applied for funding to purchase breeders that will produce up to 40 pups to be trained as assistance dogs for children with autism. John introduced Christina and Dena to Beech, who is a companion for a young boy with autism. The boy’s mother told then that Beech and her son are very close, and he is proud when he and the dog are out and people come up to greet them. Dena can’t list every glowing comment she made, but suffice it to say that she was extremely enthusiastic about how Beech has improved her son’s life. Below is a photo of John, Beech, the mom, and Christina. The second is Dena walking with Beech.

2016 Supported Charity

Projects: St Monica's Ward Family Room: There are 31 beds on St Monica's Ward, where patients usually have cancer or complex chronic conditions such as Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis and liver abscesses. For every one patient that dies in our hospital, ten family members are directly affected by this death. Family rooms offer huge support to families during very challenging and distressing times. Project cost: €14,160

Before and after photo for the project.

2016 Supported Charity

Project: Community Training Program: We want to extend our community training program to set up a community cardiac response team in Dublin 15. We aim to provide training to 500 people in 2016. We also want to run a series of children's first aid camps in schools to encourage children to learn how to call for help in a first aid situation. We want to give people the skills to be able to help a member of their family or a member of their community and preserve life until the arrival of medical services. Many of our trainers go on to become active members of SJA and younger members go on to train in the medical services. Project cost: €9,500

Dena O'Malley went to Castleknock to watch volunteers with St. John’s Ambulance receive first aid training. These men and women will become certified to train others in first aid. In another room, youth volunteers were holding a competition demonstrating correct CPR techniques that they had learned. (see pictures below.) St. John’s Ambulance has provided standby emergency care at our annual Bazaar last year. According to Wikipedia, “St John Ambulance is a trade name used by a number of affiliated organizations in different countries, counties, states or provinces dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance and community volunteer services.” Although established worldwide, the organizations operate locally. The Castleknock group sought funding from us to extend their training program and set up a community cardiac response team that would often times be the first to arrive on the scene while awaiting the paramedics. Volunteers will be trained to initiate CPR and use defibrillators as needed. They are thrilled that the ICB has selected them to be one of our 2016 charities.

2016 Supported Charity

Project: Third Age Failte Isteach is a community-based project involving predominantly older volunteers welcoming migrants and refugees to Ireland through conversational English classes. Failte Isteach supports local organisations and individuals across Ireland to set up and coordinate a conversational English class in their local community. All of the necessary training and teaching material is provided to establish a group and on-going support; refresher training and updated resources are made available to groups nationwide. Failte Isteach aims to achieve the following: • Provide the necessary language skills to migrants in a student-centered, welcoming and inclusive manner. • Involve older volunteer tutors and recognise their skills, expertise and contribution to the community. • Promote greater integration and achieve a new sense of community spirit by forging new friendships and facilitating learning among different cultures. • Establish a network of Failte Isteach groups in communities throughout Ireland. Project cost: €10,800

John McCollum visited Third Age Foundation and they gave a detailed explanation on what they do: "Fáilte Isteach, a Third Age initiative, is a community based project involving predominantly older volunteers welcoming migrants through conversational English classes. It was established in 2006 in response to the observed daily difficulties that migrants were experiencing integrating into their local community through a poor understanding or lack of English. Fáilte Isteach provides the necessary language skills to migrants in a student-centred, welcoming and inclusive manner. The project involves older volunteer tutors - recognising their skills, expertise and contribution to the community. Fáilte Isteach promotes greater integration and helps to achieve a new sense of community spirit, by forging new friendships and facilitating learning among different cultures."