COPE Galway and Simon Galway are two of over 170 organisations benefitting from the latest round of RTÉ Toy Show Grants, made possible by the generosity of the annual television spectacle.
Community Foundation Ireland, which works to turn donations by viewers into actions on the ground that benefit children and their families, announced the grants earlier this week.
COPE Galway will use the grant of €40,000 to make social activities, sports and hobbies available to over 160 children and young people residing in emergency accommodation with their families and to introduce a sensory room in the charity’s Family Hub. Galway Simon is receiving support of €40,000 to supports its Family First Fund.
Many of the families COPE Galway works with are living in B&B accommodation for extended periods of time, with children growing up in restricted living spaces and without access to the opportunities many of us take for granted. The funding will contribute to the development of children, enabling them to take part in regular social and sport activities based on their interests, supporting confidence, friendships and everyday experiences.
The dedicated sensory space in the Family Hub, where up to 10 families share accommodation, will give younger children a calm, age?appropriate area to play, explore and to support healthy development.
Danielle Skidmore, COPE Galway Senior Family Responses Manager, welcomed the grant.
This support of the Toy Show, thanks to the generosity of the public, plays a vital role in promoting dignity, inclusion and equal access to opportunities for children and young people living in emergency accommodation. This grant helps ensure that these families can access experiences that many in the community take for granted, supporting a sense of belonging and a more inclusive community.”
Galway Simon is receiving support of €40,000 to support its Family First Fund. Through the Families First Fund, children can access activities that foster confidence, creativity and positive childhood experiences, including parent toddler playgroups, speech and language supports, and sports activities or other social groups. These opportunities support emotional development, peer connection and participation in community life, helping children maintain a sense of normality during periods of housing instability. The programme also provides important respite for parents, enabling them to maintain employment, attend appointments and focus on sustaining their housing.
Delivered through Galway Simon Community’s Housing and Homelessness Prevention Services, the Families First Fund complements existing wraparound supports by protecting childhood wellbeing while families work toward long-term housing stability and recovery.
Dr Carol Baumann, CEO Galway Simon, in welcoming the grant said this funding will support our Families First Fund which is a child-focused wellbeing initiative embedded within our services across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The programme responds to the recognised impact of housing insecurity on children by providing targeted supports that promote creativity, play, social inclusion and emotional wellbeing for children living in families affected by homelessness. We are very grateful to RTE, the Community Foundation Ireland and the viewers of the Late Late Toy Show for making this possible.”
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland added: “Being entrusted to turn the €4.3 Million provided by generous RTÉ viewers into actions which deliver benefits for children across Ireland is both a huge honour and responsibility. The Foundation uses insights and knowledge from community partners across the country, best in class research and the insights of top child advocates to inform our decisions.
“The result is another year when children in every part of our country will benefit. On behalf of the Community Foundation, I want to congratulate everyone who will benefit from the latest grants. We look forward to being updated on your work ahead as we all seek to improve the lives of children and their families. To the viewers who have made all of this possible, thank you.”
