13 April 2018

The River Lee Hotel is pleased to announce that it has selected The Mercy Hospital Foundation as its official charity partner for 2018. Fundraising efforts will support the Mercy Kids + Teens Appeal, through which the Foundation aims to raise €100,000 for paediatric services at The Mercy University Hospital by 2020.

 

The Mercy has a 28-bed paediatrics ward that caters for both medical and surgical care including the Children’s Leukaemia Unit and it constantly strives to ensure that every child has a comfortable stay at the Hospital, and funds raised through the new charity partnership will help continue to provide the support they deserve. 

 

In particular, the Kids + Teen Appeal is investing in critical areas of paediatric services including Bereavement Counselling, Support for Children, and Support for Education, for which €20,000 is required. €80,000 is required for POONS (Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nursing Service) which allows children who have a cancer diagnosis to be treated in their own homes. The service covers a large geographical area from Youghal to Bantry, and Mitchelstown to Kinsale, as well as surrounding counties so that all children have access to this service regardless of their location.

 

Speaking about the importance of offering POONS to families, Olga Buckley, Paediatric Oncology / Haematology CNS at The Mercy said “Being able to deliver a home-based option to sick children enhances their quality of life and allows for some normalisation of family life during cancer treatment. It also means there is a reduction in hospital admissions and promotes early discharge from the Hospital.” 

 

Helping to announce details of the charity partnership was Donagh Murphy Kingston from Macroom, who is an outpatient at the Mercy. Donagh’s dad John said “Donagh has been a patient of the Mercy for the last three years, and we’re delighted to say that he is due to have his last chemotherapy session this month. We’ve been lucky that Donagh has been able to avail of POONS and that has been a big help to our family on this long journey.”

 

The River Lee Hotel has already committed to a number of fundraising events and activities throughout 2018 including Airport 5k, Women’s Mini Marathon, and Cork City Marathon to name just a few. The team from the hotel kicked off their fundraising efforts recently with a Waxathon in Cork Cricket Club on March 23 rd which saw 20 male volunteers from hotel stripped of their body hair, with opening bids starting at €5 per strip.

 

At the official partnership announcement, General Manager of the River Lee Hotel, Ruairi O’Connor said “We are delighted to support the great work that the Mercy Hospital Foundation does. Our team wanted to contribute to the community within which we live and work, and the Foundation was the ideal charity to partner with due to the Hospital’s close proximity to our hotel. We admire the great work done by the staff at The Mercy, particularly those looking after kids and teens attending the hospital; and we look forward to raising funds to help them continue the tremendous work they are doing thanks to the support of the Mercy Kids + Teens Appeal.”

 

This isn’t the first time that the River Lee Hotel has leant its support to the Mercy Hospital Foundation, having raised funds through a number of initiatives and events in 2017, which saw the nursing team in St. Anne’s kitted out in new Christmas uniforms last December. 

 

Thanking the River Lee Hotel for their support, Micheál Sheridan, CEO of the Mercy Hospital Foundation said “It is vital that when a child is ill, that they and their parents and siblings have access to the best care, facilities and support. Funds raised through the partnership with the River Lee Hotel will be invested in critical areas of our paediatric services; and we would like to thank all involved for committing their support to the cause.”

 

To support the Mercy Kids + Teens Appeal, or for further information, visit www.mercyfundraising.ie.