Builders make ‚€500,000 donation
Howard Lake | 5 April 2006 | News
House builders have donated ‚€500,000 to Cork Simon Community — the single biggest donation the organisation has received in its 30-year history. Cork Simon director Colette Kelleher described it as a huge, huge leg up for the agency tackling homelessness.
The people who are transforming this city are now helping us to transform the lives of those we work with, she said.
The money was raised by members of the Construction Industry Federation’s (CIF) Cork House Builders group. They signed up to the unique partnership with Simon 12 months ago and contributed a slice of their profits to a fund throughout the year.
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CIF director Joe O’Brien presented the money to Ms Kelleher on a building site near White’s Cross, north of the city, yesterday.
This initiative is a milestone in the development of strong, meaningful partnerships as a means of addressing homelessness in Cork, said Ms Kelleher.
Cork Simon firmly believes that we can end homelessness for good, but we cannot do it alone.
This partnership with Cork CIF house builders is a perfect example of how successful that co-operation can be.
Mr O’Brien said his members who signed up to the fundraising scheme fully accepted their responsibilities as members of the wider community.
They understand the positive impact that organisations like Cork Simon are having on the lives of some of the most vulnerable and marginalised men and women in the city.
We are delighted we reached the target of ‚€500,000 and we hope other organisations in Cork will follow our lead by identifying creative means to help tackle this important social issue.
It will cost ‚€6 million to run Cork Simon’s services this year. The State provides up to two thirds but Simon must raise ‚€1.8m.
Ms Kelleher said as well as securing Simon’s day-to-day services this year, the CIF donation would also allow them to expand their services.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.