Irish charity reaches fundraising milestone for cystic fibrosis facilities
Howard Lake | 26 August 2014 | News
A Kerry-based fundraising charity has been recognised for raising €3.5 million in seven years for cystic fibrosis (CF).
Formed in 2007, Build4Life was the first charity to raise funds to develop inpatient and outpatient cystic fibrosis facilities for hospitals in Ireland. In reality, the bulk of the charity’s funding has gone to Cork University Hospital (CUH).
Build4Life, founded by Joe Browne, was afforded a civic reception in Cork City. The charity’s main achievements to date are:
— A new 20-bed inpatient ward for adults with chronic respiratory illnesses, including CF, due to open next November. Build4Life donated €2.3m towards the ward, the largest philanthropic donation ever made to CUH.
— An adult CF outpatient clinic which opened in CUH in 2011 at a cost of circa €350,000.
— The charity is close to reaching its target of raising €1m to develop inpatient and outpatient facilities for children with CF attending CUH.
Funds have also been raised for staff posts in CUH.
Cork Lord Mayor Catherine Clancy said the achievements of Build4Life were all the greater when one considered that many of the volunteers involved were families who were also dealing with the challenges of CF.
The charity raises money from a wide variety of events such as sponsored walks and hikes.
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.