With its fundraised income expected to be down by around a third this year, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services (OLH&CS) is asking people and businesses to support its annual Light Up A Life Christmas appeal. It is the first time in the fundraiser’s 28-year history that the event is not physically taking place at the hospice’s Harold’s Cross headquarters.
However, the event is going ahead virtually, with Aviva as sponsor for the fourth time. Last year, more than 26,000 lights were lit to celebrate loved ones. Audrey Houlihan, chief executive, OLH&CS, said the message of shining a light feels even more powerful. While people are being asked to stay apart, they can Light Up A Life to feel closer to a loved one.
“We depend heavily on fundraising and need to raise €5.5 million annually, Houlihan said. “We know it’s been a difficult year for everyone and we are so proud of how our team has come together to find new ways of working. As well as facing new challenges, we’ve also welcomed Wicklow Hospice on-board and we plan to renovate Blackrock Hospice next year.”
Established in 1879, OLH&CS is a 215-bed facility that provides specialist care for those with needs from rehab to end-of-life care. Just over 600 staff work with residents, patients and their families caring for over 4,000 patients last year. Focusing on the person and not the condition, care is provided on-site and in homes across south Dublin and Wicklow.
Today FM’s Ian Dempsey will host an online event from 5pm on Sunday, December 6.
Dempsey will introduce entertainment and songs at www.lightupalife.ie
Photo: Doireann Brophy, 4, with Audrey Houlihan, OLH&CS and Brian O’Neill, Aviva Ireland
