Employees urged to sign up to give a Euro for Life
THE Gorey-based charity Talk to Tom has launched a major fundraising campaign to help secure a premises of its own.
It was recently forced to find alternative rented accommodation as the lease on its current premises on the Fort Road was not renewed.
The charity’s new fundraising sub-committee has begun a ‘Euro for Life’ campaign which encourages local employees and employers to donate a euro a week from their wages. The donation is made at source.
‘Our landlord has asked for vacant possession by the end of March,’ said CEO Ray Cullen. ‘It has come as a shock and we have now found ourselves in the position that we have to move while 34 vulnerable children are depending on our services.’
Since it was founded in 2012, Talk to Tom has provided more than 9,000 hours of professional psychotherapy services to over 500 people. It has trained over 1,500 people in life-saving suicide intervention and well-being programmes. At present, 62 people are attending counselling services, the youngest of whom is four-years-old.
Talk to Tom provides group and individual support services to the families and friends that have been affected by suicide in the county. It also offers training programmes to individuals, groups, and businesses, as well as a schools’ programme. No staff member is paid, and no state funding is given.
Ray said that waiting times for child or adolescent services in the health service are between 18 to 24 months. ‘Last year, the CALMS services and the counselling service provided by FDYS and funded by the HSE were moved from Gorey, putting extra demand on us, financially and operationally,’ he said. ‘We are filling the gap for the HSE, and regularly get referrals from other agencies.’
He said that as a temporary measure, they are moving all services to an office suite on the top floor of Pugin Court on St Michael’s Road above the charity’s shop. ‘ This means there will be no break in our services,’ he emphasised. ‘No-one should be worried that they will be left without a service.’
He said that the organisation’s work is as important as ever. ‘Four weeks ago, a mother contacted us in a very bad way,’ he said. ‘Her eleven-year-old daughter had attempted to take her own life while in a national school. The child spent five days in Wexford General Hospital, and then was told there was an 18 to 24 month waiting list for access to child and adolescent services.’
‘We immediately arranged services for the girl within 24 hours,’ he added. ‘We also got help for her family and friends.’
‘Eight weeks ago, a parent found her 16-year-old son having attempted to take his life,’ he continued. ‘Having been treated medically, he was left on a waiting list for services. Ninety per cent of people that come to us are on waiting lists for services.’
Ray said that Talk to Tom now plans to raise funds to purchase or build its own premises so vulnerable people won’t be left in this position again. ‘Our child and adolescent psychotherapist Heather Gillan has emphasised that any change of location can have a negative impact on any vulnerable person’s treatment,’ he commented.
Talk to Tom was recently given full charitable status and has its own charity number. This means there is complete transparency and complete governance.
To contact Talk to Tom, phone 0818 303 061. To support the Euro for Life campaign, contact the fundraising committee chairman Donie Dunbar on 083 3700287.