Jack & Jill, which helps nine children in Sligo, is calling for donations

THE founder of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, Jonathan Irwin, is urging the people of Sligo to join with him in celebrating his 80th birthday by donating to the charity. Jack & Jill provides specialist home nursing care for 385 children with life-limiting conditions around the country, including nine children in Sligo.

Jonathan Irwin is urging people to donate €18 at www.jackandjill.ie for a one-hour “Gift of Time” to help fund the service, which helps to relieve some of the additional pressure on family carers, particularly with so much local respite cancelled as a result of the pandemic.

Typically, Jack & Jill offers 50 hours of home nursing care for families each month, costing up to €10,800 per family per year and the service has kept going across the country, despite Covid-19.

To mark the occasion, the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation has set up a Facebook fundraising page in Jonathan’s name to capture birthday messages and donations, as well as featuring a gallery of stories and pictures dedicated to the man who founded the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation 24 years ago in his son Jack’s name. Avid readers can also lend their support to Jonathan’s fundraising efforts by purchasing Jack & Jill: the Story of Jonathan Irwin. The book is now available for a special birthday price of €5 from the Jack & Jill charity shops and via www.jackandjill.ie while stocks last.

Jack & Jill founder Jonathan Irwin.