As 2023 draws to a close, we reflect on the first year of our two-year partnership with Aware, marked by a significant fundraising total of €17,436.
Throughout the year, we participated in various fundraising events organised by Aware including the Liffey Loop, Resilience Lunch and Corporate Golf Day. Additionally, our employees generously signed up to our Donate As You Earn (payroll giving) programme and took part in a number of other internal initiatives.
Beyond fundraising, we partnered with Aware to provide learning and development opportunities for our employees in the area of mental health. Notably, our senior leadership team attended a half day workshop on Managing Mental Health in the Workplace. This informative workshop provided valuable insights and practical tips for developing mental health conversations. It received very positive feedback from all participants.
Speaking about our partnership with Aware, James O Connor, Managing Partner, commented:
“Looking back on 2023, we appreciate the contributions of our employees which not only led to a substantial fundraising achievement but has also actively promoted awareness and understanding of mental health within our firm. We look forward to building on these foundations in 2024.”
Drew Flood, Business Development Manager in Aware, commented:
“I want to thank everyone in Crowleys DFK for the wonderful contribution you have made over the last year. It has been absolutely brilliant working with you.
I want to thank you for the money you have raised but more importantly I want to thank you for highlighting ‘having the conversation about mental health’ in the organisation and attending our educational workshops.
We have had over 30,000 calls on our support line this year and at the end of the year we will have over 50,000 people contacting Aware. Your contribution has really made a big difference to all the service users. On behalf of everyone in Aware a big thank you to everyone in Crowleys DFK and thank you for putting mental health on the map!”
Crowleys DFK is delighted to announce that Aware has been selected by our employees as its Charity Partner for 2023-2024.
Aware is the national organisation providing free support, education and information services to those impacted by anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and related mood conditions.
Aware undertakes to create a society where people affected by stress, depression, bipolar disorder and mood related conditions are understood, supported, free from stigma, and are encouraged to access appropriate therapies.
Commenting on the announcement, James O’Connor, Managing Partner, said:
“We are delighted to have Aware as our Charity Partner for 2023 & 2024. The work that Aware does has never been more important. We are looking forward to working with this great charity to help raise much needed funds and raise awareness of mental health issues.
We believe that this partnership will also help us further embed mental wellbeing into our corporate culture and build on what we have already achieved in terms of our awareness initiatives, manager training and the supports available to our employees. Reducing the stigma associated with mental health in the workplace is a key goal for the firm.”
Stephen Butterly, Head of Fundraising & Business Development at Aware said:
“We are delighted to have been selected as charity partner of Crowleys DFK for the next two years. Aware exist to support people impacted by depression and bipolar disorder all across Ireland, and the support of organisations like Crowleys DFK is vital to ensuring that we can be there for people when they need us, 365 days a year. We look forward to getting to know the teams in Dublin and Cork, and to working together on initiatives over the coming years.”
In the coming weeks, Crowleys DFK will work with Aware to develop a fundraising calendar for this two-year partnership.
Please keep an eye on our website and our social media feeds (LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram) to follow our journey supporting Aware throughout 2023-2024.
Pictured L-R: James O’Connor (Managing Partner, Crowleys DFK), Claire Shiels (Corporate Fundraiser, LauraLynn) and Natalie Kelly (Partner, Crowleys DFK)
In early 2020, we announced LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice as our Charity Partner. Not long after, members of our CSR Team visited the hospice and came back inspired and full of ideas on how we could help raise funds and awareness for this amazing charity… but then everything changed.
With all our fundraising plans impossible due to the lockdown reality we were all in, we had to find new ways to support LauraLynn and the children and families that relied on them.
This kickstarted our virtual fundraising initiatives. From our Virtual Walk Across the US and Canada, Wear Your Christmas Face Mask and Christmas Gifting campaigns, a lot (!) of Step Challenges, our Donate as your Earn campaign and various raffles, the employees at Crowleys DFK dug deep and put their hearts into each and every campaign.
“It has been a pleasure to be involved with our Firm’s campaigns. Knowing how difficult the last few years would have been on fundraising for LauraLynn, it has been an honour to help out where I can.”
Elaine Murphy, Assistant Manager, Audit and Assurance
“I feel very proud of the Firm’s fundraising initiatives supporting LauraLynn over the last few years and being able to participate in these initiatives means a lot to me personally knowing that the funds raised are making a difference to the children and their families.”
Paula McCann, Human Resources
While all these initiatives raised some vital funds for the Charity during what was a very challenging few years, we are in no doubt that we got a lot more back from the partnership. Not only were we continually inspired and moved by our online talks with the incredible staff and care givers at LauraLynn, but our initiatives also kept us connected during a time when we all had to be apart.
“I have enjoyed participating over the past few years as not only do you know you are helping a good cause, but it has given us the opportunity to interact with our colleagues during a time we were unable to meet face to face.”
Emma Dunne, Manager, Corporate Compliance
“It has been a great way to connect with my colleagues, many of whom I hadn’t met in person in 2 years. Ultimately, we have all benefited hugely from both a mental & physical health perspective by getting involved with a fantastic and very deserving charity.”
Harry O’Sullivan, Partner, Audit & Assurance
Our final fundraising campaign, Week of Celebrating LauraLynn, took place in late November and pushed the total funds raised over the 3 years (of what initially meant to be a 1 year partnership) to €45,045.
“I knew very little about LauraLynn and their work before we began supporting them as our Charity Partner. The past three years has really made me aware of the incredible commitment and passion that volunteers give to so many worthwhile causes. LauraLynn are doing incredible work and it’s been fantastic to see so many of my work colleagues and friends take part in our initiatives.”
James O’Connor, Managing Partner
On 7th December 2022, Crowleys DFK returned to LauraLynn for another onsite visit. While some things had changed since our first visit (outdoor meeting pods, and the new Memorial Tree and Garden), the most important things did not…the care and dedication from each of the wonderful staff we met and the pure sense of peace and warmth coming from every corner of the hospice.
“As a Corporate Partner, LauraLynn could not have asked for more. The team at Crowleys DFK demonstrated creativity in staff and office fundraising initiatives, enthusiastically signed up for challenges and events, and helped us out with volunteering. They were invested in understanding the work we do with children and families, and helping raise awareness of LauraLynn, its services and supports, and its funding needs. Crowleys DFK is a company and a team that is committed to making an impact in its charity work, and undertakes it with energy, commitment and heart. Working with them over the past 3 years has been a pleasure, and their contribution has made a big difference for the children and families in our care.”
It has been an honour and pleasure to have supported LauraLynn for the last 3 years. LauraLynn has and will always remain very close to all our hearts.
Following the success of the Casa Christmas campaign which raised over €2,100 for LauraLynn, Crowleys DFK is delighted to announce that its partnership with LauraLynn will continue in 2022, for the third year in a row. As the only children’s hospice in the Republic of Ireland, we are proud to continue to support LauraLynn’s requirements, so they may continue to provide specialised hospice care to children with life limiting conditions and their families all across Ireland.
We hope that by continuing our partnership with LauraLynn for a further year that we will get more chances to volunteer, meet some of the incredible LauraLynn staff and have some fun as well.
Managing Partner, James O’Connor commented:
“LauraLynn is a great Charity. It’s disappointing that our involvement coincided with all of their in-person events being cancelled. Hopefully, we will soon be able to take part and support in-person in events with them and see firsthand the incredible work they carry out to support children with life-limiting conditions and their families.”
LauraLynn’s recent announcement to expand services bringing care and support closer to home for children and families in Munster in 2022 with a satellite service based in Cork should also give us further opportunities to show our support.
Over the last two years, we at Crowleys DFK have been involved in some great initiatives for the benefit of LauraLynn, such as:
Casa Christmas Light Display, where COO and Financial Advisory Partner, Colette Nagle and ICT Manager, Justin Nagle transformed their home into a magical Christmas light show and raised over €2,100.
Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Gifting, which saw each of our 100 employees and 10 partners give up part of their Firm Christmas Hamper in lieu of a monetary donation to LauraLynn, raising over €5,500 over the last two years.
On the 11th of December 2021, 15 volunteers from Crowleys DFK helped out with LauraLynn’s first live event after almost 2 years. Volunteers assisted with the running of Ray D’arcy’s Half & 5K in Phoenix Park, including stewarding around the event site and car parks, manning water stations, staffing the main registration area, giving out goodie bags and refreshments, and the clean up afterwards.
Win a Day off Work raffles, which encouraged our staff to donate to LauraLynn and earn raffle tickets. Together, these raffles have raised over €2,000 over the last two years.
Wear Your Face Mask, which saw partners and employees of Crowleys DFK receive a handmade face mask of their choice in exchange for a €10 donation to LauraLynn, raising over €3,000.
In June 2020, 71 partners and employees of Crowleys DFK and their families each ran, walked, or jogged a minimum of 100 km and used their combined distances to complete a virtual walking tour of the US and Canada to visit as many fellow DFK firms as possible, raising €9,266.85 in the process.
In February 2021, 50 members of our firm completed 14,000,000 steps and raised €4,021.13. Later, in September 2021, our 10km Challenge raised an additional €1,612.11.
Commenting on the announcement, Kerry McLaverty, CEO of LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice said:
“We are thrilled that Crowleys DFK have chosen to extend our partnership into its third year in 2022 – a year in which our services expand to include a presence on the ground in the Munster region where many employees of the firm work. Partnerships such as this are a vital part of the LauraLynn Community of Care. We cannot provide our services without the generosity of the public and businesses like Crowleys DFK. The funds and awareness the firm raise have an enormous positive impact on the children and families that LauraLynn support. So thank you to everyone involved – you should be very proud of yourselves and please keep up the great work!”
This December, Crowleys DFK will take part in a unique campaign in aid of our Charity Partner LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice. In keeping with the festive spirit of the season, our COO and Financial Advisory Partner Colette Nagle and our ICT Manager Justin Nagle have created a Christmas Light Display, “Casa Christmas”, at their home.
From the 1st of December until the 6th of January, the vibrant Casa Christmas light display will run every morning and evening. Visitors will be encouraged to make donations to LauraLynn using the collection box stationed at Casa Christmas, or via the QR code that will allow people to make a digital donation. All proceeds raised during the campaign will go to LauraLynn.
The Casa Christmas creation process has been a true labour of love, taking about four full days to build and a hundred hours to program, as well as a few days to build new props and fixtures. The displays are made up of 7398 pixels (bulbs), and while 4096 of these have been pre-built into two LED panels, the remaining 3302 pixels come in strings of one hundred which have been cut and joined as needed to build the display.
Justin commented,
“As a trained electrician I naturally love creating a Christmas Light Display each year. Although it takes time, it’s so rewarding to see the Christmas cheer it brings. This year is even more special as we hope to raise some much-needed funds for LauraLynn.”
With the festive season upon us, Christmas Gifting to LauraLynn will take place again this year. For the second consecutive year, each of our 100 employees and 10 partners have given up part of their Firm Christmas Hamper in lieu of a monetary donation to LauraLynn. This combined donation will help LauraLynn gift each family with a Christmas Experience from a beautiful Advent Box that is interactive and brings daily excitement in the run up to the big day.
Additionally, on the 11th of December, 15 volunteers from Crowleys DFK will help out with LauraLynn’s first live event after almost 2 years. Volunteers will assist with the running of Ray D’arcy’s Half & 5K in Phoenix Park, including stewarding around the event site and car parks, manning water stations, staffing the main registration area, giving out goodie bags and refreshments, and the clean up afterwards.
The Casa Christmas campaign, along with the additional Christmas Gifting and Volunteering, caps off another wonderful year of our Partnership with LauraLynn which has enabled us to highlight the magnificent work they do and raise much needed funds for the organisation.
Claire Shiels, Corporate Fundraiser at LauraLynn commented,
“Our corporate partner Crowleys DFK are a creative bunch when it comes to fundraising. With Casa Christmas they continue to pull out all the stops. Everyone that visits this beautiful piece of Christmas magic will get a much needed lift this December. A big Thank You to Colette and Justin Nagle, and all the team at Crowleys DFK – for your thoughtful ideas and initiatives. We are lucky and proud to be working with you, and so grateful on behalf of the children and families in our care.”
If you would like to visit Casa Christmas or to make a donation, please visit our iDonate page to find out more information.
https://www.crowleysdfk.ie/wp-content/uploads/Casa-Christmas-Light-Display.png679679Alison Bourkehttps://www.crowleysdfk.ie/wp-content/uploads/crowleysdf-chartered-accountants-1.pngAlison Bourke2021-12-01 14:12:432023-06-29 09:54:40Christmas Light Display in aid of LauraLynn
Over the month of June, 71 Crowleys DFK partners and employees, along with their families each ran/walked/jogged a minimum of 100km in aid of our Charity Partner LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice.
Normally at this time of year many of our partners would be looking forward to meeting our DFK colleagues from around the world at various conferences. With these conferencescancelled, we decided to instead use our combined steps/kmsand undertake a virtual walking tour of parts of the US and Canadaanddrop in to say ‘Hello’ to as many fellow DFK firms as possible.
We were delightedwith the support we received as we ‘travelled’ across the US and Canada. Not only had we great fun catching up onlinewith our DFK friends (old and new), but many others also sent us on email messages, photos and video messages to show their support for our fundraising efforts.
As well being able to showcase LauraLynn and the great work they do, our tour gave us a great opportunity to promote DFK and highlightwhat a great network of close friends and colleagues we can reach out to on behalf of clients who carry out business internationally.
We are delighted to have raised almost €9,000to date with the help of our family, friends and colleagues.
About LauraLynn Children’s Hospice
LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice is the only children’s hospice in the Republic of Ireland. They provide specialised hospice care to children with life limiting conditions and their families from all across Ireland.
Claire Shiels, Corporate Fundraiser at LauraLynn commented:
“It is wonderful to see Ireland start to reopen but for many of our families’ life will continue to stay close to home for some time yet. Your incredible achievements over the course of the month mean that we can continue to support these families on their journey through the health crisis. By taking on this challenge, you made sure we can help our families stay at home and feel cared for there.“
https://www.crowleysdfk.ie/wp-content/uploads/Final-Collage-for-100Km-in-June-for-LL.png5121024Alison Bourkehttps://www.crowleysdfk.ie/wp-content/uploads/crowleysdf-chartered-accountants-1.pngAlison Bourke2020-07-03 11:49:592023-06-29 10:03:35Crowleys DFK visit DFK USA and DFK Canada in aid of LauraLynn
Members of the Crowleys DFK Corporate Social Responsibility team recently visited our Charity Partner, LauraLynn, to witness first-hand the amazing care this remarkable charity provide to children with life limiting conditions from all over Ireland and the supports provided to their families.
Pictured from left to right: Natalie Kelly, Kim McCarthy, Donna Gould and Paula McCann
Claire Shiels, from LauraLynn’s Corporate Fundraising Team took time out of her busy day to do some planning with the team for the year ahead and to show them around the hospice to share details of the holistic approach to care LauraLynn takes to meet the needs of each family throughout their journey – from their child’s diagnosis, throughout their child’s life, through end-of-life and in bereavement – for as long as a family needs support.
Speaking after the visit, Paula McCann said:
“On entering LauraLynn House, there is an overwhelming sense of family. From the smiles on the faces of all the wonderful and dedicated staff to the resonating joy from some wonderful children and their families following a music therapy event in the day room, you could not but recognise what an important and precious place LauraLynn is.
Throughout our visit, we were able to see and understand the impact that our support will make in helping families create special memories that last a life-time – whether it goes toward a short stay break for a child and their whole family to stay in the hospice, home support, music and play therapy or family and sibling camps, every cent we raise and every minute volunteered will make a difference.”
The employees at Crowleys DFK have already kicked off their fundraising efforts, having recently raised close to €500 on a raffle to win an annual leave day. A team of ten volunteers from across the firm will also be giving LauraLynn a helping hand at the Annual Heroes Ball on 28 March, in addition to sponsoring a corporate table on the night.
A number of other fun fundraising initiatives are currently in the works for the year ahead to help LauraLynn with the €4.6m they need to raise in 2020 to keep their services running. Stay tuned for more updates!
LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice is the only children’s hospice in the Republic of Ireland. They provide specialised hospice care to children with life limiting conditions and their families from all across Ireland. They care for the whole family, allowing patients to be children and parents to be parents rather than full time carers.
Speaking about the announcement, Colette Nagle, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Crowleys DFK said,
“LauraLynn was chosen as the firm’s Charity Year Partner through an employee nomination process. This amazing charity is obviously close to the hearts of many of our team members and we are delighted to be able to support the great work that they do.”
In partnership with LauraLynn, a programme of support will be designed to meet the charity’s requirements. Details of the programme will be announced over the coming weeks.
Colette continued,
“As well as organising and taking part in fundraising events, we hope to get involved by giving our time and expertise where needed. Members of our CSR Team will be visiting the hospice in the coming weeks to witness first-hand the fantastic care and support provided by LauraLynn.”
LauraLynn offers a range of care and services including:
Short Breaks (for the child and family in the hospice to give the family a break);
Home Support (nursing care and therapeutic activities in the home);
Family Supports (activities & therapies to help the while family cope day-to-day, including Play therapy and Family Camps);
End-of-Life Care (offering families the choice to bring their child home or avail of the hospice during this time); and
Bereavement Support (ongoing support to help parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and the wider family cope with their loss).
Claire Shiels, Corporate Fundraiser at LauraLynn commented;
“We are delighted to be partnering with Crowleys DFK and working with them and their staff over the coming year to raise much needed funds for the children and families in our care, and spread awareness about LauraLynn and its services as Ireland’s only children’s hospice.”
We are delighted to announce that our fundraising efforts during 2019 amounted to €16,001.60 for our Charity Partner, Cork ARC Cancer Support House.
The original goal was to raise €15,000 to help make #Room4ARC, a project to transfer their operations to the newly-renovated Sarsfield House. However, due to the incredible support from our own employees, clients, family and friends, we managed to surpass this goal. All funds raised help Cork ARC to continue to reach out to the community to offer support and information to those affected by a cancer diagnosis in our community.
Speaking about the funds raised by Crowleys DFK in aid of Cork ARC, Partner and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Colette Nagle commented,
“We are so grateful to everyone who generously contributed to our fundraising events throughout 2019, helping us raise over €16,000 for such a fantastic charity. We hope that these funds help Cork ARC to continue providing a range of professional supports to help people cope with the challenges that cancer can bring to their lives.”
CEO of Cork ARC, Hilary Sullivan said,
“Our charity partnership with Crowleys DFK in 2019 was an example of how high people can raise the bar when it comes to volunteering effort and putting others before themselves to support a charitable cause.
As the benefactors of the amazing work of so many people in Crowleys DFK, we in Cork ARC are privileged to have been on the journey with such a dedicated team and to see how much fun and camaraderie they enjoyed in their fundraising endeavours. The funds raised will directly support our services, which are offered free of charge to any person affected by a cancer diagnosis, either personally or through a loved one.
The success of our partnership surpassed the dreams we had as we began last year and we are immensely grateful to such a wonderful group of staff, in Cork and Dublin, who threw themselves wholeheartedly into every event, including jumping out of a plane!
We wish each member of the Crowleys DFK team every success in their work and, from each of us, on behalf of the clients that we serve, we thank them sincerely for their support, the value of which is far beyond the measure of the staggering €16,001.60 which they raised in the name of Cork ARC Cancer Support House.”
Managing Partner of Crowleys DFK, James O’Connor said,
“Our inaugural Charity Partner of the Year initiative was a huge success. Supporting our local community is very important to us. We will continue to make as much of a positive difference as we can with our 2020 Charity of the Year Partner.”
Crowleys DFK hosted a Virtual Race Night Fundraiser in aid of Charity Partner, Cork ARC Cancer Support House last week. The night was a huge success and raised over €6,600 for Cork ARC.
One of the highlights of the night was a bidding war between Managing Partner, James O’Connor and Partner, Tony Cooney, in an effort to win a two night stay with dinner in The Europe Hotel. James was the lucky winner with a massive €750 raised from this alone.
Speaking about the event, Managing Partner, James O’Connor commented,
“On behalf of everyone at Crowleys DFK I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the very generous sponsorship by friends, clients and local businesses for our Virtual Race Night. We couldn’t have done it without your support. We are proud to support Cork ARC and play a part in supporting the great work that they do.”
Marketing & Communications Manager of Cork ARC, Joanne McCarthy said,
“We are so thankful to Crowleys DFK for hosting another successful fundraising event in support of Cork ARC – their continued support as Charity Partner gives us so much encouragement in our work and helps us to continue to reach out to the community to offer support and information to those affected by a cancer diagnosis in our community. Crowleys DFK have truly made room for Cork ARC and the people of Cork.”
Since the beginning of 2019, we have been participating in events to raise funds and awareness for Cork ARC, including the Cork City Marathon, a Sponsored Skydive and the Mini Marathon. We hope to continue to raise as much as possible for Cork ARC throughout the rest of the year.
https://www.crowleysdfk.ie/wp-content/uploads/Virtual-Race-Night.png9701080Alison Bourkehttps://www.crowleysdfk.ie/wp-content/uploads/crowleysdf-chartered-accountants-1.pngAlison Bourke2019-09-27 15:15:542022-05-24 10:02:04Virtual Race Night Fundraiser raises over €6,600 for Cork ARC
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Crowleys DFK hosted a Virtual Race Night Fundraiser in aid of Charity Partner,