Get up that hill for Jack and Jill and ten children from Meath

The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation is asking people to support its latest campaign by going ‘Up the Hill for Jack & Jill’ this October to fund home nursing care for ten children in Meath with highly complex medical and life-limiting conditions.

The fundraiser is part of an SOS appeal underway to fill a €200,000 funding gap and to extend the age range of children supported by the charity from five to six years of age.

Jack & Jill’s frontline home nursing care and end-of-life care is more important than ever, given the lack of respite options in the community for the extra-special children it supports.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, there are no big hill events being organised for ‘Up the Hill for Jack & Jill’, Instead, participants must keep their challenge small, safe and local.

People can walk, skip, jog, cycle or climb their chosen hill. Some are even opting to climb the stairs and count their steps at work throughout the month – the most important thing is to observe public health advice at all times.

People can register today at www.jackandjill.ie for €16 which funds one hour of home nursing care and end-of-life care. No sponsorship card is required.

Across the country, Jack & Jill mobilises a crew of 700 nurses and carers to support parents who are looking after their children at home right around the clock.

Jack & Jill support is not just for a week or a weekend, but a vital and ongoing connection throughout the child’s early years, with the charity providing an average of 40 hours support a month to 362 children nationwide, increasing to 80 hours for end-of-life support.

For Anne Reilly, Jack & Jill Specialist Children’s Liaison Nurse for Meath, every €16 raised will make a real difference to the family of a child being cared for:

“Every day our families have their own hill to climb at home. With ‘Up the Hill for Jack & Jill’, we are asking people to physically climb a hill in solidarity with those who can’t.

“It’s about neighbour helping neighbour, friend helping friend and that community support really means so much to our families and our nurses. It’s very simple to get involved this year, and the hill you climb can be whatever you want it to be – a gentle slope, a mountain peak, or a simple walk with a friend. We are determined that this is one fundraising event that Covid-19 won’t flatten!”