Two Leitrim organisations among recipients of RTÉ Toy Show Appeal’s grants

Two Leitrim organisations are among the recipients of RTÉ Toy Show Appeal’s Grants to help transform young lives in every county across the island of Ireland.

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal and the Community Foundation for Ireland this week announced that over 1.2 million children, young people and their families will benefit from donations raised during the 2022 Late Late Toy Show Appeal.

A total of 147 charities, down from 154 last year, will receive a share of the grants totalling almost €4million, with every county on the island benefiting including Leitrim’s Mohill Family Support Centre and North West S.T.O.P. to the tune of a combined €25,000.

Mohill Family Support Centre will receive €12,000 to promote the holistic wellbeing of children and young people aged 4- 18 years in Leitrim with specific emphasis on children and young people living in Direct provision and Ukraine. While North West S.T.O.P. will receive €13,000 to create an art/play therapy room for children and young people which will allow for additional therapy sessions for more than 150 young people.

Charity partner Community Foundation Ireland, which manages the grant process on behalf of RTÉ and its viewers, says that the competition for funding across the sector is intense, given the impact of cost of living on donations across the sector. The range of projects receiving funding are indicative of the range of challenges that children can face, but also of the innovative, practical and really valuable work being done by charities large and small, that are helping to make a difference.

Announcing the grants Dee Forbes, outgoing Director-General of RTÉ said: “Children’s voices have always been at the very core of The Late Late Toy Show. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our viewers, thousands of children are now being supported in so many different ways.

“To everyone who donated a huge thank you; this will help so many young lives in the year ahead and is a remarkable testimony to Ireland’s renowned generosity.”