On the afternoon of Thursday October 10th, the staff at AIB’s Sandymount Road branch held a cake sale in order to raise funds for Cheerios’ Childline Breakfast 2013, a nationwide event that took place between October 7th and 13th.
Rather than the morning, which is usually the quieter period for the bank, the event was held in the afternoon. Thanks to popular demand, AIB Sandymount’s Emma Martin made the decision to carry the sale over to the following day. When the donations were counted, (and the crumbs swept up), an impressive €340 had been raised in total.
Some of the cakes had been baked by staff members of the bank and were so tempting that even one or two NewsFour staffers put their strict dietary regimes on hold and could be seen scoffing away in the corner of the bank (apologies if we left a mess).
Emma decided on the cake sale after being contacted by Childline director Susie Halpin, who was reaching out to businesses regarding fundraising. Halpin told NewsFour, “I would like to sincerely thank the staff at AIB Sandymount for taking part in the Childline Breakfast this year. Every Euro goes towards answering another call from a child who has reached out and needs to be heard.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Childline. Halpin told NewsFour that, while the phone line continues to provide an invaluable service, Childline are working on building an online presence to continue providing support for young people. The phone line is accessible 24 hours a day and Childline hope to soon be able to provide a similar round-the-clock service online.
The organisation receives funding solely through public donations, which is why events like the one hosted by AIB Sandymount are so crucial.
If you would like to host a Childline Breakfast, you can call 1850 50 40 50 to receive a registration pack. €2 donations can be made by texting BREAKFAST to 50300 and every cent goes directly to Childline.
Pictured from left to right: Emma, Brenda, Cathryn and Niamh with their selection of cakes.
By Eric Hillis
