Since 2009, the Applegreen chain of service stations has been aiding selected charities, with over €680,000 paid out to date.
The charity drive is held in two-year cycles, beginning with 2009 to 2011 when a total of €276,082 was raised and shared between GOAL and Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice. This year, the grand sum of €405,387 will be shared between Irish charities Console and the Jack and Jill Foundation. The money raised is the result of the 2012 to 2013 cycle, and is actually 59% higher than the target initially set by Applegreen.
Through an initiative titled You Buy, We Give, every purchase made by an Applegreen customer results in one cent of the transaction being donated to the charity fund, at no extra cost for the customer. In addition to this process, customers donated through charity boxes on site at Applegreen locations, and special events ranging from fun runs to car wash days were held by the staff of several branches. Keith Ennis, who until recently managed the Mount Merrion branch, took part in a sponsored climb of Scotland’s Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles.
Selected as the recipients of the 2014 to 2015 drive are The Children’s Medical and Research Foundation at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and Anam Cara. The former is a world-class facility that provides essential research into the treatment of childhood-specific diseases. Anam Cara is an organisation dedicated to providing support for parents who find themselves dealing with bereavement.
Applegreen also hosts an annual golf day at Donnybrook’s Elm Park Golf Club, the next one is this September. Staff of the Mount Merrion branch help out on the day and last year they provided fresh cakes for the participating golfers.
Pictured at Applegreen’s Mount Merrion branch are (left to right) Paul Kelly, Founder and CEO Console, Brendan O’Connor, Joe Barrett, COO Applegreen, Aidan Power, Jonathan Irwin, Founder and CEO Jack & Jill.
Photo by Paul Sherwood.
By Eric Hillis
