Limerick lads help donate festive goodie bags to Childrens Ark at UHL

A VOLUNTEER-led charity which is run by four Limerick lads has donated 300 goodie bags to the Children’s Ark paediatric unit at University Hospital Limerick – just in time for Christmas.

The goodie bags, which are made up of a mixture of sweet treat bags and toy bags. were put together by the team of volunteers at the recently-registered charity, Let's Fund It.

The charity was founded by a group of friends from County Limerick – Stephen Ryan-Doyle, Adam Kinsella and Joseph Guerin from Askeaton as well as David Walsh from Pallaskenry.

“This donation is our way letting all the children attending the ward and the staff know that we are thinking of them. We hope our small contribution will help spread some Christmas spirit,” commented Stephen Ryan-Doyle who is chairman of the charity.

Let’s Fund It made a similar donation of 200 goodie bags to the Children’s Ark last year.

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However, this year, it has been able to increase its donation by a third to 300 goodie bags due to the generosity of Limerick donors who supported it throughout 2022.

The larger donation of goodie bags will ensure that nurses and doctors at the Children’s Ark will have a gift for every child who is admitted over the Christmas period.

In addition, staff at the paediatric unit hope to distribute some of the goodie bags to children who will be attending the emergency department on Christmas Eve.

Let’s Fund It have previously made donations of toys, stationery, and art and craft supplies to the Children’s Ark.

The inspiration for Let’s Fund It came from a desire by these friends to support Irish charities and charity service-users in a practical and transparent way.

The Limerick-based charity has had a busy year which has seen it donated just under €10,000 worth of equipment to Irish charities.

This year, Let’s Fund It purchased important equipment for the Limerick-based organisations Rape Crisis Midwest, ADAPT, Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, Deel Animal Rescue, Novas Ireland, Haven Hub and Limerick Mental Health Association.

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Let’s Fund It is a volunteer-run charity that uses donated funds to purchase goods and services on behalf of Irish charities. The goods and services purchased go directly to benefit the services-users of the charity supported.

The charity’s aim is to be fully transparent on how donations are spent and distributed to each charity.

Details of each donation are posted on social media and on the Let’s Fund It website.

“Hospital can be a scary and nerve-wracking place for children so we hope that our donation of 300 goodie bags filled with treats and toys will put a smile on the faces of many children over the Christmas season," commented David Walsh, secretary of Let’s Fund It.