2019 Charity Impact Award Winners Announced

A mental health charity set up by the mother of a 13-year old girl who died by suicide, a support service for pregnant women experiencing homelessness, a leading hospice and a woman who has volunteered for over 40 years in her local community are among the organisations and individuals honoured this evening at the 2019 Charity Impact Awards held at the Mansion House in Dublin. 

Presented by The Wheel, the national association of charities, community and voluntary organisations and social enterprises, the Charity Impact Awards celebrate the positive impact these organisations, and the individuals behind them, make in the lives of millions of people in Ireland and beyond.

Congratulating the winners, Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel said, “Each of the 99 organisations and individuals who were nominated for this year’s Charity Impact Awards makes a huge difference to the communities they work with, and we are delighted to honour and celebrate their achievements. The Wheel is passionate and determined to support the remarkable people and organisations who work so hard and single-mindedly to ensure that equality, fairness, opportunity and participation remain central to our national identity.”

The Winners

Shannon’s Hope Line, a mental health charity set up by Sandra Kelleher, whose 13-year old daughter Shannon died by suicide, won the Impact Award for Small Organisations. The organisation aims to educate and support young people on the importance of looking after their mental health.

The Impact Award for Medium-sized Organisations went to  Anew Support Services, a charity established in 1981 to provide women with unplanned pregnancies with an alternative option to mother and baby homes. They provide services relating to housing, parenting and maternal wellbeing for pregnant women and new mothers experiencing homelessness.

St Francis Hospice which provides specialist palliative care for the people of North Dublin City and County won the Impact Award for Large Organistions. 

The Charity Trustee of the Year Award went to Sr. Magdalen Fogarty founder of Clann Credo Community Loan Finance, Ireland’s first social finance provider.

Spraoi agus Spórt, a social enterprise which provides social, recreational and educational activities to the community of Carndonagh, Inishowen, Co. Donegal won the Social Enterprise of the Year Award.

The Community Hero Award, a lifetime achievement award honouring a volunteer who has made an extraordinary contribution to their community over the course of their  lifetime, was awarded to Patricia Keane, from Kylemore in Co. Galway. Patricia has volunteered for a myriad of causes in her local community for over 40 years. 

The Mary Redmond Award, a new national honour bestowed on a person who has made an extraordinary contribution to civil society in Ireland, was presented to Dr Bernadette Mac Mahon, D.C. for her outstanding contribution to deepening our collective understanding of the root causes of poverty and social exclusion in Ireland, her pioneering work on the concept of a minimum essential standard of living, and the valuable work she has done to build community and common purpose. 

For more information on the Charity Impact Awards and the winners visit www.charityimpactawards.ie or see #CharityImpactAwards.