Newstalk’s Kieran Cuddihy has visited the new children’s hospital demonstration room to present funds totalling 26,305 raised by the station’s ‘Go an Extra Mile’ campaign, including a €10,000 Tesco donation made during the campaign. He was joined by Rio Finnegan, a patient of CHI at Temple Street and his mum Abbie, as well as Deirdre Keating, Community Colleague at Tesco and Dr. Emma Curtis, Medical Director with CHI at Tallaght.
In September and October 2021, Kieran Cuddihy and the team at Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder drivetime programme asked their listeners to Go an Extra Mile for the sick children in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres. Over the course of six weeks, the show heard from families across Ireland who spoke about their experiences in CHI at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly. They also featured interviews with consultants and doctors from the respective hospitals.
The response from the public was overwhelming. Parents from all four corners of the country rang in and told their children’s stories on air, all while raising vital, life-saving funds for Children’s Health Foundation. Tesco Ireland got involved and matched the fundraising with a €10,000 donation live on air.
The campaign concluded with a five-kilometre fun run in Morton Stadium, Santry, on October 16th when a group of dedicated Hard Shoulder listeners braved the wintry conditions and went an extra mile for sick children. Overall, the Go an Extra Mile campaign raised an incredible €26,305.
Last Friday, Kieran travelled to the New Children’s Hospital demonstration rooms in CHI at Herberton to see first-hand the impact The Hard Shoulder’s Go an Extra Mile campaign will create. Kieran met with Rio Finnegan, and his mum Abbie, who received the cheque on behalf of Children’s Health Foundation. Rio is a CHI at Temple Street patient, where he was treated for Cerebal Palsy after a difficult birth which saw Rio needing to be revived. After four weeks in intensive care, Rio made a great recovery and will be celebrating his second birthday in the summer.
They were also joined by Dr. Emma Curtis, Medical Director at CHI at Tallaght, who spoke to Kieran about the impact their fundraising will have for sick children now and when the new children’s hospital opens.
The segment will feature on The Hard Shoulder this evening (Monday, February 28th) at 5.30pm.
Kieran Cuddihy, Presenter of The Hard Shoulder at Newstalk said: ”Children’s Health Foundation do incredible work and we were very proud to partner with them for this campaign. Every single cent raised will go to improving the hospital experience for some of the sickest children in Ireland. A huge thanks is owed to all of the listeners to The Hard Shoulder who gave so generously and to everyone who took part in our 5km fun run."
Ruth Guy, Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications at Children’s Health Foundation said, “We are extremely grateful to Newstalk, the team at The Hard Shoulder, and their listeners for raising vital, life-saving funds for the sick children in CHI at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly. The Go an Extra Mile campaign is the epitome of the community spirit which supports organisations like Children’s Health Foundation and provides compassionate, loving care for every sick child in Ireland."
