Kirby Group Engineering has donated a total of €100,000 to help people in need at Christmas. Kirby has a longstanding tradition of supporting charities at this time of year and 2020 was no different.

The chosen organisations were Alone, which received €50,000, Pieta which received €25,000 and Unicef, which was also been allocated a €25,000 donation.

For Kirby Group MD Mark Flanagan, helping those in need is important: “We have five core values at Kirby, our primary value being people. We work all year round to support our people and our clients, so supporting chosen charities during the festive season is an opportunity to include vulnerable members of the community locally, nationally and internationally. It’s also a way of thanking the charity teams who work night and day in their continual efforts to help and care for others.”

Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said: “We are delighted to receive support and assistance from Kirby in what continues to be an extremely difficult time for an increasing number of older people in Ireland. This level of generosity means that we can continue our work now and into the future, providing supports to the additional older people seeking assistance on an ongoing basis. We, as an organisation, can continue to work hard to provide services to enable older people to age at home and in their community.”

Fundraising Director with Pieta, Sinead Price said: “We are so delighted to have been chosen by the Kirby Group to receive a gift of €25,000 this Christmas. Pieta therapists are here to support everybody who needs us through our 24 hour suicide crisis helpline and our network of centres across Ireland. We are very thankful for the funds which will support Pieta this Christmas in delivering lifesaving suicide prevention therapy.”

UNICEF’s Executive Director, Peter Power, said: “UNICEF thanks the Kirby Group for its continued support for our work for children throughout the world. This generous donation of €25,000 allows UNICEF to reach the hardest to reach children. During this challenging year it is fantastic to see companies demonstrating their Corporate Social Responsibility in the face of numerous business challenges arising from Covid-19. The Kirby Group has always been at the forefront in terms of CSR and UNICEF is delighted to be associated with the company”, concluded Mr Power.

The company has been conscious of the challenges 2020 brought for charities and helped more than 50 organisations in total during the year. The end-of-year donations follow contributions worth a further €100,000 from Kirby to charities during 2020, including Focus Ireland, Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Make A Wish, Laura Lynn, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Concern.

Mark Flanagan paid tribute to his team’s efforts: “I’d like to thank all our colleagues who showed great determination to reach out to those in need this year even though they were coping with so much change in their own lives. I’m proud to say this is a true illustration of how we pull together in the working environment too. I’m looking forward to what 2021 will bring and working with our wonderful team and clients in the new year.”