Kilkenny Volunteer Responders recognised with Community Funding
A charity whose volunteers have responded to more than 60 life threatening emergencies in Kilkenny since February this year has been chosen to receive €26,000 in funding as part of AIB’s fifth annual Community €1 Million Fund.
CRITICAL emergency medical charity’s Kilkenny Community First responder group is alerted by the National Ambulance Service to incidents within a 10km radius of Kilkenny City and started responding in February.
Community First Responders are local volunteers trained to provide immediate, life-saving medical care in the vital minutes before an ambulance arrives. The Kilkenny volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds including the emergency services, defence forces, retail and business.
Since it was first launched in 2022, the AIB Community €1 Million Fund has supported almost 300 charities across Ireland. This year, the Fund will again share support with organisations that are deeply rooted in their communities, from local services and volunteer-led groups to charities responding to everyday needs.
Through the Fund, AIB is allocating €700,000 to charities nominated by customers and the wider public, with funding distributed across each of the four provinces and a dedicated category for charities in the Greater Dublin area. A further €300,000 will be donated to charities selected by AIB employees.
Paul O’Carroll, Co-ordinator of the CRITICAL Kilkenny CFR group said, “It means so much to us to be nominated by our local community especially during our first year in operation. We are honoured to receive such a significant amount of funding from AIB which will help support the day-to-day running of our group, essential equipment and training our volunteers. Every call we attend, every family we support and every hour our volunteers give is all about being there for our community when they need us most.”
David Tighe, CEO of CRITICAL said, “We would like to thank the Kilkenny community for nominating us. The funding is crucial for maintaining the life-saving services we offer. Our volunteers are often the first to arrive at the scene and provide vital care in the early minutes of an emergency when every second counts. This care becomes even more important in rural areas. It is thanks to funding like this that we are able to expand our services to more locations across the country and we are very grateful for the support provided by AIB and the Kilkenny community for recognising the important service we offer.”
To mark AIB’s 60th anniversary, the Bank has made a once-off contribution of €60,000 to the Fund. This will provide an extra €10,000 for each region, helping even more community projects and initiatives reach the people who need them most.
The charities supported through this year’s Fund will also be featured on the donation feature in the AIB Mobile App, delivered in partnership with Payzone, giving customers a simple way to continue supporting their work throughout the year.
Jason Dempsey, Branch Manager, AIB Kilkenny said, “We are very pleased to support CRITICAL CFR Kilkenny through the AIB Community Fund. The work carried out by Community First Responders is hugely valuable to the local community, providing vital assistance when people need it most. We are proud to support organisations that make such a difference in their communities and we look forward to seeing the positive impact this funding will have across Kilkenny.”
For more information about CRITICAL charity or to make a donation visit www.criticalcharity.ie For more information on AIB’s work in the community visit www.aib.ie/community.