FUNDRAISING

How community fundraising matters

The clients we assist, are members of the community, who are often experiencing some level of physical, mental, or emotional trauma in their lives.

The aim of the Irish Support Agency is to make a meaningful difference in their lives.

We do this through the provision of information, outreach programs, and referral to qualified specialists for advice. We run programs to help promote mental and physical wellbeing, social inclusion, and a sense of connection in our community.

We are grateful to receive financial support through the Emigrant Support Programme of the Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland) towards our core administration costs each year. All assistance given to clients in need such as crisis accommodation, food vouchers, utility bills, and counselling support, is financed through our annual fundraising efforts and the generosity of our donors and sponsors.

We would love to hear from you if you are interested in organising a fundraiser in your workplace, community, or sports club.

Getting Started

Fundraising through Facebook - a step-by-step guide can be found here.
Create your own dedicated fundraising page through Supporterhub- get started here.
If you have your own event platform for selling tickets or raising money- please complete the below form to fill us in on all of your amazing plans so we can let everyone know what you’re doing!

Still not sure what you want to do or how to get started? Get in touch and we will guide you through the different options.

Fundraising Ideas

Get moving: From fun runs to iron man challenges, get fit and fundraise at the same time by taking on a physical challenge.

Download our toolkit here.

Have fun: Put the “fun” in fundraising by organising an event like a trivia night, a social event, or a sports day.

Donations and fundraising offer tangible hope and healing to people most in need of assistance and the impact of this ripples out to the families and friends here in Australia and at home in Ireland.

With your help we can secure emergency accommodation for someone escaping domestic violence, put food on the table for a struggling family, or facilitate access to counselling support services following bereavement.

Where the money goes

Our client work

Summary
John was facing the journey of his life to get back home to Ireland, but mental health issues, a broken phone and no cash made it seem impossible that he’d get home to his family at all.
The Irish Support Agency, in communication with his mother and the Irish Consulate in Sydney;

found John in the International Airport's busiest weekend of the year,
got him his first meal in over 24 hours,
supported him through the check-in process, and
helped him battle his inner fears so he could board the plane with the confidence that the decision was his, and that it was the right one for him.

John got safely home to his family for Christmas, where he has the support of his loved-ones and access to the support and treatment options that he needs.

Challenges
The weekend before Christmas, John's mother called us to let us know that he had agreed to come home to his family and they’d bought his ticket, but that he was very confused, had no money for food and had gone out to the airport over 30 hours before he was due to board his plane. She didn’t think that he’d get on the plane if someone wasn’t there to help him through the process and she was further upset because she couldn’t reach him by phone. His family had tried to arrange a bed for the night and get him access to food but the distance and lack of communication made it almost impossible to do.

How we helped
One of our team, who had already met John when he’d had some other issues a few months before, went out to the airport and found him in a very disorientated state, hungry, thirsty and he’d lost track of time completely. Some food and a phone call to his mother went a long way to improving the situation. We helped John get through the minefield of the check-in process, baggage allowances and kept an eye on the time so that he knew he was all set to get home for Christmas. It was still a very anxious time for John, as his fears built about the journey and things left undone here. We were able to reassure him that his family would be there to meet him at the other end and that he’d have Christmas at home, to the extent that he was able to head through Security with a lot more peace of mind than how he’d started his long wait in hard, uncomfortable airport chairs.

Results
Not all problems can be fixed with money. Sometimes it’s the presence of someone to look out for you, to be there with you, to point you in the right direction so that you can step forward with an easy heart. We were delighted to hear that John got safely home to his family and the support he needs to face his challenges. It made our Christmas a happier one too.

Our outreach work

SILVER SURFERS CLASS

One-to-one weekly classes have been operating for many years aimed at increasing the computer literacy of our seniors.

This enables them to stay connected with family and friends, research, or access information on services or leisure activities.
We have recently been able to purchase some much-needed new equipment and devices.

Parenting Support

Having a baby abroad, especially a firstborn was identified as a ‘crisis point’ for many young Irish women in a Government-funded report on the needs of Irish emigrants. With family support some 15,000km away, the rationale for this program is to bring together Irish parents for parenting support and social connection.

Programs we have run:

Demystifying the Australian Education System
Baby Massage
Greatfulness for Irish Parents: A guide to mindfulness
Baby First Aid

MENTAL HEALTH

PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

In 2017, our research identified the need to develop a program to promote the mental health and wellbeing of the Irish Australian community in NSW.

This much-needed, high-impact program is increasing the awareness, understanding, and ability of key community members to respond to mental health issues. There is now more conscious listening and greater access to support in the community than ever before – and this is only the beginning.

THE Irish 30

The Irish 30 are free monthly wellbeing webinars designed to promote the mental health and wellbeing of the Irish Community in Australia.

Each session explores a different aspect of health and wellbeing, guided by the latest evidence and facilitated by an expert in the field.

We have held sessions on grief, sleep, financial wellbeing and independence, career guidance and transformation, self-care, healthy habits, and more.

Mental Health First Aid Training

The Irish Support Agency is delighted to support the training of Mental Health First Aid for the Irish Australian community.

We have held five training sessions run over a two-day intensive program. We have trained 56 Irish community members.

Mental health first aid is the help given to someone developing a mental problem or in a mental health crisis. Regular first aid courses are widespread, however, most of these courses do not address helping with mental health problems. Mental Health First Aid training aims to fill this gap and can equally save lives.