Charity Spotlight: Jack and Jill Foundation
Who are the Jack and Jill Foundation?
Jack and Jill were set up 26 years ago by two pioneering parents - Mary Ann O’Brien and Jonathan Irwin - based on their family’s experience, caring for their son Jack at home with the help of local nurses, until he passed away at home in Kildare at the age of 22 months on 13th December 1997. Jack’s home nursing care plan became the blueprint for over 2,971 children who’ve been supported by Jack and Jill since then, as Mary Ann and Jonathan vowed that no parents should have to walk this difficult care journey alone. They set about establishing a practical home nursing care model and raising funds to deliver it.
Sadly, Jonathan Irwin passed away on 10th December 2023, after a short illness. Jonathan (82) led a wonderful life that touched and supported so many families and he never tired of helping others, right up until the end. He was unique. Articulate, charismatic, debonair, persuasive, driven, imaginative, flamboyant; a true gentleman who made a difference and has left a lasting legacy.
What the Jack and Jill Foundation does:
Jack and Jill is a nationwide charity that funds and provides in-home nursing care and respite support to families caring for children, up to the age of six, with neurodevelopmental delay associated with a severe cognitive delay. This may include children with brain injury, genetic diagnosis, cerebral palsy, and undiagnosed conditions. Another key part of our service is end-of-life-care for all children up to the age six, irrespective of diagnosis. For families, this means they are providing around-the-clock care, without much of a break. Their child may be tube fed, oxygen dependent, take seizures, require medication management and some may have over 20 pieces of medical equipment in the home. Our Jack and Jill nurses and carers give parents a break, allowing them to do the normal things like catch up on sleep, on shopping, bringing the other kids out, or just catching up with a friend for a coffee.
Across nursing, fundraising, finance, administration and retail, Jack and Jill has over 60 members of hardworking and dedicated people across the country.
Contact Jack and Jill Foundation:
Email: michaela@jackandjill.ie
Contact Number: 045 894538
Website: www.jackandjill.ie