14th June 2018
INTO Charity cycle raises critical funds for Focus Ireland
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation today presented representatives from Focus Ireland with a cheque for €11,901.91. To commemorate INTO’s 150-year anniversary taking place this year, a series of events have been planned across the country.
Conscious of the plight of homelessness in our country today, with almost four thousand children under 18 living on the streets, INTO members were keen to do something to support the ground-breaking work of Focus Ireland. Each day primary school teachers across the country teach children or work with families who are homeless.
INTO is committed to challenging the ongoing homelessness crisis and hope that this donation will help to fund Focus Ireland housing projects and services in Dublin, Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork, Sligo and Limerick.
The INTO 150 charity cycle included almost forty members, staff, family and friends who took part in the 150-kilometre route in West Cork.
Presenting the cheque to Elisabeth Smyth of Focus Ireland, at INTO Head Office on June 14 2018, INTO President Joe Killeen said, “The scourge of homelessness touches us all. In the classroom, our members share heart-breaking tales of children and families in distress. As a union, we have long committed to working with groups such as Focus Ireland to do our part to tackle the crisis.
“As we reflect on our 150 years of active representation for our members, we felt it was vital that we looked forward as well as back. Groups such as Focus Ireland can do so much with the right level of funding and I’m delighted that so many of my fellow members took up the challenge.”