Kidkast single “4 a Minute”
500 children from Kidkast in Drogheda, Castleknock, Hartstown & Swords hope for a Christmas hit with their new single “4 a Minute” in aid of Jack & Jill
Over 500 children and teenagers from Kidkast in Drogheda, Castleknock, Hartstown and Swords, aged between 4 and 17, are hoping for a Christmas hit with their new single called, “4 a Minute” which be available to download from Friday 4th December at a cost of €1, with all proceeds going to the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. These young performers are all members of the Kidkast Theatre School which provides weekly classes in dance, drama and musical theatre and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The single was written by Kidkast’s very own drama and singing teacher, Sarah Louisa Nolan, a seasoned musician and songwriter. The Jack & Jill Foundation support 300 children in Ireland who are born with or develop brain damage and who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay as a result and require intensive home nursing care.
According to Tracey Martin from Kidkast, “This was a great experience for everyone involved and we’re very proud of the finished single. We are very aware of the great work Jack & Jill does to help sick children in every community in Ireland, including the communities in which Kidkast operates, and fingers crossed “4 a Minute” will be a big hit this Christmas and we can raise a lot of money for Jack & Jill in the process.”
Praising the new single Jonathan Irwin, founder and CEO of Jack & Jill said, “This is a fantastic single and a very generous gift from 500 budding stars with big voices and big hearts. I reckon this could be a big hit over Christmas and I want to thank the staff of Kidkast for making it happen. These are tough times for every charity and it’s fundraisers like this one that will see us through 2010.”
The song will be available to download from Friday 4th December, 2009. All details and links will be posted on www.kidkast.ie, go to the “4 a Minute” page and follow the instructions.
Further information: www.kidkast.ie
Tracey Martin, Kidkast, 087 689 4860
Eunice McMenamin, Kidkast, 086 821 7324
Carmel Doyle, Jack & Jill, 087 247 3537
About Jack & Jill:
The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation was set up in 1997 by Jonathan Irwin and his wife Mary Ann O’Brien (who is the MD of Lily O’Brien’s) to help young children in Ireland who are born with or develop brain damage and who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay as a result. For instance, our babies may be blind and deaf. They may have difficulty breathing. They may not have speech. They may not be able to swallow. They may not have the use of their arms or legs. They may not sleep. They may suffer seizures continuously. They may just cry … and cry … and cry … for days…and days… Many of our babies require 24 hour care and sadly quite a few do not survive beyond their 4th birthday.
The Irwin family decided to set up Jack & Jill based on their own experience with their son Jack who was born on 29th February 1996 at a time when there were no support services available outside the hospital. They set up their own model of home nursing care for Jack which is the blueprint for the Jack & Jill model that supports over 300 families in Ireland today and has helped over 1,200 children and their families since 1997. The service includes home visits, advice, information, lobbying and bereavement support, with the Foundation providing funding for up to 80 hours of home nursing care per month at a cost of €1,300 per family. Jack Irwin passed away on 13th December 1997 but his memory lives on through Jack & Jill.
“The gift of time” is how some parents describe the support from Jack & Jill. Time to do the normal things that others take for granted, like sleeping, shopping, visiting friends or taking the other children to the park – with the peace of mind that their sick child is being well cared for. The first step is for one of our 10 liaison nurses around the country to visit the family at home in the early weeks and offer advice on caring for the child at home and how to access the services they require. These new parents are feeling upset, isolated and vulnerable and often still in shock about the diagnosis and the reality of having a sick child, a child with a potentially life limiting condition. The Jack & Jill Foundation pays particular attention to the needs and emotions of the healthy brothers and sisters who can so easily be overlooked.
The Foundation requires over €3 million per annum to operate this service with less than 18% of this money coming from the State.
