April 2023

This beautiful wall mural was completed by young Ukrainians who attend one of their centres. They created the design and painted the mural with their creative art, unveiling the mural this week.

Kerry Diocesan Youth Services is a youth-work organisation in the South West of Ireland covering the Diocese of Kerry. They are committed to serving all young people in a safe, fun and positive environment, through the provision of youth spaces, services, mentoring, training and ongoing opportunities for their holistic development. Learn more about their services and see the finished mural here.

Stephen Bradshaw stands with another St. Anne's Farm volunteer outside the gates.

St. Anne's City Farm is a community lead Urban City Farm run by volunteers.

Stephen Bradshaw, one of their volunteers, has organised a fundraiser for the farm by climbing to Mount Everest Base Camp.

"I currently work as a volunteer, like all the workers on the farm, and would love to get as much support and funding for our beloved farm through an expedition that myself and my pal Declan Gallagher are undertaking. It's a cause very close to my heart."

Rhonda (left) and Yvonne (right) volunteer on the Saplings Rathfarnham School Parents' Association, helping to raise funds and awareness for their children's school.

Nestled in the heart of Rathfarnham Valley, Saplings is a school with a mission to support individuals with a diagnosis of autism and their families.  

Rhonda Plunkett and Yvonne Nolan work alongside the other parents of Saplings and their community to raise funds that provide services and equipment to assist the children who attend the school to achieve their full potential. This is their story... 

Rhonda, the Chairperson of the Parents' Association, has a son who attends Saplings. “Ben is turning 10 next month and he's been in the school since he was six. He was able to start when he was quite young. They had set up a new initiative and new class and we were one of the lucky families who got a place. 

I joined the Parents' Association, and we really are trying to get what’s needed for the kids during these formative years. We want to do as much as possible in terms of interventions, initiatives, and finding opportunities that really unlock what's in there. Quite a lot of our children are nonverbal, and so there are quite a lot of initiatives around speech, language, occupational therapy, which really helps them regulate.” 

Rhonda and her son, Ben, take a walk with his assistance dog, Tango.

Yvonne knows the power of Saplings’ holistic, evidence-based services. “Both of my twin boys, Rory and Dylan attend and are nonverbal. They both have different skills in speech and language that are nurtured at the school. Recently, Dylan has started to type. It's so clear that the funds we raise for speech and language therapy are working. They’ve both started to express themselves, with words and that wasn't happening a couple of years ago. 

Often, at the school we hear ‘a young sapling, properly nurtured, can grow into a strong tree’ and that is so true.” 

Yvonne, members of the Parents' Association, and community members organise a Christmas bake sale to raise funds for Saplings.

Having seen the incredible impact of the unique school system, the Parents' Association forms to ensure that services can continue at such a high calibre and it’s all volunteer based. “We’ve come together to continue our efforts around fundraising and find connections with volunteer groups and organisations that could support the school,” says Yvonne. 

These efforts have taken the form of bake sales, holiday collections, and even marathon runs. Saplings have also been received support from organisations such as Intel Ireland, Difference Day in partnership with SMBC Aviation, The Irish Youth Foundation in partnership with Applegreen Blossom Fund and Tesco Community Fund.

Yvonne boasts of the community that supports her family, her boys, and everyone at Saplings. “It really is a community effort. For example, somebody in the community donated a piano to the school, and now every week a young student volunteer from our neighbourhood, studying to become a music teacher, comes to play for the children. They love it.” 

Yvonne sits with her family including her two boys, Rory and Dylan, who attend PA Saplings.

All the money raised goes directly to the school, helping to provide services like speech and occupational therapists, the upkeep of the beloved garden, and equipment for their sensory room. 

Rhonda sees this as a real team effort. “The children who are here are absolutely wonderful, and our community sees that. They show up in ways we could have never imagined, and the generosity is just incredible.”  

You can learn more about Saplings School and their programmes here and watch their NationWide feature here.

We Act is a national, collaborative campaign to celebrate the value and impact of the charities and community groups in Ireland.

Want to share your own good news story? Email madeline@wheel.ie

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