A CORK-based charity, which has been responding to the needs of young women who have experienced difficult times for almost three decades, recently held a special event to celebrate receiving €37,500 from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grant.

The grant allocated to Wellsprings, located on Wandesford Quay, will fund a vital project in the outreach component of the Wellsprings service called ‘Breaking the cycle; Engaging children and families with a care history in therapeutic supports and providing children and teenagers with prosocial connections’.

This funding will facilitate the enhancement of work with children of women accessing Wellsprings outreach service, who as children and teenagers themselves lived in care.

Sharon Horan and Zoe O'Donovan. Picture: David Creedon

It will allow for the recruitment of a dedicated family support worker who will work directly with the children and link them to funded sessions with a therapeutic practitioner.

The project will provide children and parents access to sessions with a creative arts therapist/play therapist and music therapist to guide and support them in how best to respond to challenges, understand diagnosis and cope with stress in a more adaptive way.

The funded family support worker will meet with the children and parents regularly and link the children to positive activities.

Siobhán Tobin and Audrey Jeffery. Picture: David Creedon

On Tuesday, Wellsprings held a barbecue event to celebrate the funding allocation.

Speaking at it, the Lord Mayor of Cork Kieran McCarthy, said it was a “great honour” to be present.

He paid tribute to the staff at Wellsprings lauding their “pursuit of caring and helping people on their journey through life”.

Cathal Geraghty, Cork ETB Youth Services, Fiona Quinn, Local Creative Youth Partnership and Amanda Foster Outreach Worker. Picture: David Creedon

“What you’re doing here really matters, in helping people and what I call saving people’s souls,” he continued. He described the receipt of funding as a “milestone” in the charity’s history.

“It is about your good selves embarking on another quest to improve the wellbeing of citizens of this city. That’s a very, very noble and very, very important quest.”

The grant to Wellsprings is one of 147 RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grants this year which were made possible by the generosity of viewers of last November’s Late Late Toy Show. Charity partner Community Foundation Ireland manages the grant process on behalf of RTÉ and its viewers.

Amy and Tadhg Tracey. Picture: David Creedon

Director of the Wellsprings board, Pat Mullins, described what receiving the grant means to the charity.

“Today is a great day for the service because we can expand and we can develop more and there’s lots more Wellsprings would like to do, there’s lots more that we’d like to get involved in,” he said.

Founded in 1995 by Sister Joan O’Leary, Wellsprings responds professionally to the needs of young women who have experienced difficult times, through offering a bespoke 24/7 safe home-like environment and continues to support young people in their onward journey.

The residential component caters for adolescents and women aged from 16 to 24 years and the aftercare outreach component provides a wraparound service of lifelong supports.

Juliet Obonugo and Jaden Ojugbeu. Picture: David Creedon

Speaking at the event on Tuesday, Finance Minister Michael McGrath particularly praised this aspect of the charity.

“I think what sets Wellsprings apart is the fact that the service is a lifelong service, that while women would spend perhaps a year, two years, maybe longer in the residential service, the support is lifelong.”