This Friday, 13 October, Alan Bateson, Brand Director for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Ireland will take part in Focus Ireland’s annual ‘Shine A Light Night’ fundraiser which sees the business community come together for one night to raise vital funds and to stand in solidarity with people experiencing homelessness in Ireland today with sleep outs taking place at Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral and Cork’s City Gaol.
Focus Ireland’s Shine a Light Night has become a major event amongst Irish business leaders, and since 2012 the annual sleep-out has raised over €2.5 million for people who are experiencing homelessness all over Ireland.
Commenting ahead of the night, Alan said “I was shocked to realise that today there are over 8,000 people homeless in Ireland and that 3,000 of these are children, children just like mine and yours and that statistic really hits home. This is an increase of 60 per cent in 12 months; homelessness is now at levels never witnessed before so I’ve signed up to play my part in helping Focus Ireland provide vital prevention services which help change these people’s lives.
“I have committed to raise a minimum of €3,000 by Friday 13 October. You can sponsor me no matter how small it is, it will be truly appreciated. To support this cause visit https://shine-a-light-night-2017.everydayhero.com/ie/alan-bateson, and help tackle this enormous issue in Ireland.”
Focus Ireland aims to break the cycle of homelessness by giving people access to information, housing, childcare and a range of education services throughout Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Limerick, Sligo, Waterford, Clare and Wexford.
For more information on the event, please visit: https://www.focusireland.ie/get-involved/company-fundraising/shine-a-light or join the conversation on Twitter with #ShineALight.
