10 December 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. It is well known for its annual Christmas fundraising in Cork City Centre when secondary school students in yellow coats collect coins (and notes) from passersby.
A number students will take part in the annual SHARE 24-hour fast, and keeping with tradition, students will attend the crib daily in the run-up to Christmas as they co-ordinate the daily fundraising effort. Students will collect right up until Christmas Eve, raising much-needed funds for a charity that has looked after the elderly in the region for half a century.
Those wishing to support SHARE can also donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with Share Students Ava Moynihan and Daniel Prestwick , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits a building he opened in a previous role!
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with a group of Share Students , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with Aoife O’Sullivan, Alex Jade O’Connor, Orla Cullinane and Tara Kennedy from Scoil Mhuire and Christ The King Secondary Schools , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with Share Students James Barry , Daniel Prestwick and Ava Moynihan , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with Aoife O’Sullivan, Alex Jade O’Connor, Orla Cullinane and Tara Kennedy from Scoil Mhuire and Christ The King Secondary Schools , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Paddy Cassidy from Mount st Josephs , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin chats with Share Student James Barry , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin chats with Share Resident Brigid Murphy , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
Share students sings for the Residents and An Taoiseach , An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits residents and students at SHARE to wish them a Happy Christmas. SHARE is a local charity that provides housing, social and medical support to the elderly in Cork. Those wishing to support SHARE can donate at https://sharecork.org/donations/.
Photography By Gerard McCarthy
What is SHARE?
SHARE is a registered charity, founded in 1970 by students from Cork, who raised funds to try and make existing housing more comfortable. The organisation has gone from strength to strength since then, now encompassing schools across Cork city and county, whose students fast and fundraise annually at Christmas time for SHARE.
Since its foundation in 1970, SHARE has provided a unique link between students and the elderly. It has created a blueprint for positive engagement between students and the elderly community, gaining national and international recognition.
Since its inception, SHARE has tackled the housing crisis for the particularly vulnerable elderly people of Cork City. Evolving over the last 50 years, the organisation, led by students, runs 140 homes in the area, across seven different locations. Students visit these homes on a weekly basis, offering much sought-after social engagement. In addition to this, the Brother Jerome Day Care Centre caters for up to 125 clients each week (with the exception of Covid-19 restriction periods) , offering a social environment, hot meals, fun and activities.
SHARE Homes
SHARE’s 140 housing units, located around the City, are comfortable, secure and homely, and are overseen by SHARE personnel on an on-going basis.
The continuous maintenance and running of SHARE’s homes, situated around the City at Blarney St, Shandon St, Blackpool, Grattan St, Sunday’s Well, Abbey St and Sheare’s St, is an ongoing commitment for SHARE – a commitment all members of SHARE are happy to undertake, to ensure residents can live in peace and comfort.
Milestones:
· May 1976 – 12 houses built and furnished at Clochán Barra, Coach St
· Dec 1976 – Accommodation provided for 13 people in 3-bedroomed furnished houses at Glendalough, Grenville Place.
· Dec 1977 – 11 homes provided at Ard Mhaca, Sheares St
· Feb 1978 7 – One-storey houses built and furnished at Skellig, Rope Walk, Sunday’s Well
· Dec 1978 – 13 houses completed at Cnoc Mhuire na Toirbhirte, Fair St
· May 1979 – 19 houses completed at Cnoc Mhuire Seandún
· Nov 1980 – Accommodation for 18 people at Teach Chill Chré, Dyke Parade
· Dec 1980 – 15-house complex, Gougane Barra, Abbey St
· Dec 1983 – Ardfert Village, 21 houses at William O’Brien St
· Dec 1988 – Dún Rís, 32-home complex at Grattan St
· Nov 1993 – SHARE’s 200th home was opened as part of a 42-apartment complex at Ard Iosaef, Blarney St
· Dec 2000 – Br Jerome Kelly Day Care Centre opened at Sheare’s St to cater for 50-100 people daily, offering medical and social support, as well as fun and warm meals.
· Feb 2017 – Redeveloped 20 bedsits into 10 apartments
· 2019 – Remodeled 8 homes in Mount St Joseph
SHARE also provides medical and social support through its Day Care Centre on a daily basis, which involves an activity coordinator and support staff. In addition, the HSE provides a nurse and two care assistants who help the clients secure the extra resources and help they require.
In recent years, SHARE has piloted a dementia outreach programme, to visit those living with dementia in the wider community. Where, once vetted, an adult volunteer and two students go on these visits for two hours each week. In addition to keeping the person living with dementia company there is a benefit to the carers as it allows them the freedom to take some time out for themselves, as normally they could be on call 24/7.
