6 July 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
BUMBLEance, The Children’s National Ambulance Service, is delighted to announce the launch of a new Cork based BUMBLEance fundraising committee.
The Cork Committee is compiled of a variety of Cork companies and professionals (listed below) from all walks of life and includes well known Cork businesses such as The Cork International Hotel, Sirus, Flex, Musgrave, the Irish Examiner and several BUMBLEance families and supporters.
Chairman of the Cork Committee, Mr. Scott MacKeown said: ‘The Cork Committee was set up to support critically and seriously ill BUMBLEance kids and their families at a local level. Our main aim is to get a Cork based, Southern Regional BUMBLEette service on the road as soon as possible in order to help even more sick children throughout Cork city and County. The committee is holding a variety of fundraising events throughout 2017 and we hope that the community will come out and support our fundraising drive so that we can help to make life a little bit easier for sick children and their families”
Speaking at the launch of The Cork Committee today, Saoirse Foundation Founder and Corkman, Tony Heffernan said: ‘We are delighted to have the Cork Committee on board with BUMBLEance as this will make a massive difference to so many seriously ill children and their families at a local level. Our main goal is to take away that fear and stress of an ambulance journey for a child. Our new, regionally based, Southern and Rebel BUMBLEette service, will enable us to provide vital assistance to even more sick children and families in need of our support throughout the Rebel County.’
The Cork committee was formed to raise funds to purchase and fund the operation of a new Cork based Southern Regional BUMBLEette service for sick kids. The Cork based vehicle will transport and support critically and seriously ill children throughout the Southern region, Cork city and County as they travel to and from hospital, national treatment centres and respite and hospice care facilities nationwide. The service will also provide a very unique and specialized service called Angel Trips. An Angel Trip is the final journey of a terminally ill child on earth as they travel to their home from a hospital or care facility before growing their Angel Wings.
Paul Heffernan, Carmel Longergan, Tony Heffernan, Pat Guilfoyle, Sandra Murphy, Shirley Gallagher, Frank Caul, Sinead Paley, Scott MacKeown and Alice Delacour pictured as the Cork BUMBLEance Fundraising Committee is launched to help sick children throughout the Rebel County at The Cork International Hotel.
Photo: Gerard McCarthy
The Southern Regional BUMBLEette will facilitate and support young patients who do not require full ambulance support with a paramedic on board but who nonetheless are seriously ill and require transportation to and from treatment centres nationwide. Based on a Mercedes chassis, the Southern Regional BUMBLEette will be fully kitted out with all the BUMBLEance amenities such as a TV, fridge play station, DVD’s, music, fun BUMBLEance branding interior and exterior and sensory lighting and will have a defibrillator and suction machine on board. The vehicle will also serve as a Chemo Cab service and will facilitate wheelchair and stretcher usage whilst enabling family members to travel with their loved ones in a safe, comfortable and secure environment.
As BUMBLEance provides a free service for families in need of transportation and support, the Cork Committee has been set up to raise funds for this new state-of-the-art Southern Regional BUMBLEette vehicle. Capital costs for the vehicle are €89.000 approx. plus running operational costs, outfitting and entertainment systems for the BUMBLEette will bring the total aim for the Cork Committee to €200,000. The Southern Regional BUMBLEette service alone will complete over 500 child trips per year and some of these journeys will facilitate more than one child on board at any given time.
Speaking at the launch of The Cork Committee today, Founder & Corkman, Tony Heffernan said: ‘We are delighted to have the Cork Committee on board with BUMBLEance as this will make a massive difference to so many seriously ill children and their families at a local level. Our main goal is to achieve an Ireland where the fear and stress of an ambulance journey for a child no longer exists and our new, regionally based, Southern BUMBLEette service, will enable us to provide vital assistance to even more sick children and families in need of our support throughout the Rebel County.’
