Cork Heritage Pub Group Pioneer Unique Fundraiser for Charity: FirstLight

There is something brewing in Cork City this December. The Rising Sons Brewery along with Cork Heritage Pubs are hosting a truly innovative fundraiser for the charity FirstLight.

This December, the generous people of Cork City are invited to take part in a Philanthropic Pub Crawl where you will be encouraged to “buy a pint” for this deserving charity.

All 10 CHP bars are holding a league table competition – to see how many pints that they can get members of the public to donate to the charity FirstLight*. These are virtual pints that are converted into a cash donation for the charity.

This pioneering imitative is being brought to Cork by the fundraising movement; Pint Aid Launched in July, Pint Aid accelerates fundraising for charities by encouraging the public to donate the price of a pint to their charity partners. Currently on their fourth campaign, Pint Aid has already raised over €10K for ICHH, RGWTW and MS Ireland.

Donations through Pint Aid are handled with via their website www.PintAid.ie, mobile applications or at their events using their Donation Tokens. Tony Fez (Pint Aid Founder) commented “This is a completely new way to donate to charities. The event on the 16^th is going show how truly wonderful and generous the people of Cork are. We spend our lives buying pints for people who probably don’t need them. Pint Aid allows you to buy a pint for those who truly need them.”

Each virtual pint donated is worth €5 to First Light. The target for the evening is to generate over 2000 pints donated to the cause. Each of the ten pubs will have 30 mins each to donate as many pints as possible to see which of the CHP has the most generous punters!

The Pint Aid promotional team will run from pub to pub until they reach the Rising Sons Brewery where a party of gargantuan proportions will be held and further fundraising will take place to raise awareness of the critical services that FirstLight provide.

There will also be a number of brilliant spot prizes available for those who donate on the night.

Businesses in the area are invited to join us on the night if they are holding their Christmas parties. This is about people coming together to support those who need it most.

Judy Wilkins, General Manager of The Rising Sons Brewery says, ‘the responsible serving of alcohol and drink aware is always our priority. This fundraiser is not about people drinking more, but rather thinking more whilst out enjoying themselves over the Christmas season. We hope this campaign will raise awareness of the greater needs of the community, and provide a means whereby Rising Sons, Cork Heritage Pubs and our customers can direct a portion of  what we spend on December 16th to a well-deserved and meaningful cause, namely First Light’

Louise O’Sullivan, from FirstLight believes that ‘this is a fantastic opportunity for members of the public to become more aware about the work of FirstLight and to also consider helping us to deliver professional and qualified supports to parents, families and communities when a child or young person dies suddenly.  Every €40 raised will help the parents, siblings and family member avail of free professional support services and their very darkest time  - a space where none of us want think of ever visiting – but ensuring that families whose child dies suddenly are supported through their journey of grief in a professional and safe environment is essential”