Hello,
Since we last spoke to you, we have been busy at Purple House. 2015 is our 25th Anniversary. A lot has happened over the past 25 years, we have gone from helping just 6 people in 1990 to over 2,000 people today, thanks to your support.
One of the people we support is 15 year old Mark who was diagnosed with Leukaemia, but who now is on the road to recovery. Mark's mum Sarah highlights our support to Mark & the family:
'I am not going to dwell on the heartache and pain which we all endured as a family, as every family with a diagnosis of cancer goes through the same pain. But this is a message of hope, but most of all, it's a thanks to all at Purple House Cancer Support for carrying me when there were days I felt I couldn't walk with despair. For the reflexology for both Mark and me to ease our pain, for the cup of tea and the chats, but most of all for allowing me to cry, for not saying all will be ok and allowing me to go where I needed to go when nobody else understood. There were many days I came to your door crying, but today I am smiling.'
On the occasion of our 25th Anniversary, a number of people have told us what Purple House means to them. Take a moment to watch their inspiring responses here
As we look forward to the future of Purple House, we are very excited about what the next 25 years will bring. With more and more people living with Cancer than ever before, the challenge for us is to ensure that everyone who needs support to live with the illness, has access to our services.
We can only do this, with your support and we hope you will stay by our side as we embark on the next phase of our journey.
Before we go, I would like to take you on a quick tour of Purple House, you can start the tour here.
Chat soon,
Conor
Hello,
As we are well into the Summer months, we feel now is a good time to update you on our current work and to show you the impact your donation is making to Purple House Cancer Support.
We have just published our service usage statistics for last year (2014) and they show that 2,033 people availed of our services during that year.
We are facing increasing demands on our services while also coping with the fact that we receive less than 20% Government funding and rely on your generous donations to fund our vital Cancer Support Services. We thank you for your support. Without you, we couldn't open our doors to those in need.
Also during 2014, 2,246 individual Cancer support services were provided to people who dropped in to our Drop-In Centre on Parnell Road in Bray.
Due to the fact that roughly half of the people availing of our services reside outside of the Bray area, we have established a monthly Cancer Support Clinic in Park House Dun Laoghaire to meet the needs of people affected by Cancer in the broader geographical area.
Also highlighted in the statistics, was the high usage of the Purple House Counselling service, our team of counsellors provided 359 individual sessions during 2014. Again, only possible with your support.
Another practical service in demand, was our Hospital Transport Service. A team of 12 volunteer drivers give up their time to drive people into hospital for their Cancer treatment. This team provided 409 trips during 2014.
Speaking about the statistics, founder & CEO of Purple House Cancer Support, Veronica O’Leary says ‘The high level of our Service provision shows that Community Based Cancer Support Services forms an integrated part of the patients overall cancer care.
The Minister for Health Leo Vardkar has announced the next cancer strategy for 2016-2025 and has launched a Public Consultation Document. Copies are available from Purple House.
Purple House Cancer Support is represented on the Cancer Patient Forum by myself and reports to the Steering Group on the issues that cancer patients and their families experience on a daily basis.
The increasing demand for community based services is a vindication of what we sought to achieve 25 years ago when we set up the 1st locally based cancer support centre in Ireland.’
For the full list of the Purple House 2014 statistics please visit www.purplehouse.ie
Young Ambassadors Programme:
Our team of Purple House Young Ambassadors have been busy this Summer, by attending various events to promote the importance of Cancer Awareness among the younger age groups, while also highlighting the services provided by Purple House Cancer Support.
To support this initiative, we have been giving out free sun cream (Thanks to Boots Ireland) and also UV indicator wristbands (Thanks to SmartSun UK). The UV wristbands give you an indication of when to apply more sun cream or stay out of the sun altogether.
Finally, we would like to thank you for your support to date and we hope that we can continue to work together to support both children and adults affected by Cancer in your community.
Links:
Three months into 2015, our 25th year, we are delighted to report that thanks to your help, we have been able to support even more people than in previous years.
Thanks to your help, we have been able to provide the following since the start of 2015:
- 514 individual Cancer Support Sessions.
- 69 Counselling Sessions
- 71 Complimentary Sessions
- 226 Hospital Transport Trips
- 955 Telephone support calls & enquiries
It is only with your continued support that we can provide these vital services.
Also, as part of our development plans, we are starting our first Cancer Support & Information Clinics in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
These new clinics will take place on the first Tuesday of each Month from 12-2pm in Park House, Library Road, Dun Laoghaire. The idea behind the clinics, is to allow us to be more inclusive to people from the South Dublin areas who are in need of Cancer support services.
Purple House in Bray will continue to be our main base for our services, but our new clinics in Dun laoghaire will enhance our current services.
We have also launched The Purple House Young Ambassadors Programme. This is an exciting new initiative to encourage the 16 to 30 year olds to become our ambassadors, get more involved in local community life and in turn help us to educate their age group on the importance of being Cancer aware and the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle.
The programme will see our young ambassadors attending various events during the Summer to hand out free sun cream and SmartSun wristbands and to spread the word about the services that Purple House offer.
If we can help you or anyone you know, please do not hesiate to contact us on 01-2866966 or visit our website www.purplehouse.ie
Purple House is open Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm at Aubrey Court, Parnell Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Many thanks,
Conor O'Leary
Links:
As we come to the end of 2014, we have achieved so much thanks to your support.
2014 has been a very busy year for us in terms of the amount of support services we have provided to people across Leinster. As we approach our 25th Anniversary in 2015, the demand on our services is set to increase and we can only keep up with this demand with your continued support.
So far this year, 216 new people have accessed our Centre for support.
Our team of counsellors have provided 340 free Counselling sessions since the 1st January 2014.
Our Men's Garden Project for men affected by Cancer has provided 229 sessions so far this year.
We have provided 225 Art sessions so far this year to both children & adults affected by Cancer. Art is a great way for people to express their feelings.
Our team of Complimentary therapists have provided 368 sessions so far this year, providing vital supports such as massage & reflexology.
Our team of volunteer hospital transport drivers have completed 344 trips so far this year, bringing our clients to hospital for their chemotherapy sessions.
There are many other services that we have provided to people across Leinster and the above is only a snapshot.
In total, we have provided 2,160 support sessions so far in 2014.
THANK YOU for helping us achieve this.
We also have some exciting news to share with you as we approach our 25th Anniversary, we are changing our name to Purple House, Cancer Support.
Founded in Bray, Co. Wicklow in 1990 by Veronica O’Leary, Bray Cancer Support quickly established a new philosophy in community based Cancer Support at the time. Over the past 25 years, our organisation has expanded to meet the needs of over 2,500 people annually throughout the Leinster area.
Our new name, Purple House, Cancer Support will allow our organisation to be more inclusive.
Purple House, Cancer Support derives its name from the colour Purple which has long been associated with our organisation and is also the colour of healing, courage and cancer survival. The word House describes the warm, loving & embracing environment that we operate in.
All services currently provided by us and our wonderful team will remain the same as we will continue to operate from our Drop-In Centre in Bray, but we will continue providing our services to people throughout the Leinster area.
Throughout the past 25 years we have been at the forefront in offering first class community based Cancer Support services to both adults and children alike. Our team lead by Veronica includes counsellors, complimentary therapists, volunteer support staff & volunteer hospital transport drivers.
Our Drop-In Centre at Aubrey Court, Parnell Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow and phone number 01-2866966 will continue as normal. Our text donation line (Text PURPLE to 50300 to donate €4) will remain the same. Our website address will change to www.purplehouse.ie and our social media presence will alter to reflect the name change.
But of course our Purple tee-shirts will stay!
If you would like to support our work in Leinster this Christmas, you can Go Purple for Purple House, Cancer Support by purchasing a purple Christmas wish bauble from our Centre. Write a wish on it or remember a loved one and place it on your tree at home or on our Tree of Hope in our Centre.
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and we look forward to your continued support in 2015!
Links:
September in Bray Cancer Support Centre is the start of a very busy period for us and thanks to your support we are able to meet this demand.
It is a time when our classes and support programmes resume as the children return to school.
This year we have seen a marked increase in the number of people wishing to avail of our services & classes. We are currently operating a three week waiting list for our Counselling sessions, with urgent cases being seen straight away.
Our classes such as relaxation, arts & crafts and mindfullness are fully booked.
As well as our in house support services, our outreach services in the communities of Dublin & Wicklow as busier than ever with our team of volunteer drivers on the road daily taking our clients to and from their chemotherapy & radiotherapy sessions.
The concept of charity lies at the heart of the society in which we exist. In many ways, the act of selflessly giving to others in times of need can be viewed as the essence of humanity, and we thank you for that.
In the case of cancer and other serious chronic illnesses, the lives of the patients and their families are turned upside down. it is imperative that we, as a society, provide assistance where possible.
If you want to keep up to date with our daily activities, like our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BRAYCANCERSUPPORT?ref=hl, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/BrayCancer or visit our website www.braycancersupport.ie
Thank you once again for your continued support, we could not do it without you.
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