RTÉ 2FM Xmas Ball raises 3 million in aid of ISPCC
RTÉ 2FM and MCD are delighted to announce that the The 2FM Xmas Ball in aid of The ISPCC has raised over €3 million for the charity since the concert was launched in 2015. Money raised included tickets sales to the 2FM Xmas Ball and proceeds from the Golden Ticket.
The sold out event hosted by 2FM’s Eoghan McDermott takes place at 3Arena on Saturday night and will be headlined by Picture This. Other acts performing on the night include Hudson Taylor, Gavin James, Brian Deady, Aimée and Soulé who will all be accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
All parties involved with the 2FM Xmas Ball provided their services free of charge on the night including artists, organizers and 3Arena. The complete funding of the concert goes towards the financial support and aid of the 24-hour phone-line and the ISPCC services dedicated to helping children.
ABOUT THE ISPCC
The ISPCC is Ireland’s national child protection charity. Its mission is to make the protection of children everyone’s priority. The ISPCC provides a range of services directly to children and families and advocates for change to enhance the lives of children in Ireland. The core aim of all of the ISPCC’s services is to build psychological resilience among young people.
Services provided by the ISPCC include Childline, Ireland’s 24-hour active listening service for children and young people. Childline answers over 310,000 contacts from children and young people across Ireland each year. The volume of contacts to Childline indicates that many children and young people in Ireland seek a listening ear and Childline is there when they may they feel as though there is nowhere else they can turn. Childline is unique in its availability, accessibility and affordability to children. It can be accessed from anywhere in Ireland and is a free service for children and young people aged up to 18. Childline is there for children through whichever means they feel most comfortable with making contact – by phone, text or online chat.
The ISPCC, through its services, helps children cope with issues that affect them such as isolation and loneliness, bullying, mental health difficulties, online safety, drug and alcohol misuse, trauma, violence and abuse. Almost 80 per cent of the funding required to provide these services comes from the generosity of the Irish public, individual or corporate donations. The ISPCC also depends on the commitment of its volunteers who give their time to listen to, and mentor, children across Ireland, and provide an invaluable support to a generation of children. In 2018, these volunteers provided almost 45,000 hours of service to children. Without these incredible people, who give their time voluntarily, the ISPCC could not maintain the level of services it provides.