Apple staff’s enduring support for Cork-based charity, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind

Apple has continued its long-standing commitment to the Cork community this Christmas by supporting Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB).

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, based in Cork, has been operating for nearly 50 years and is Ireland’s national charity dedicated to enabling people who are vision impaired and their families to achieve improved mobility and independence.

Services include the Guide Dog Programme for people who are blind or vision impaired, the assistance dog programme for families of children with autism, the community dog programme in schools, orientation and mobility training for long cane users, independent living skills training and a child mobility programme.

The charity has live-in rooms on-site in their national HQ on Model Farm Road where clients come to train on the programmes mentioned. They live on-site for up to two weeks when matched with their new companion.

IGDB is ranked among the top 10 of more than 400 Irish charities supported through the Apple Giving Programme since its launch in Ireland in 2015.

Apple employees in Cork have supported the annual Santa’s Grotto event, held at the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, since 2022, their most significant festive activity, which is attended by hundreds of children and families.

Apple also supported the organisation by helping them prepare 9,000 Christmas card bundles to support one of their key annual fund-raising activities and, this year, they also supported their Open Day event by providing guidance, assisting people with accessibility needs, and helping with setup.

Over the last few years, Apple has hosted several on-site events in partnership with the charity and Accessibilty@Apple DNA where employees could learn about their work, meet ambassador dogs and explore their sensory tunnel. They also support the charity by helping with on-site clean-ups, painting, tidying and stock-taking.

Apple employees have fostered puppies who are in training to become guide or assistance dogs, providing them with early socialisation, care, and basic training that’s vital to their future role.

Employees also support through their “temporary boarding” programme – this supports dogs who are in training and find life in a kennel stressful, so temporary boarders look after them and drop them off to “school” and collect them each day and keep them at weekends in their own home.

Tim O’Mahoney, CEO of IGDB, told The Echo: “The support Apple has provided through their volunteer programme over the past 20 years is immeasurable. Their teams have helped at our annual open day each August, assisted with packing Christmas cards, carried out clean-ups around our training centre, including painting, tidying, leaf clearing, stock taking and more.

“Beyond hands-on support, this partnership has also helped raise awareness of our Guide Dog, assistance dog, and community dog programmes, as well as our orientation and mobility programme.

“Our team visited the Apple offices with our sensory tunnel, giving staff the chance to experience what life is like for someone with vision impairment. In the new year, we’ll be returning with an exciting new virtual reality headset experience. Some team members have even become volunteer temporary boarders, caring for our dogs in training for short periods. helping puppy raisers take holidays and ensuring the dogs continue to thrive.”

He explained: “The long-term nature of this relationship means we can call on their support when needed, reducing staff requirements for key events and giving us confidence in their experience and understanding of our work.

“Our enduring partnership has flourished because our values of teamwork, excellence, and respect closely align with Apple’s commitment to community engagement, ensuring that both organisations continue to benefit in meaningful and lasting ways.”

Mr O’Mahoney explained that this was a particularly busy time of year for the charity.

“While our work is busy all year round, December is especially hectic. Our annual car raffle, sought-after Christmas cards and calendars, and range of merchandise make the month extra busy.

“Our Apple volunteers have been instrumental in helping pack Christmas cards, a fun activity for them and a huge help to us, and they also helped Santa and his elves at our Grotto on December 6 and 7.”

He explained that fundraising was vital to keep their work going.

“Running the organisation costs more than €5m annually. With all our services provided free of charge and only 15% of our funding coming from the government, meeting the growing demand for our support, including the provision of guide dogs, assistance dogs, and community dogs, is a constant challenge.

“This makes us especially reliant on, and grateful for, the generosity of corporate partners, community fundraisers, and those who support us through legacies.

“In 2026, we will celebrate our 50th anniversary and we are proud to be Ireland’s leading provider of professionally trained assistance dogs for children with autism and guide dogs for people with vision impairment.

“Since launching Europe’s first dedicated assistance dog programme for autistic children in 2005, we have continued to set the benchmark in training, welfare, and family support. Places on our assistance dog programme remain in very high demand, making fundraising and awareness-raising crucial to meeting this demand now and in the future.”

Mr O’Mahoney explained: “Puppy raising is a critical part of any of our dogs’ training. Without our nationwide community of puppy raisers, we simply couldn’t meet the demand for our services. Puppy raisers take an eight-week-old puppy into their home, helping them learn basic obedience and socialisation skills.

“They also expose the puppy to a wide range of environments, such as busy shopping centres, escalators, buses, trains, and even planes. At around 14 months, the puppy returns to our Training Centre in Cork to begin formal training with our team, with the goal of becoming a life-changing Guide Dog, Assistance Dog, or Community Dog. All costs are covered and training and support is provided.”

Currently, the charity has 158 working Guide Dog partnerships, 171 working Assistance Dog partnerships, and 24 applicants awaiting a match, including 18 potential Guide Dog clients and six Assistance Dog clients.

They also have 89 pups entering training and 36 community dogs supporting over 15,000 students in schools, 40 volunteer branches nationwide and over 1,700 volunteers.

If readers wish to support the charity, there are many ways to get involved, and all suited to different lifestyles and schedules, such as joining one of their local Cork branches and helping to raise funds.

Temporary boarding, where you care for a dog in training while their puppy raiser is away or while they attend formal training, including daily drop-offs, collections, and weekend care; or puppy raising , taking a puppy from eight weeks old, guiding them through basic obedience and socialisation before formal training begins at 14 months, are also options, as is caring for one of their brood dogs before, during, and after pregnancy.