Cork's big names dig deep to help the homeless

As the evenings get longer and brighter, as our summer vacation plans inch that bit closer towards reality, and as we pack the heavy winter coats out of sight for a few months, there’s always a familiar sensation that comes with this time of year. The arrival of spring is more than just a changing of the seasons — it also marks a change in the collective mood, heralding a sense of new beginnings and the hopes that come with it.

Here in Cork, however, it’s more than just the promise of a new season that creates such a positive atmosphere around the place each April. In fact, no spring here is truly complete without one of the biggest social events in the Cork calendar — the Cork Simon Fundraising Ball.

While the event gives each and every one of its 300 plus guests something to look forward to each year — with a night of glitz and glam, amazing raffle prizes and great food guaranteed — it also helps keep a light at the end of the tunnel burning strong, providing hope for those who need it most. 

The ball, which has raised over €1.3 million to date, is a flagship fundraising event for Cork Simon Community. All proceeds from the night go directly into the charity’s services, providing invaluable support for the hundreds of men and women across Cork and Kerry that are affected by homelessness.

Now in its 21st year, the ball’s come to be recognised as a key opportunity for Cork businesses to give back to the local community, with the list of attendees often defining the ‘who’s who’ of Cork. Former Taoiseach Micheál Martin is just one of the hundreds of notable guests that have attended over the years, and while that speaks for itself as to the calibre of the event, the ball’s success is perhaps most greatly proven by the fact that many of these guests keep coming back. Some have even attended all twenty of the previous balls, having supported Cork Simon with this event since its inception.

There’s no better example of the kind of unwavering support the event has generated than that of HEINEKEN Ireland, who have been proud sponsors of the Fundraising Ball since day one.

“We’ve been involved right from the outset of the ball,” shares Barbara-Anne Richardson, Communications and Sustainability Manager at HEINEKEN Ireland. “It’s always been very important to us to support this event, and to support Cork Simon in general, because the charity is such a key part of our local community.

“HEINEKEN is headquartered in Cork, we've been based here for over 165 years, and so we want to make a difference at local level and support our surrounding community to flourish. Aligning ourselves with Cork Simon has allowed us to achieve exactly that, thanks to the incredible work they do. Having a broader social impact that goes beyond what we do on a daily basis has always been key for us and it’s really important to our own team. They’re extremely proud of the work we do with Cork Simon — every year we get involved with their Christmas Jumper Day and various fundraising initiatives, but the ball holds a particularly special place."

This urge to support the local community is what also drew Eoin Gunn, Senior Relationships Manager with AIB Business Banking, to join the ball’s voluntary organising committee, where he’s served as their Vice Chair since last year. Having previously worked with Enable Ireland, and keen to continue with charitable projects that make a real difference, he found Cork Simon to be a natural fit.

“From my experience, I have to say support for charities in general is really strong locally,” he explains. “People in Cork are unbelievably generous — it’s a relatively small city where we’re all quite interconnected, particularly in the business community. We get to know the people around us, and often we start to recognise the faces of people in our community who may be struggling or are repeatedly sleeping rough on the streets. As the number of people affected by homelessness sadly just keeps growing, I think we all know someone — or someone in our lives knows of someone — who’s used Cork Simon’s services. It gives us a natural empathy towards people, you can’t help but recognise that it really could happen to any of us.

“What’s great about the ball is it drives that understanding home amongst the business community, so that people realise just how serious homelessness is and they might look more favourably on somebody they come across in their day to day lives as a result. Ultimately, all of us involved with the ball — whether it’s organising or attending it — we go home having recognised how lucky we were to be in the room on the night, enjoying ourselves, rather than being a user of Cork Simon’s services. The ball is a lovely event, we have great fun, but it’s very important that we never lose sight of what it’s all about — we're all there to raise money, because there are people out there having a very difficult night whilst we enjoy ourselves in Fota, and as much as we all enjoy it we also recognise that it would be fantastic if there was no need for the ball.” 

This sentiment is echoed by Barbara-Anne, who believes the key to the ball’s success is that it’s always been as educational as it has been fun. “The ball is always a very poignant event, because we really face up to why it is that we’re all gathered in Fota on the night,” she reflects. “We’re never shy about why we’re there. We understand both as sponsors and as attendees on the night that this is a fundraiser event, and it’s fundraising that helps make our city a better place to live, for all people. Cork Simon are wonderful at weaving that messaging in throughout the night."

"It’s a great event, a fun night, that doesn’t ever lose track of its purpose," Eoin agrees. "All the guests leave with a really strong impression of how important Cork Simon is, and how critical their support and donations are so the charity can continue helping people. The theme throughout the night is very much one of awareness, and of course homelessness can be a sad topic to draw attention to, but we also highlight the positive aspect to it — that all the funds we're raising on the night will have a hugely significant impact for those in need."

While attendees certainly get a boost from knowing that their support of the ball is making a real difference, it's not the only thing that contributes to the overall feel-good factor of the event. “There’s a lovely sense of occasion that stems from getting dressed up on the night, and reconnecting with so many of your peers," Barbara-Anne shares. "A lot of the guests who have a catch up on the night haven’t seen each other since the previous year’s ball! It’s a great networking opportunity for new faces too, because you get to meet people from various industries that you might not ever have access to normally. You’re always in good company at the ball, whether it’s a corporate table or a table of your friends, you’re going to have a good time! You’re going to be entertained, have a top quality dinner and there’s also the opportunity to win some money-can’t-buy prizes in the raffle.” 

There’s really not much more you could want from any night out, so it comes as no surprise that tickets for this year’s event are in very high demand, with tables now sold out for the big night in Fota Island Resort on Friday, April 21st.

With a full guest list now in hand, and preparations underway at the beautiful venue, the organising committee are ready for all the work they’ve been doing in recent months to pay off on the night with an unforgettable event.

The only thing they need now is some good weather for it — though, as Eoin points out, that being their biggest concern makes them the lucky ones.

“Since getting involved with Cork Simon, it’s been overwhelming to see just how many people they help. Over 500 people were using their shelter and accommodation services last month, more than a thousand hot meals being served on the streets. What strikes me is how many times during torrential rain or the freezing cold do we walk past those same people, sleeping huddled under doorways or in tents on the street? I often just imagine how awful that must be, how vulnerable they must feel. When you think about that, it’s not hard to feel motivated to help, and to put your hand in your pocket.” 

To find out more about how you can support Cork Simon, and fundraising events like their Annual Ball, visit their website.