Each year Intel selects a signature charity for our employees to dedicate their combined efforts towards, providing volunteer time and funds raised through specially organised activities. For 2021 Cycle Against Suicide and Ronald McDonald House Charities were selected, and employees have been taking part in numerous events during the year to date to raise funds and generate awareness in support of the charities.
In what has now become an annual event, and one of the highlights of the fundraising calendar, the Intel charity cycle took place last month. Usually, Intel employees come together on a chosen day to complete a cycle route as a group but again this year, for the second time in a row, the event happened in a different way.
Employees were encouraged to complete their own individual cycles taking in a distance and location of their choosing. Each employee was provided with a specially designed Intel cycling jersey that carried both the charity logos. Wearing the bright orange and red combination of colours chosen for the jersey, which mirrored both the Cycle Against Suicide and the Ronald McDonald House Charities logo, the cyclists made a distinctive sight as they cycled routes all across Ireland. The jersey also included a special piece of text – Together Apart – to mark the uniqueness of the 2021 event that brought employees together in spirit, though physically apart.
In total, more than 200 people signed up to take part, which included employees based at the Intel campus in Leixlip, Co. Kildare as well as Intel employees based in Shannon, Co. Clare and in Co. Cork.
Over the past number of weeks employees have been given plenty of support and helpful training tips as they prepared to take on their own cycle. A number of people also shared their own experiences of the annual event by way of encouraging others to take part.
This was the twelfth year of the Intel charity cycle and though this year presented some obvious challenges, employees once again demonstrated their commitment to our signature charity by coming out in great numbers to raise much needed funds.
Over €19,000 has been raised by the 200 people who took part this year. This will be combined with monies raised through other events with the total overall fundraising amount being revealed at the end of the year.
Speaking about the Intel Charity Cycle, Joe Kenny, Chief Executive Officer, Ronald McDonald House Charities said; “For parents of a sick child, the medical journey is full of questions:
“Is this the best treatment?”
“Is my child getting better?”
“What are our next steps?”
“When can my baby come home?”
Thanks to Intel’s support we can give families one less thing to worry about, so families don’t have to ask, “Where will I sleep so I don’t have to leave my child?” or “How can we afford a hotel room for this long?”. Intel employees are helping us provide a House to give parents a place to sleep, warm meals, and the chance to be together, just steps from their child’s hospital bedside. Intel’s Charity Cycle will mean families can rest and focus on what’s most important – their child’s health. Families with a sick child will face thousands of questions along their journey, but with Intel’s help, “How can I stay close to my child?” never has to be one of them. Thank You to all of the Intel cyclists and employees for making a difference at this difficult time.”
Cycle Against Suicide’s CEO Caroline Lafferty added that “we are privileged to be one of Intel’s signature charities for 2021 and delighted that so many employees supported the annual ‘Cycle’ in support of Cycle Against Suicide and Ronald McDonald House. Cycle Against Suicide through its own Cycling events and programmes plays a major role in increasing mental health and suicide prevention awareness in schools, communities, and workplaces. We want everyone who may be showing signs of distress to reach out for support early without feeling alone or ashamed. We want people who live with a mental health condition or suicidal thoughts to connect with others and receive appropriate, high-quality services and support. We want their families, friends, work colleagues, schools, and communities to be equipped and confident to play a vital support role. The demand has never been greater.
The work of Cycle Against Suicide is entirely funded by donations. The support we receive from the likes of Intel’s annual Cycle allows us the opportunity to equip many more people with the skills and confidence to talk safely about suicide and encourage people to connect and seek support early”.
Additional information about Intel is available at:
Web – intel.ie | Twitter – @Intel_IRL | Facebook – Intel Ireland
Media contact: Sarah Sexton | sarah.sexton@intel.com | + 353 1 606 8537