Tipperary communities benefit from Abbott employee giving programme 'Croi an Oir'

From helping the school children of Tipperary to explore the wonders of science, to a new partnership with Scoil Aonghusa, Special National School, Abbott employees have been supporting schools and local community groups in Tipperary in innovative ways for over a decade. This month marks the 10thyear of Abbott’s Croí an Oir programme and its impact has been significant.

The Croí an Óir programme, which means ‘Heart of Gold,’ was created to support the commitment of Abbott employees across the country, to give back to their local community. Each Abbott site ensures that a range of organisations are supported throughout the year – with a local and national focus. Activities range from career talks, science experiments, gardening, fun runs, fundraising for local charities and much more. In 2016 alone, Tipperary employees generously volunteered over 650 hours in supporting local groups and schools.

Nationwide Croí has delivered over 70,000 volunteer hours, and the programme has had a tremendous impact. Nowhere has the spirit of Croí been more evident than in Tipperary where some of the highlights have included:

• Abbott Family Science which engages primary school students, their parents and teachers in learning about science through fun experiments. More than 600 Abbott Volunteers have been involved in engaging over 5,000 students and families in education programmes in Ireland since 2009.  Every year Abbott in Tipperary hosts Family Science events where families are encouraged to explore science concepts beyond the classroom.
• Junior Achievement:  Abbott employees have used their skills and expertise to deliver innovative enterprise and life skills programmes in over 100 schools since the partnership began in 2003. Abbott seeks to make a significant and long lasting difference to people’s lives in the communities in which it operates and that is why it has developed and fostered this long-term partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland.
• In 2017 AV Clonmel decided to form a Charity Partnership with a charity that the site employees had chosen. Following a selection and voting process, Scoil Aonghusa, Special National School was chosen. The goal is to raise €60k to build and furnish a sensory room for Scoil Aonghusa, Special National School.
• Fundraising for local charities including Cuan Saor Women’s Refuge, Damien House and the Alzeimhers Society.

Pat McLoughlin, Site Director at Abbott Clonmel said “At Abbott we believe that being engaged and active in the community is beneficial to living a healthy and happy life. That is why we support volunteering and have put corporate citizenship at the heart of our business.

“We are proud of everything our teams have achieved across Ireland and especially here in Clonmel over the past ten years. This milestone is a tremendous motivation to do more into the future and the team are continuing to put a big focus on working with young people to encourage their interest in science, technology, maths and engineering. By sparking an interest in science with young people early in their lives, Abbott aim to provide a foundation for the next generation of scientific leaders to shape the future of innovation.  Our volunteer teams are actively making plans for 2018 – will be involved in Engineers Week, Science Week, Junior Achievement, Enactus, Scifest, Scifest and much more.”