Help Homelessness Radiothon’ 2016
On the 17th and the 18th of February Radio NOVA 100 FM will host the ‘Help Homelessness Radiothon’ 2016 to help raise funds for youth homelessness in the Greater Dublin area. This year is the second year that Radio NOVA and Focus Ireland will join forces on air with a fundraiser to see how much money they can collect from the public during the two day Radiothon.
Radio NOVA, once a pirate station, has come a long way since 1981 with UK pirate radio veteran Chris Cary and are now licenced with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It is one of the fastest growing stations in Dublin, with a listenership of 148,000, according to the latest JNLR figures. NOVA broadcasts to the Greater Dublin area, including Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
NOVA will aim to raise €40,000 for Focus Ireland. Focus Ireland personnel will be collecting donations during the two days at the offices of Radio NOVA in the Dublin docklands and all proceeds will go straight into Focus Ireland’s bank account. Focus Ireland needs 3000 people to donate €15 each in aid of youth homelessness.
Youths under the age of under 18 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless will benefit from the fundraising. Homelessness among the youth poses many problems including addiction and being exploited. With only €25 a young person can be provided with a bed for the night and a hot meal for a week.
The media will also be helping to promote the Radiothon through a campaign and media providers from all platforms including television, digital, cinema, print and outdoor will join the Radio Nova and Focus Ireland team. It was recently reported that the campaign launched by the media is valued at approximately €350,000.
Actor Cillian Murphy has been chosen as this year’s Campaign Ambassador and was speaking to Dee Woods and Marty Miller on the NOVA Morning Glory breakfast show, saying, “Homelessness is a problem that is very, very visible in our cities around the country and you can’t really escape it so it’s something that I thought I’d help out with. The radiothon is a great idea, very proactive and that’s the kinda thing I like to support. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like not to have a home but that’s the reality facing hundreds of families with children, individuals and young people across Ireland. Homelessness has a terrible impact on people’s lives, especially on the lives of children. We can all play our part and help by supporting the Radio NOVA Radiothon which will raise money for Focus Ireland who are working hard to support families and individuals during this incredible stressful time.”
Focus Ireland is a registered charity and was founded in 1985 by Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy who came to the rescue of a group of homeless woman. Since then the charity has grown to include thousands of people in their charity work, who they are providing with homes, meals and information, through advice givers, to find homes for the homeless.
‘Homelessness can mean sleeping rough, staying in emergency hostels or shelters, staying in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation or staying with friends and relatives when there is nowhere else to go. Homelessness is all of these things. For people experiencing homelessness it is about a lack of security, a lack of belonging and often about being cold, sick and isolated.The current economic climate means more people are at risk of homelessness than ever before with further cutbacks in health, education, welfare services and training more people will become homeless and turn to the Simon Communities for support.’ – Radio NOVA.ie.
It has been estimated that more than 5,000 people, 700 families and over 1,600 children, across Ireland are homeless at present. If you are interested in getting involved with the ‘Help Homelessness Radiothon’ you can join the fundraiser by telling your friends and families on Twitter (@radionova 100) and Facebook. Radio NOVA recently asked the public what they think of homelessness. Watch this YouTube video to find out what their feelings are about homelessness in Dublin City: https://youtu.be/dsrWbg5My-I
