Corporate world urged to help recession-hit charities

THE IRISH corporate world needs to do more to help out charities struggling as a result of the recession, the chief executive of one of the country’s biggest semi-state companies has said.

Bord Gáis chief executive John Mullins said Ireland needed to move closer to the model in the United States where major corporations have charitable foundations as a matter of course.

“Corporate social responsibility is something that we have to embrace. When you are supplying gas and electricity across the country you need to give something back,” he said.

Bord Gáis announced yesterday that it was providing €100,000 for the Community Energy Fund for charities which are struggling as a result of the recession.

A total of 16 projects will benefit from the money. They will have their energy bills paid for the year and any money left over will go towards service provision.

Mr Mullins said charities had been decimated by the recession and the private sector needed to take up the slack.

“That funding has to be replaced. My opinion is that companies and corporates across the country should have to do that.“

Mr Mullins estimates that there are only 23 company foundations in the State, including Diageo, the owners of Guinness and Intel.

“We have quite large companies and a lot of high net worth individuals who are doing it in on an anonymous basis, but we do have to formalise it.” Bord Gáis is putting €3 million into the community through its own charitable foundation which it set up last year.

“There are a lot of companies in Ireland who are profitable out there, but they don’t necessarily step up to the plate,” he said.

Mr Mullins added that Bord Gáis workers will be given days off in the future to work with seven nominated charities that the company has decided to support, the names of which will be announced in the near future.

The chief winner of the Bord Gáis Energy Community Fund will be Castlebar Voluntary Social Services in Mayo which has been providing drop-in services at their premises in Castle Street as well as providing meals on wheels for the elderly since 1973. It will receive €25,000.

Old Coolattin County Ltd/Carnew Enterprise Centre in Co Wicklow; the Cork Counselling Services; Limerick Youth Service’s multi-purpose youth space; the Factory in Southill; the Drogheda Women’s and Children’s Refuge Centre; and the Fire Station Artists Studio in Buckingham Street, Dublin, will receive €10,000 each towards their energy bills.

Ten projects received €2,500 each off their bills. They included the Galway Rape Crisis Centre, Beaufort Special Needs Project in Beaufort, Co Kerry and Midway Services in Navan, Co Meath.