Editors letter

Hello and Welcome
to the December issue of EM.

In this issue we speak to John Monaghan, Vice President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, who tells us about the particular problems currently facing the charity. Paul speaks about the ‘new poor' and the fact that the increasing number of calls are coming from people who, though they might have a job, are still experiencing financial difficulties in the current economic downturn.

Many of these calls come from people who need help to just pay the basic bills. Others are coming from people who are having problems meeting the school expenses for their children and probably, like all parents, trying to keep their difficulties from the family. Of course, this time of the year brings its own pressures on families. We would appeal to you all to give whatever you can to the VdeP and to the other charities who are under increased pressure to help so many with so little.

ESB staff have always been at the forefront of helping those less well off, both in financial and practical terms, and many staff are involved in the day to day activities of charitable organisations, so we are sure this fresh appeal from the various charities will not go unheeded.

We would like to wish all our readers a very happy, peaceful and safe Christmas and good wishes for the New Year.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and good wishes for EM.

Letters to the Editor

Dear Bernie,
On behalf of everyone in The Children's University Hospital, Temple Street, I would like to thank you all for the very kind donation of €300 towards the Elvis Night held in The Seabank House at the end of October. Seabank House raised a fantastic €2,500 on the night for Temple Street. I would like to express my sincerest appreciation in all your efforts in trying to improve the facilities we provide to over 123,000 children who pass through our doors every year. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Each year, we select one major project that we wish to fund for the hospital and we also fund approximately 50 other smaller projects. In 2007/2008, we endeavoured to raise €2,700 to help the hospital build a dedicated Cystic Fibrosis inpatient unit. Cystic fibrosis is a life threatening, recessively inherited disease that affects many organs of the body but causes most problems in the lungs, intestines, liver and pancreas. This resource unit is particularly important since children with CF need to be segregated from each other so as not to spread diseases. The new CF unit will incorporate dedicated individual out-patient treatment rooms with a separate waiting area for children and their families.
Without your support and efforts we would not be in a position to constantly improve our facilities and equipment. Once again I would like to thank you for your wonderful support.

Jennifer Manning
Temple St. Children's University Hospital,
Temple St., Dublin 1