daa Contributes €166,666 to Cork Penny Dinners as Part of €500,000 Raised for Charities of the Year

daa, the operator of Cork and Dublin airports, has presented cheques totalling €500,000 to three deserving Irish charities - Cork Penny Dinners, A Little Lifetime Foundation and Cliona's Foundation. This follows a year of dedicated fundraising activities across Cork and Dublin airports by passengers and daa employees.

Each charity received a cheque worth €166,666 having been selected by daa employees as part of the company’s Charities of the Year programme for 2024. €250,000 was raised through fundraising efforts by daa employees and passengers, with daa matching that figure under its new Charity Programme initiative. Previously, daa added €80,000 to the total raised by passengers and employees, so the new approach is a significant uplift. 

Cork Penny Dinners provides food, clothing and other supports to those who are struggling or homeless. A Little Lifetime Foundation is based in Dublin and supports the families of bereaved parents while Cliona’s Foundation is based in Limerick and provides financial assistance to families with seriously sick children. 

Every year, daa employees in Cork, Dublin and Limerick vote for three different charities as part of the Charities of The Year Programme. The Charities of The Year for 2025 will be announced soon.

According to Kenny Jacobs, CEO of daa: 

“The incredible efforts of our passengers and employees show the impact we can make when we come together as a team. I’m really proud to be part of an organisation where the people see value in helping others and are so generous with their time. Thanks too to all our passengers whose contributions make a big difference.” 

Caitríona Twomey, Trustee, Cork Penny Dinners, said:

“The money we received today will be used to provide basic but essential supplies for our service users. It was a magical day, and the amount raised was beyond our wildest dreams. We cannot express our thanks enough to everyone who played a part in the fundraising activities throughout the year. This means so much.”

Vincent Phelan, Chairperson, A Little Lifetime Foundation, said:

“We were absolutely blown away by the amount of money raised through the daa charity programme. It is such an amazing donation to receive. This money will be used in part to fund additional bereavement and therapy training for our volunteers, so they can help bereaved parents when they need our services.”

Charlotte Kavanagh, Head of Communications and Fundraising, Cliona’s Foundation, said:

“This contribution will help us make a huge difference to the families who we know are struggling and need our support. While unfortunately we cannot take away a diagnosis, this will go some way towards providing support for people when they most need it and will make a real difference. I want to say a massive thanks to everyone in daa.”

daa’s Charity of the Year Programme is an annual initiative that supports selected Irish charities through employee led activities and corporate donations. Each year, daa employees nominate and vote for charities to benefit from a 12-month fundraising campaign. daa will now match their fundraising efforts to raise vital funds for our nominated charity partners. The programme includes various fundraising events across Cork and Dublin airports, with all proceeds going directly to the charities. Since it was launched in 2007, the initiative has raised almost €4.2 million, helping a wide range of causes, including health, social services and community support.