Band Together for Barretstown!

Applegreen announces weeklong fundraising drive with ‘More Than Magic’ wrist bands available in Applegreen stores nationwide for €2 from September 2nd – 8th

All proceeds and donations will go directly to Barretstown

Applegreen, one of Ireland’s leading roadside hospitality services, has announced the return of its nationwide fundraising campaign, ‘Bands for Barretstown’, through its Charity Fund. The fundraising drive will see a variety of limited edition brightly coloured wrist bands go on sale in Applegreen stores nationwide from Monday, 2nd of September to Sunday, 8th of September.

This year’s fundraising campaign coincides with Childhood Cancer Awareness month and the bands will be available to purchase at till points in Applegreen stores nationwide for €2 with all proceeds going directly to Barretstown. Alternative means of donating to Barretstown also available throughout the week in Applegreen stores.

This year’s bands were designed by Jonathan Lennon, aged 11, alongside his two sisters and reflects the support and joy that Barretstown brings children and families who are experiencing childhood illness. Inspired by his time at the camp, Jonathan chose the phrase ‘I love Barretstown’ as a reflection of the true joy and happiness that his time at the Ballymore Eustace estate in Co. Kildare brought. Such was the impact of the design that it will now become the focal point for the nationwide fundraising campaign.

Jonathan and his family, including sisters Rebekah (13) and Cara (8), are from Dundalk, Co. Louth and have attended a number of Barretstown camps together. In 2019, at just six years old, Jonathan was diagnosed with large-cell anaplastic lymphoma. Jonathan has attended five camps at Barretstown, including multiple family weekend residential camps, a family day camp and a brother and sister camp with Cara and Rebekah, as well as participating in online programmes. After several different types of chemotherapy, Jonathan has finished his treatment and is now in remission year five of five.

Clare Killeen, Group Head of ESG at Applegreen, Dee Ahearn CEO of Barretstown, Caroline Tobin, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Barretstown and Jennifer Zamparelli welcomed Jonathan and his family to Barretstown to celebrate the creation in person and mark the unveiling of the special fundraising initiative. All proceeds from the sales of the limited edition wrist bands will go to Barretstown to support over 22,000 campers this year alone, with projections showing Barretstown’s support reaching over 250,000 families by the end of the decade.

Founded in 1994 by Hollywood actor Paul Newman, Barretstown offers free and fun, specially designed therapeutic camps and programmes for children with cancer and other serious illness, supported behind the scenes by 24 hour onsite medical care. To date, Barretstown has helped over 125,000 seriously ill children and their families and have supported 13 different illness groups.

Speaking at the launch, Clare Killeen, Group Head of ESG at Applegreen said:

“We are thrilled to see the colourful design for this year’s Bands for Barretstown fundraiser come to life with Jonathan’s creation. His ‘I Love Barretstown’ bands capture the full meaning of Barretstown to so many children and parents going through a difficult period and shows the long-lasting joy that Barretstown’s work brings to so many. Our partnership with Barretstown is now in its second year and we have been delighted to be involved in a range of excellent fundraising drives for this incredible cause. The limited edition ‘I Love Barretstown’ bands will be available to purchase at each till in all of our stores nationwide and we can’t wait to see the return of this fantastic and successful campaign!”

Dee Ahearn, CEO, Barretstown commented: “This year’s campaign falls in Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which is an important time to raise awareness of the challenges facing families when they have a child who is experiencing an illness as well as highlighting the supports available, including Barretstown. Our partnership with Applegreen is fundamental in raising awareness of our work and driving donations to ensure we can serve more children affected by cancer. The funds from this campaign will go directly to rebuilding the lives of children suffering from cancer, and I strongly encourage everyone to support Jonathan and his family by purchasing his band in Applegreen stores.”