Rosie & Jim were proud to sponsor Courtwood GAA Club, Co. Laois at their Family Fun Day fundraiser on Sunday 31^st May.

The day started off with a 5km race with the prize fund of €600 sponsored by Rosie & Jim.

Other events included Courtwoods Fittest Family and plenty of entertainment for all the family.

The new Courtwood Football Kit was sponsored by Rosie & Jim and presented to the team on the day.

Thanks to all for a fun-tastic day! 

Like Courtwood GAA on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter!

Sean Mcloughlin & Robert Hogan at Courtwood Sports Day Sponsored by Rosie & Jim

Niall Murphy & Michael Hogan Organisers of Sports Day

First Prize Winner

2nd Runner up

3rd Runner up

4th Runner Up

Pepe & Percy - 2 of our 3 sponsored Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Rosie and Jim's Dog Sponsorship: Three More Success Stories!

We're thrilled to share some wonderful news from our friends at Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind! The three puppies we've been sponsoring have all reached significant milestones in their journeys to become working dogs, and we couldn't be prouder.

Percy: The Community Dog

Percy has officially joined the Community Dog programme and will be working at a school in Lucan. He's been partnered with one of the teachers there who will bring him to school most days. As a Community Dog, Percy will help support children in an educational setting, providing comfort, building confidence, and helping children develop social skills.

Community Dogs work with professionals in education, healthcare and community settings, using animal-assisted intervention techniques to help people achieve specific goals. These amazing dogs can make a tremendous difference in children's lives, particularly those with additional needs.

Pebbles: The Future Matriarch

Pebbles has been selected for an equally important role as a breeding mom based in Mayo. She'll be contributing to the future of the programme by producing the next generation of guide, assistance, and community puppies. This selection speaks volumes about her excellent temperament and health - only the best dogs are chosen for this vital role in ensuring the sustainability of these life-changing services.

Pepe: The Assistance Dog

Last but certainly not least, Pepe has qualified as an Assistance Dog! He's been placed with a family in Tallaght who have a son with autism. This family applied to the programme in 2023, so it's particularly heartwarming to see this perfect match come together for their little boy. Assistance Dogs provide invaluable support for children with autism, helping to reduce anxiety, prevent wandering, improve social interactions, and provide a constant, calming presence.

A Word of Thanks from Irish Guide Dogs 

John from Irish Guide Dogs shared this lovely message with us: 

“On behalf of everyone at the Irish Guide Dogs, thank you all so very much for the support of these three amazing dogs who join a long list of dogs supported by Rosie and Jim. Please pass all our thanks on to everyone there for making this all happen. You guys are amazing!” 

We are incredibly proud to support the life-changing work of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. These stories are a testament to the impact of their programmes—and the dedication of their teams. From all of us at Rosie & Jim, thank you for the opportunity to be part of this journey.

To learn more about the Community Dog programme mentioned in this post, visit the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind website.

Wow - Andrew, our sponsored Irish Guide Dog in training is doing so well. We received this update on how he is doing in his training.

Andrew’s training has been coming on a treat. He is now just over a year old and about to head off to Cork for his adult training. When he is out and about on a training walk, he goes about the business of leading, walking calmly.
He is now good at ignoring the enticing smells of lamp posts - focussing instead on the treats he gets for doing so. He has been travelling on the Luas, a bus and in the car. He has not been able to enjoy the social life in cafes due to covid but has been very good at sitting down under park benches in preparation for a cafe lifestyle.
He is very aware of people. He walks up the stairs slowly next to me, waiting on the return for me to turn to go up the next flight of stairs. Although he is very sociable, he prioritises a call or whistle from me over playing with his friends - he has great recall. He is learning to avoid distractions when in a “wait” in a sit or down position.
On free runs Andrew is very sociable and likes to play with dogs of equal energy. Although he is no toughie when it comes to other dogs, he shows his confidence and belief in aiming high when it comes to what he thinks of as sticks but are, in reality, logs, as you can see in the photographs.

It's really fantastic to hear how he is learning and progressing as well as what he is good at and what are his favourite things to do. We are very excited for his future.

Find out more about Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind on their website:

https://www.guidedogs.ie

Follow and Like them on their Social Media platforms :

https://www.facebook.com/irishguidedogs

https://www.instagram.com/irishguidedogs/

Rosie & Jim recently sponsored Rath National School €15,000 for a sensory room for children with special needs within the school.

The parents of the children attended the launch and had a lovely reception of tea and buns for Rosie.  They presented her with flowers and a lovely card on the day as a special thank you. We are both thrilled to be able to donate to a life changing resource like this.

Wishing the children at Rath N.S. many happy hours in the sensory room.

Our delicious Chicken Goujons are cooking up nice and crispy over at Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Check out Sean's very impressive Bread and Butter Pudding. Delicious! We hope everyone at Ronald McDonald House enjoyed a nice big helping!

Rosie & Jim are pleased to donate €250 to the annual Portarlington and Killenard Charity Gala Ball The event will be held on Saturday 24 September, with proceeds from the event going to the Midlands Hospice building fund.

The red-carpet event will be held in The Heritage Hotel, Killenard with music by JL Sounds on arrival and later by Transmitter. This year’s special guest of honour is Mountrath native and patron of the Midlands Hospice build campaign Claire Byrne from RTÉ.

The Midlands Hospice, which is planned to be constructed beside Tullamore Hospice, will have 16 beds and will cater for people in the surrounding counties of Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford. Now in its 16th year, the black-tie event has raised more than €120,000 for local charitable organisations, including the Cuisle Centre; Portlaoise Hospital paediatric unit; St Vincent’s Hospital, Mountmellick; The Kolbe Centre, Portlaoise; Laois Slieve Bloom Centre (Irish Wheelchair Association); Portarlington Lourdes Committee; and St Francis School, Portlaoise. Tickets (€65) are now on sale, with corporate options for tables of eight, ten or 12 and are available from the Saoirse Care Charity Shop, Main Street, Portarlington or from Maria Molloy on 086 3058181, Marie Corcoran on 086 2654277 and Collette Kennedy on 087 7589896.

Well done to Niamh McInerney and the girls from the mini company of St. Mary's Secondary School, Mallow, Co. Cork on their wonderful Gluten Free cook book.
Rosie & Jim are delighted to feature in the new Cook Book and more than happy to support it!
Congrats on all your hard work!

http://stmarysmallow.com/

https://twitter.com/stmarysmallow

Rosie & Jim have donated €3,000 to a Turkey NGO for the Earthquake Crises Appeal.

Our thoughts and hearts are with everyone affected by this earthquake.

We are delighted to sponsor the 4th Annual Killeedy GAA Golf Classic €100. The event on Friday the 4th September 2020 at Newcastle West Golf Club was to raise funds for the continuing development of the Killeedy GAA club facilities.

" Thanks you to the companies who reached out to their suppliers to sponsor Tee Boxes & submit teams, thank you to local businesses who themselves sponsored teams, tee boxes, the food for the golfers... "

This Christmas, thousands of people will gather at Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services, Harold’s Cross for the annual Light Up A Life Christmas event.

The celebrations begin on Sunday 26^th November, a day of music and memories and the official lighting of the magnificent tree by the guest of honour Daniel O’Donnell, and will continue until Christmas.

Rosie & Jim are delighted to donate €1000 to the Light up a Life Christmas event.

Find out more on their Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/olhospice/