Dear Friends, Supporters, and Team,
As 2025 draws to a close, I am filled with gratitude and pride for everything we have accomplished together. What a year 2025 was! Every initiative, event, and campaign has brought us closer to our mission of supporting and caring for families and their child on every step of their journey.
We began the year with Thank You Week, a celebration of gratitude that set the tone for the months ahead. From online coffee mornings to our Gratitude Board, we reminded ourselves of the strength that comes from appreciation and connection.
We also had a celebration in January for Karen O’Connor who received the Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year Award for 2024. This recognition reflects the heart of LauraLynn—our volunteers who give so generously of their time and spirit.
In February, we strengthened strategic partnerships with a visit to the National Children’s Hospital, sharing knowledge and building connections between acute and hospice care services.
March brought joy and creativity with our St. Patrick’s Day Parade, led by Alan Hughes, and a magical collaboration with the Abbey Theatre and National Gallery, where five LauraLynn children starred in The March of the Goldendoodles. Their names now live forever in the Abbey archives—a beautiful legacy of inclusion and memory-making.
April’s Neonatal Palliative Care Workshop positioned LauraLynn as a leader in education and research, hosting over 100 professionals in collaboration with Irish Hospice Foundation and the National Women and Infants Health Programme.
May was a defining month. Children’s Hospice Week, themed “Every Step, Every Challenge, Together”, captured national attention. Launched by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the campaign shared powerful family stories and survey data highlighting the challenges families face — 84% feel isolated, 95% overwhelmed. These insights drove media coverage and advocacy while giving our families a voice.
During Children’s Hospice Week, our Family Fun Day, National Volunteering Week, and the 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge added vibrancy and purpose. Hundreds of people helped to keep the treadmills moving to spotlight the round the clock care families provide to their child while raising funds for our service. This amazing challenge raised over €138,000, and engaged corporates, celebrity supporters, and communities in a shared mission.
2025 also saw LauraLynn demonstrating its commitment to excellence. We were honored and delighted to pick up some silverware during the year in the way of two Irish Healthcare Centre Awards for Clinical Team of the Year and Specialist Care Centre of the Year. We were also shortlisted in two categories at the Cii Charity Excellence Awards for Fundraising Team of the Year and Excellence in Charity Leadership, and a further two shortlistings at the Business Post Leadership Awards for Non-Profit Leader of the Year and DEI Initiative of the Year.
In June, I was honoured to be appointed Vice-Chair of The Wheel, reinforcing LauraLynn’s voice in shaping the future of the non-profit sector.
This year, generosity reached new heights. Our Summer Raffle raised a record €324,000, while the Microsoft Charity Cycle brought in €305,923, pushing their 12-year partnership total beyond €1.7 million which is truly incredible. These funds allow us to be there for children and families when they need us.
September marked a historic milestone with A Century of Light; a beautiful day of commemoration held at Airfield Estate, honouring 100 years of care, and marking a century since the Children’s Sunshine Home first opened its doors beginning a legacy of caring for children. It was a moment to reflect on our roots and look forward to the future with hope and ambition.
We also continued events that matter deeply: the Annual Memorial Walk, LauraLynn Oscars, and Light Up LauraLynn—events that create space for remembrance, celebration, and connection.
Our volunteers remain the backbone of LauraLynn. We are so lucky to have over 160 active volunteers; without these amazing individuals, we simply could not do what we do. Their commitment and dedication is hugely appreciated.
The support and commitment of our donors and supporters is another shining highlight this year. Our hospice service depends predominantly on your generosity and yet again you have chosen to give to LauraLynn through:
- gift giving
- donations to our appeals
- holding community events like walks, runs and bake sales
- taking on challenges like icy dips, marathons and 100 a-day push-ups
- corporate partnerships
- and gifts in wills.
No matter the size, these donations make an incredible difference in the lives of the families in our care.
At LauraLynn, we take the trust that our families, donors and supporters place in us very seriously. Under the leadership of our dedicated Board of Directors, we operated to the Triple Lock standard of good governance again this year and were delighted to be shortlisted for a Good Governance Awards for our annual report. In addition, we maintained compliance with all required standards including: the HSE Compliance Statement, HIQA Regulations, CHKS Accreditation, Charity Regulator, Fundraising Standards and SORP Financial Reporting.
As we step into 2026, we do so with renewed energy and vision. We will continue to innovate, advocate, and expand our reach, ensuring that every child and family who needs us feels supported, valued, and cared for.
To our staff, volunteers, partners, and supporters, thank you for making 2025 a year of extraordinary impact. Your support means the world to us and to the children and families we support across Ireland.
Wishing you a happy and peaceful Christmas and a very happy New Year.
Warm regards,
Kerry McLaverty
CEO, LauraLynn
