Ballyowen Meadows Special School wins top prize of €20,000 in the Aviva Broker  Community Fund.

28 February: Ballyowen Meadows Special School was recently awarded the top charity prize of  €20,000 in the Aviva Broker Community Fund awards. The school was nominated by Stephen Norris  of Financial Planning Matters. The Aviva Broker Community Fund provides a unique opportunity for  financial advisers/brokers throughout the country to support their chosen local charities or  community organisations by nominating them for an award.

Commenting, Pat Kitterick, Chairman of Ballyowen Meadows Special School said: ‘’Management and  staff at our school for children on the autism spectrum are overwhelmed and delighted to have  received the top donation of €20,000 in the Aviva Broker Community Fund Awards for 2021.

“We are so grateful to Stephen Norris, Niall O’ Connor and all at Financial Planning Matters Ltd for  their very thoughtful and generous nomination and for the privilege of simply being short-listed for  the awards. The plans we have for our sensory garden will, over time, add a much-valued sensory  experience, activity, and respite to help the children’s development through integration with their  classroom learning and social development. We are a small school with a big heart and Aviva’s  generosity has broadened our welcoming smile. Thank you so much to everyone who has made this  possible.’’

Commenting Stephen Norris said: “Charlie, Niall and I, at Financial Planning Matters, are delighted  that our chosen charity Ballyowen Meadows Special School has been awarded the top prize in the  Aviva Broker Community Fund 2021. It is a very worthy charity, and we look forward to seeing their  sensory garden come to life”.

Brian O’Neill, Head of Communications, Brand & Sponsorship at Aviva Ireland said: “We were deeply  humbled to hear and see the amazing work that our winning charities and community organisations  are involved in and the positive impact that they have on peoples’ lives. We are only too aware of  the additional demands on their services and the challenges that Covid-19 has brought to bear on all  of them. We want to ensure that our CSR program can continue to support the communities in  which we operate, where our people work and where our customers live. We wish the team at  Ballyowen Meadows Special School continued success in all that they do within their community.”

Now in its fourth year, the Aviva Broker Community Fund, which was launched in September 2021,  has increased its total fund by €20,000 to €120,000 to donate to worthwhile projects completed by  charities and community organisations throughout the country. The Aviva Broker Community Fund  awarded thirty-two separate donations, broken down as follows: –

One charity donation of €20,000 to the best submission, plus four runner-up donations of €5,000 to  the shortlisted charities

Three local community organisation donations of €10,000 to the best submissions, plus two  donations of €5,000 to those shortlisted community organisations.

Two donations of €10,000 each, to two projects that aligned with the themes of diversity and  inclusion and climate action.

€1,000 donated to 20 charities and community organisations drawn from the list of those entries not  shortlisted.