Top Oil supports sick children and their families across Ireland
Children’s Health Foundation have today announced their new partnership with Top Oil to support sick children and their families attending Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.
Top Oil’s Fuel the Care programme provides fuel gift vouchers to families who are travelling to receive medical care for their child – helping to bridge the distance between home and hospital. The “Fuel the Care” programme works with Children’s Health Foundation and the Children’s Health Ireland Medical Social Work Departments to provide support to families with sick children.
Every time you visit a Top Oil location, choose Top Oil to heat your home or visit our company-owned stores for your needs, you’re supporting the Fuel the Care programme, and in turn, Children’s Health Foundation.
To further support this meaningful programme, Top Oil have introduced a Fuel the Care pump at select sites. At these pumps, one cent from every litre purchased will be donated to the Children’s Health Foundation.
You can find these pumps at the following Top Oil locations:
- Top Oil Kilkenny Depot, Hebron Industrial Estate, Hebron Road, Co. Kilkenny
- Top Oil Ballina Depot, Crossmolina Road, Co. Ballina
- Top Oil Service Station Cobh Cross, Junction 3, Carrigtwohill, Cobh Cross, Co. Cork
- Top Oil Newhall Service Station, Naas Enterprise Park, Newhall, Naas, Co. Kildare
The fuel gift vouchers donated by Top Oil will be used to help sick children across Ireland – children like Alexis, who lives in Killarney and must make a seven hour round trip to attend her appointments in Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street.
Alexis first visited Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street three days after she was born. As her father Steve put it: “That was our first day up and down to Temple Street and this has continued over the past six years. Alexis has grown up there and it’s like a home away from home.”
Alexis was born with PDH, a rare and serious condition that affects her metabolism. Lactic acid can build up in her body which can be potentially life-threatening. The past few years have been challenging for Alexis and her parents. “Alexis had no energy as a baby, no energy to smile or even cry” said Teresa, Alexis’s mother. “One night I heard a big laugh, I was overjoyed – where was this energy coming from? But it wasn’t a laugh, she was having a fit.”
Teresa and Steve are grateful for all the support of the staff in Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street, whose care goes beyond the medical. “Whether Nurse or Professor, people from different departments interact with Alexis and us on a human level.” said Steve. “They’re always there if we have questions or need anything. That human touch is really important.”
Teresa added: “You feel that you matter to the Doctors, they make you feel important. I remember one time I was stopped in the corridor with Alexis and this Doctor said ‘Oh my god, is that Alexis, how she’s grown!’ He hadn’t seen her in years.”
Patient and family supports, like the Top Oil fuel vouchers, are an integral part of Children’s Health Ireland, to make the experience of both patient and parents as positive as possible.
In addition to the fuel gift vouchers and to celebrate the launch of Fuel the Care, Top Oil will also pay for all patient parking in Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin on October 18th.
The introduction of Fuel the Care in Ireland represents an expansion of the programme by Irving Oil – the Canadian-based company which operates Top Oil, as well as the Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery in County Cork. In North America, Fuel the Care is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having helped more than 80,000 families in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States since launching in 2002.
For more information on Top Oil’s “Fuel the Care” programme, visit https://www.top.ie/fuelthecare/.
Commenting on the launch of Top Oil’s partnership with Children’s Health Foundation, Louis Labelle of Top Oil, said: “As a new programme in Ireland, we want to build awareness of Fuel the Care and how it supports local families when they need it most. “We are proud of what this important programme has accomplished over the past 20 years in North America and are excited to continue to make a difference for families in Ireland, thanks to the support of our customers.”
Denise Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Children’s Health Foundation, said: “We are extremely excited and grateful to partner with Top Oil. The rising cost of living has brought added pressure to families of sick children across the country. The Top Oil fuel vouchers will help ease that pressure when they need to travel to appointments in Children’s Health Ireland hospitals and urgent care centres. We hope Top Oil’s customers get involved on Fuel the Care Day on October 19th and support sick children.”