Coca-Cola 'Thank You Fund' Winners Announced

In May 2011, Coca‑Cola turned 125. To celebrate their milestone birthday, they established the Coca‑Cola 125 Years Thank You Fund, in partnership with The Wheel and NICVA.

Winners of the €10,000 grants:

• Focus Ireland - The grant will be used to fund a module of Focus Ireland’s training and educational programme, Health Related Fitness for Homeless Youth.
   
• Titans Basketball Club - The Titans Basketball Club will use their funding to purchase wheelchairs for team members. Around 15-20 wheelchair-bound players will benefit from this project.
   
• Belfast Central Mission - The Belfast Central Mission will use their grant to support The UNLOCK Programme for homeless people. Support will range from a ‘KICK OFF Pack’ to provide individual young person with basic items for starting independent living, to a cookery group which will equip them with the knowledge and practical skills to cook low-cost, nutritional meals.
   
• Irish Dogs for the Disabled - This grant will provide additional stability assistance dogs to children suffering with cerebral palsy.
   
• Inishowen Development Partnership - The funding will be used to develop and deliver a practical health and well-being programme targeting children aged 4-17, and their families.
   
• Special Olympics - Funding will be used for the rolling out of a Health Promotion Programme to 20 Special Olympics Ireland clubs and to 500 athletes around the country.
   
• Autism NI - Austism NI will be using their Thank You Fund money to tailor a training package for parents, to address the unique learning style of young individuals with Autism.
   
• Burrenbeo Trust Ltd. - Burrenbeo's Eco-Beo course is the only course of its type in Ireland. Its theme, 'My Heritage', aims to increase awareness and appreciation of heritage among children. The Wild Child programme offers carers/parents and their children multiple wilderness walks over the course of a year.
   
• Children’s Sunshine Home - As part of a new children’s hospice, the funding will provide a children's play room with a range of generic and specific special needs equipment, toys and mattresses.
   
• Acquired Brain Injury Ireland - The funding will be used to produce a video, which will become the main educational tool for Acquired Brain Injury Ireland’s Concussion Awareness Campaign. The organisation will also use the money to produce a Schools ABI Tool Kit, to accompany their forthcoming myBrain Programme.

Winners of the €5,000 grants:

• CanTeen - CanTeen's mission is to support, empower and develop young people who have or have had cancer. This grant will go towards a Mentoring Programme to help with self-esteem issues and personal development.
   
• Console - The funds will provide a comprehensive child psychotherapy service for children and young adults bereaved or affected by suicide. The new service will include supportive resources for teachers and pupils following the death of a pupil or peer through suicide.
   
• Sligo Cancer Support Centre - Funding will be used to provide a children's programme at the Centre, where children of all ages who have a cancer diagnosis, and those who have a parent or sibling with cancer, are supported through play therapy, art and music therapy and sand therapy.
   
• Royal National Institute of Blind People - The Thank You Fund grant will be used to build on the success of "It Takes Two to Tandem", which took place in Lisburn this June, giving novices and experienced cyclists a chance to ride together.
   
• Tralee Bay Sailing School - The funding will go towards the development of a sustainable sailing programme for children and young people with a physical or sensory disability within the Kerry Region.