13 October, 2024 – Medtronic plc, the global leader in medical technology, in partnership with The Ireland Funds, has announced that 10 health initiatives, in areas including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and women's health, are to receive a combined €100,000, benefitting more than 2,000 patients across the country.

The Medtronic ‘Mission Makers’ initiative is focused on supporting charities in Ireland to each deliver their own mission to improve lives by funding patient awareness activities, with the flagship €50,000 grant to be awarded to Croí, the west of Ireland cardiac and stroke foundation. Four other organisations will be granted €10,000 each, including Diabetes Ireland, the Dillon Quirke Foundation, the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) and the National Women’s Council of Ireland Education & Training (NWCI E&T).

Five additional health organisations have received €2,000 each to support their initiatives in areas such as asthma, bowel cancer, epilepsy and sepsis.

Welcoming the flagship award, Croí, Chief Executive, Mark O’Donnell said, ‘Croí are delighted to be awarded the Medtronic Mission Makers grant of €50,000 under the auspices of The Ireland Funds. This funding will underpin significant and wide-ranging heart health and stroke prevention activities to communities in 2025 using Croí’s mobile health units, working closely with the Medtronic team and providing many engagement opportunities.’

Robert O’Brien, Vice President Human Resources Global Manufacturing and Medtronic Ireland Country Leader, added, ‘Medtronic is unique in our 60 year plus commitment to our Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. The Medtronic Mission Makers initiative is an opportunity to support health charities in Ireland to each deliver their own mission. Reaching patients in the community with information to raise awareness of illness or health conditions is an area where these charities excel and we are delighted to play a role in supporting their important work. The partner organisations will also engage with our 4,000+ employees across Athlone, Galway and Dublin to grow their base of advocates and supporters.’

Speaking about the Mission Makers initiative, Siobhán Gallagher, Executive Director, The Ireland Funds said, ‘The Ireland Funds is proud to partner with Medtronic to support ten exceptional organisations through the Mission Makers grant round. These grants will help each organisation raise awareness of critical health issues. By empowering them to expand their reach, we hope to inspire greater understanding and action in tackling these issues.’

Croí will use the €50,000 funding to provide heart health and stroke prevention services in underserved communities, and its newly commissioned state-of-the-art Mobile Health Hub will anchor three community health events in Galway and Athlone. Health checks and information on disease prevention will engage 1,000 people in person and a further 8,000 digitally, creating a significant impact across the west of Ireland.

Diabetes Ireland will support four ‘Type 1 Diabetes Technology & Research Discovery’ events in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Derry, educating up to 600 people while the Dillon Quirke Foundation will offer free cardiac screenings to 75 young athletes aged 12-18 across sports clubs in Ireland on World Heart Day.

The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) will host three ‘Your Health Matters’ roadshow events, and the National Women’s Council of Ireland Education & Training (NWCI E&T) will host a storytelling event on International Women’s Day.

Earlier this year Medtronic Ireland invited charities to apply for a Medtronic Mission Maker grant.  Following submissions, all applications were assessed by Medtronic employees and The Ireland Funds, and following review and the completion of a due diligence process, 10 successful organisations were selected.

About Medtronic

Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Galway, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people across more than 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic, visit www.Medtronic.com and follow on LinkedIn.

About The Ireland Funds

The Ireland Funds is a global philanthropic network established in 1976. Our mission is to harness the power of a global philanthropic network of friends of Ireland to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development across the island of Ireland and among Irish communities around the world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Contacts:
Peter McCreevy
Public Relations
+353 87 760 1239

Ryan Weispfenning
Investor Relations
+1-763-505-4626

Grants received today:

Organisation: Croí, The West of Ireland Cardiac and Stroke Foundation
Award Amount: €50,000
Description: Croí’s aim is to lead the fight against heart disease and stroke, with a particular focus on the West of Ireland. Its mission is to prevent disease, save lives, empower, and support people, families, communities, and future generations to take control of their health and wellbeing. Croí’s focus on an ongoing preventative approach underpins a wide range of their activities, from public talks, information campaigns, through to free community health checks, and secondary prevention programmes working closely with patients who have experienced a cardiac event or stroke.

Croí’s new custom-built state-of-the-art Mobile Health Hub will be the centrepiece of three Community Health events in Galway and Athlone, providing health checks and prevention information in underserved communities in the west of Ireland. Croí will also deliver bespoke digital content focused on heart health and stroke prevention, along with offering their online Walking Challenge platform. Key awareness-raising days will be World Stroke Day, Global Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Week, World Hypertension Day, and World Heart Rhythm Week. Croí aims to reach approximately 1,000 people at their Community Health Events, 50 community leaders/representatives, and a further 8,000 people with their digital content and walking challenge.

Organisation: Diabetes Ireland
Award Amount: €10,000
Description: Diabetes Ireland is a national charity dedicated to helping people with diabetes by providing support, education, and motivation. It raises public awareness of diabetes and its symptoms, fosters programmes for the early detection and prevention of diabetes complications and supports advances in diabetes care and research that will improve standards of care and quality of life for people with diabetes.

With this award, Diabetes Ireland will host four ‘Type 1 Diabetes Technology & Research Discovery’ events in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Derry, that aim to update and educate approximately 400-600 people with Type 1 diabetes and their families about the latest diabetes technology and research developments. A particular focus will be awareness raising around World Diabetes Day.

Organisation: Dillon Quirke Foundation
Award Amount: €10,000
Description: Dillon Quirke Foundation is the only charity in Ireland that is bringing life-saving cardiac screenings to young sports players all over Ireland. Dedicated to the heart health of teenagers, it addresses a critical need as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) claims one hundred young lives annually in Ireland.

With this award, Dillon Quirke Foundation will provide life-saving cardiac screenings and vital education to young athletes and their families in Ireland on World Heart Day. This award will fund free cardiac screenings for 75 young people aged 12-18 on World Heart Day at multiple sports clubs across Ireland and will enable a multi-channel awareness campaign to enhance community outreach beyond participating clubs, ensuring broader awareness amongst other sports clubs, parents, sporting associations, and the wider public.

Organisation: The Irish Cancer Society (ICS)
Award Amount: €10,000
Description: The Irish Cancer Society is a community of patients, survivors, volunteers, supporters, health and social care professionals and researchers. Together, they are working to save lives and improve the lives of people affected by cancer in Ireland.

With this award, ICS will be able to host three days of their ‘Your Health Matters’ awareness-raising roadshow and health screenings in shopping centres and workplace settings, aiming to reduce people’s risk of cancer using early detection, nurse-led conversations, and information booklets. In 2023, 1863 health checks were completed by nurses and 23,960 health concern conversations were catered for at Roadshow events across both workplaces and shopping centres. World Cancer Day is a key awareness-raising day for Irish Cancer Society.

Organisation: National Women’s Council of Ireland Education & Training (NWCI E&T)
Award Amount: €10,000
Description: The National Women’s Council is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, founded in 1973. Its sister company, NWCI Education & Training promote education and training for women in Ireland in matters of benefit for society.

With this award, NWCI E&T aim to host a storytelling event on International Women’s Day bringing together women’s groups and women to share and redefine their own health experiences in solidarity with one another. The event will provide a powerful and creative platform to raise awareness of key health issues impacting women in all their diversity.

Organisation: Asthma Society of Ireland
Award Amount: €2,000
Description: Asthma Society of Ireland is the national representative body for people with asthma in Ireland. Operating for over 50 years, their vision is that everyone with asthma in Ireland can live a full life, symptom-free. Asthma Society of Ireland will raise awareness about the seriousness of asthma as a chronic, potentially life-threatening disease and encourage people with asthma and their carers to take action towards proactive disease management during Asthma Awareness Week, held in May.

Organisation: Cancer Care West
Award Amount: €2,000
Description: Cancer Care West is dedicated to supporting those whose lives have been affected by cancer. It is one of the largest cancer support organisations in Ireland, and has two cancer support centres, one in Galway and one in Donegal, which are staffed by psychologists, counsellors, oncology nurses and a range of qualified cancer support specialists. Their services include residential services for patients on radiotherapy, as well as psychological, practical and holistic support services for patients and their families. Cancer Care West also undertake a wide range of cancer awareness and educational programmes.

During Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April, Cancer Care West aims to promote knowledge of Bowel Cancer symptoms to the general public in the West and North West of Ireland and highlight why receiving routine screenings is so important.

Organisation: Epilepsy Ireland
Award Amount: €2,000
Description: Epilepsy Ireland is the national patient organisation representing people with epilepsy, their families, and carers. Their vision is to achieve a society where no person’s life is limited by epilepsy by providing support and information services; training and education programmes; awareness and advocacy campaigns; and investing in epilepsy research.

During Infantile Spams Awareness Week (ISAW) in December, Epilepsy Ireland aims to raise awareness of Infantile Spasms (IS), a rare but devastating type of epilepsy affecting infants which is often overlooked or misdiagnosed because parents do not know the warning signs.

Organisation: Galway Sick Kids Foundation
Award Amount: €2,000
Description: Galway Sick Kids Foundation (GSKF) was established in 2017 to support the paediatric unit at University Hospital Galway. It is a project-driven charity which fundraises for specific initiatives that have been identified by staff and parents at the Unit. Examples include a children’s bathroom, Sensory Cubby, outdoor special needs swing, parents’ kitchen, and a Lacsure Electronic Milk Management System Neonatal Unit.

GSKF hopes to employ ‘Clown Doctors’ to carry out “clown rounds” and give the children and their parents a few moments to escape from the stress and anxiety of the hospital setting during Child Health Day October and International Children’s Day in November.

Organisation: Irish Sepsis Foundation
Award Amount: €2,000
Description: Irish Sepsis Foundation’s mission is to reduce the devastating impact of sepsis on individuals and their families. It aims to foster a community where information flows freely, resources are accessible, and collaboration flourishes. Through awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and support programs, it aims to empower individuals to recognize the signs of sepsis, seek timely medical attention, and become active partners in their healthcare journey. Additionally, it engages with healthcare professionals to enhance understanding of sepsis protocols, ultimately improving patient outcomes across the country.

On World Sepsis Day, held in September, Irish Sepsis Foundation would like to raise awareness to help combat sepsis, save lives, and create a future where sepsis is not just treatable but preventable.