Dundalk Counselling Centre Receives Windfall Funding of EUR34,320

21st April 2007

The Dundalk Counselling Centre, Dundalk, Co. Louth, has received a vital donation of EUR34,320 from the AIB Better Ireland Programme. This funding will provide the Centre with additional counselling and provide supervision for children under the age of 18.

The Dundalk Counselling Centre, a non-profit community-based organisation, which offers its services throughout the North East Region, was established in 1982 to support people of all ages and in 1997, a separate building dedicated to counselling young people and adolescents, affected by anti-social behaviour, was opened. The centre tries to build awareness of and tackle the many different challenges youngsters face nowadays, which include family breakdown, depression, difficulties at school, drug and alcohol abuse.

Lillie Dullaghan, Manager, Dundalk Counselling Centre, said: "The objectives of the Dundalk Counselling Centre are to respond to the needs of the vulnerable young people in this area and to alleviate their difficulties by providing one to one therapeutic counselling and family therapy sessions. The work that has been done so far has impacted on the young people, their families and the community as a whole. Thanks to this generous funding from the AIB Better Ireland Programme we can now provide more support, counselling and comfort to the youngsters of this area."

Gerry O'Keeffe, AIB Better Ireland Programme Co-ordinator, AIB Dundalk, commented: "The AIB Better Ireland Programme, which has been supporting children's projects nation-wide for five years, is delighted to be contributing to the very valuable service carried out by the Dundalk Counselling Centre. To date, the AIB Better Ireland Programme has donated nearly EUR160,000, to 23 projects that improve the lives of children from County Louth, since 2001."