Anthony Griffin first became involved with COPE Galway when he volunteered as a driver for Meals on Wheels and Food Rescue.
For the past few years Anthony’s business, Pale Blue Dot© Recruitment Limited has been a charity partner for COPE Galway – as well as donating €50 for every full-time professional placement they make, Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment also organise a range of fundraisers and activities like running and fitness challenges.
They have also undertaken volunteering activities in the past. Their latest fundraising initiative, ‘Challenge 360’ involved fitness challenges based on the number 360, such as walking 300 km in 60 days.
Reflecting on 2020, Anthony said that while they “managed to raise over €3,000 in 2020 it was nowhere near the over €6,000 raised by Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment in 2019. The pandemic has hit everyone’s pocket. We’re hoping to do more events this year to align things a bit more with where we were two years ago as far as our contribution to COPE Galway goes.”
Anthony’s staff value the partnership with COPE Galway, “They recognise the importance of contributing and I think it’s rewarding for them as individuals,” he said, adding that in the past they have visited COPE Galway in person and seen the impact of their fundraising efforts. Recruitment Consultant Olivia Kennedy echoed this sentiment, saying working together ‘to be involved in something bigger’ has contributed to a positive team environment throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Partnering and continually working with COPE Galway is an excellent initiative which benefits the charity as well as each member of staff in Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment.
Hannah Cahill–Recruitment Consultant Associate
“I’m grateful to be able to give back to the community through various fundraising activities and initiatives, such as the 300 and 60 challenge.”
According to Anthony, the enriching experience of volunteering with COPE Galway’s Meals on Wheels inspired him to partner with the charity when he established Pale Blue Dot© Recruitment. “When you go out and talk to older people, you might be their only contact in the day”. It is a purposeful experience. “And then with the Food Rescue, dropping food off to the different establishments you’d get a sense of what COPE Galway are doing to make things better and easier for people who have it tough.”
Anthony leads by example and has taken part in the annual Business Sleep Out fundraiser for COPE Galway’s Homeless Service since 2019. In light of Covid-19 social distancing restrictions, the Business Sleep Out Experience was very different in 2020 than in 2019.
“In 2019, we all went out on Shop Street, the weather was fantastic at Christmas time, and we raised a significant amount of money on the night. It wasn’t too tough either, but “Last Christmas I did it at home in the back garden. It was a tough gig, to be totally honest, really cold and windy weather. It really brought home how lucky I am, how lucky anybody with a roof over their head is.” Anthony added that overall “it was a great experience, and I will continue to do it for as long as I can”.
Anthony says that supporting COPE Galway is something his business clients appreciate. “Pale Blue Dot© Recruitment has quickly become a leader in MedTech recruitment across Ireland. I firmly believe that our clients appreciate our values and what the company represents through our charity work. We get involved and [Clients] definitely see what we do as a positive, and a reason to develop a partnership with us,” Anthony said.
Anthony and Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment look forward to continuing their partnership with COPE Galway for years to come.
Over the years you can see how COPE Galway is progressing and more and more people are contributing to the various causes and initiatives that COPE Galway is involved in. And personally it’s been enormously positive.