Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has received a €40,000 donation from Aurivo as part of the co-op’s charity of the year partnership programme.

Aurivo employees have been raising funds for the charity over the past year through a number of events and direct donations. As a result of their efforts, they were able to present the organisation with the sum last week.

The money raised has allowed the company to sponsor Rivo, a puppy who is currently in training, and will ultimately be assigned to an individual who is visually impaired or who has autism. Speaking about the partnership, Aurivo chairman Raymond Barlow said:

“We look forward to following the vital work of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and the tangible difference that they make by enabling those who are blind or visually impaired to actively participate in their community.”

John Burke, corporate partnerships manager with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind also said that the organisation has enjoyed partnering with Aurivo for the past 12 months. He added:

“Rivo was delighted to be able to make the trip to meet all the [Aurivo] team in Sligo recently.

“Thanks to everyone for supporting him along his journey to changing the life of someone who is blind or vision impaired or the family of a child with autism.”

Agriland recently spoke to the Athlone branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska about what the organisation does and why fundraising is so important to them.

The organisation is Ireland’s national charity that focuses on enabling visually impaired people and families of children with autism to achieve improved mobility and independence.

The organisation, which costs more than €5 million a year to run, currently has almost 400 dog and client pairs in Ireland, all of which have been provided free of charge.