Barretstown’s Dee Ahearn Brings Serious Fun to Kids with Serious Illness
Founded by actor/philanthropist Paul Newman in 1994 to “press play” for children affected by serious illness, Barretstown serves thousands of young people and families at its magical County Kildare castle and beyond with impactful programs across Ireland and the UK.
Our guest Dee Ahearn has been the driving force behind the Barretstown success story, joining in 2010 as CEO after an international career in marketing and communications with a stint as chairperson of the Make A Wish Foundation Ireland.
In this holiday episode Dee shares heartwarming stories of transformation, saying:
“Many parents will say that when they're on the drive out the gates of Barretstown, the conversation with their children is when can we come back? Why do we have to leave? This is better than Disney World! And the teenagers want to know how quickly I can come back, what age I need to be to become a volunteer. ”
But the serious fun of swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, arts & crafts, and putting on plays rests on a foundation of solid governance, a quality that attracted our additional guest Tony Dunne, Bank of Ireland’s US CFO, COO & US Country Manager, to chair the friend-raising and fundraising-focused Barretstown Foundation USA.
The conversation underscores the importance of community and international support, including the cross-Atlantic support from American families and volunteers, and wraps with Dee’s invitation to you to get involved and help Barretstown provide even more “serious fun.”
Links
Barretstown
Barretstown Foundation USA
Dee Ahearn
Tony Dunne, CFO, COO & US Country Manager at Bank of Ireland US
Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 22; Total Episode Count: 102
00:00 - Introduction
02:37 - A Hypothetical Barretstown Donation
03:39 - Dee Ahearn's Origin Story
10:23 - The importance of Ambassadors
13:00 - Maintaining Performance at a Not For Profit
14:26 - A Week at Barretstown
14:29 - An Activity Schedule at Barretstown
20:44 - Pressing Play on Childhood
22:05 - Unfulfilled Demand
25:42 - The Bereavement Program
28:19 - Calming Parent Worries
30:37 - Barretstown in America
36:46 - Tony Dunne: A Barretstown View
38:48 - Getting Governance Right
45:10 - Barretstown: A Global Perspective
46:01 - Comparing Giving in Ireland to America
48:40 - Seamus Plug
51:40 - John and Martin Recap
53:18 - Credits
Dee Ahearn
CEO
Chief Executive Officer at Barretstown, one of Ireland’s most unique children’s charities. Barretstown offers free, specially designed residential and outreach programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness.
The role involves managing and leading 80 employees and over 1,400 volunteers on an annual basis and also reaching Barretstown’s annual fundraising target of €5m. Over the past five years Barretstown’s residential camps have increased by 57% and the total number of campers attending is up 149%.
With a background in strategic and creative marketing, Dee spent a number of years holding senior management positions in Black & Decker Ireland, the Gunne Group and Treasury Holdings.
With over a decade of board level experience having served on the boards of Barretstown, Treasury Holdings, Make A Wish Foundation, four years of which was in the position of Chairperson. Dee is currently Chairperson of the International CEO Council of the SeriousFun Children’s Network, of which Barretstown is a member.
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