Make-A-Wish Ireland has been announced as the Official Charity of the Horizon Irish Open until 2027.
The tournament’s title sponsor Horizon Therapeutics has also committed to long-term support of the charity.
This will include their hosting an annual fundraising drive at each of the next six editions of the tournament, with a promise to match the donations raised on-site at Mount Juliet Estate this year for Make-A-Wish Ireland.
Make-a-wish brings hope, strength and happiness to children with life-threatening conditions through granting their wishes, and this year celebrates 30 years of doing so.
Return
To launch the partnership, Horizon and the DP World Tour have extended an invite for Peter McEnery – whose dreams came true as a 14-year-old by playing alongside Pádraig Harrington at the 2010 Irish Open thanks to Make-A-Wish Ireland – to play once again in this year’s Pro-Am alongside his golf hero.
McEnery, who lives with Cystic Fibrosis, is now 26 years old and a four handicap golfer. He credits his experience 12 years ago through Make-A-Wish Ireland as the primary reason for his continued love of the game. He will represent the charity at the Horizon Irish Open Pro-Am with the hope of raising awareness of its incredible work.
There will be multiple fundraising activations on-site for this year’s tournament which takes place at Mount Juliet Estate from June 30th to July 3rd, including a Mega Putt Challenge in the Championship Village.
Fans will also be given the opportunity to donate when they purchase tickets for the tournament through the DP World Tour’s official ticketing website.
“We are incredibly proud to introduce Make-A-Wish Ireland as the Official Charity of the Horizon Irish Open for the next six years,” said Timothy P. Walbert, Chairman, President and CEO, Horizon Therapeutics.
“Having officially opened our new Dublin Headquarters today, one of Horizon’s key objectives as title sponsors of this great tournament is to make a difference to communities and worthy causes around Ireland, through the power of sport.”
Incredible work
“Make-A-Wish Ireland does incredible work for children living with life-threatening conditions by making their dreams come true and providing them with hope and inspiration. We have partnered with Make-A-Wish Ireland for more than two years and are hopeful that this long-term commitment will continue to make a huge difference to so many children around the country.”
“The longevity and magnitude of this partnership is hugely important for Make-A-Wish Ireland and, after a difficult couple of years due to the pandemic, it provides us with the stability to continue our hard work in inspiring children who really need hope and happiness in their lives,” added Susan McQuaid O’Dwyer, CEO of Make-A-Wish Ireland.
“With hope, a child with a critical illness finds light in the darkness of their current circumstances. It transforms their perspective, replacing feelings of trauma with hope for tomorrow.”
“We are extremely grateful to Horizon for choosing us as the Official Charity of this historic tournament. As we are not government-funded, Make-A-Wish relies on the incredible generosity of the Irish public as well as backers such as Horizon, and we look forward to changing the lives of many young children in the years ahead.”
“It’s great to hear that Make-A-Wish will be the Official Charity of the Horizon Irish Open for the next six years,” said Padraig Harrington.
Hope and strength
“My wife Caroline and I have been very proud ambassadors for Make-A-Wish for many years now and we have witnessed the incredible work they do in providing hope and strength to children with life-threatening conditions.”
“I remember very well the day I met and played with Peter and it is truly inspiring to see how far he has come with his golf in the 12 years since Make-A-Wish made his dream come true. I look forward to playing alongside him again at this year’s Pro-Am and hopefully he will inspire other children who might be experiencing something similar to what he was going through at the time.”
“This is an incredibly positive announcement for the Horizon Irish Open and a meaningful commitment,” said Simon Allis, Tournament Director. “We thank our title sponsors Horizon for being the driving force behind this partnership.”
“We have seen first-hand the difference Make-A-Wish Ireland can make to children’s lives and we look forward to helping tell their wonderful story at the Horizon Irish Open this year and beyond.”
Sunday tickets are already completely sold-out after unprecedented demand. Harrington will join his fellow countrymen Séamus Power and Shane Lowry in the field, with more names to be announced in the coming weeks.
Sport for Business Perspective
A lot of thought and effort has gone into making this happen. The synchronicity of inviting back Peter McEnery is genius, tieing together the strands of past, present and future. The long term nature of the partnership, tied into that of Horizon Technology is a real winner for an event that is acting with real confidence post covid. Great to see.
Sport for Business Partners
