• Over 140 Aer Lingus volunteers transformed the school grounds of St. Monica’s Infant Girls’     School in Edenmore
• 6 Projects completed creating new outdoor learning and recreational facilities
• 50 Pupils at St. Monica’s will benefit from the renovation project as well as 100 pupils from         St. Eithne’s Senior School who share the school campus

30 May 2019 – For the eighth consecutive year, Aer Lingus staff volunteered one day’s annual leave to help their local community. Make a Difference Day is the largest staff volunteer event to take place at Aer Lingus each year.

This year over 140 Aer Lingus employees from across all departments at the airline including pilots, cabin crew, ground staff, engineering, finance, flight dispatchers, check-in, catering, cargo, sales, communications, marketing, corporate affairs, flight operations, IT, HR and Operations Control, pitched in to transform the outdoor grounds of the school and help St. Monica’s take pride of place in the local community of Edenmore once again.

Six projects were on the school’s wish list as part of the overall project. These included a Discovery Garden complete with a Wigwam, tunnel structure, raised planting area, and artwork on the walls; an Outdoor Classroom sheltered with circular shape and complete with seat stumps and a blackboard; a Pioneer themed Activity Trail with benches; an Outdoor Stage with upright giant pencils as the backdrop; five Village Shopfronts; and finally a newly painted Welcome Wall. Volunteers set to work from 9am to complete all 6 projects by day end.

Sinéad Mullen, Principle at St. Monica’s Infant Girls’ School said;

“This renovation of the school grounds will reinvigorate our young pupil’s imaginations, curiosity and agility through active play and learning. We set Aer Lingus a big challenge for the day with 6 projects to complete by days end so a big thank you to them for their hard work and dedication to completing our wish list of projects today. The pupils and parents are thrilled and we’re confident now that St. Monica’s will be reinstated as an integral part of the community and help our pupils to continue to thrive.”

Donal Moriarty, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Aer Lingus said;

“Make a Difference Day has evolved over the years to become the biggest volunteering event at Aer Lingus. Our employees look forward to participating each year and reserve a day’s annual leave to take part. We always choose a school or community project local to us at Dublin Airport and were delighted to partner with St. Monica’s Infant Girls’ school for this year’s project. They set us a big challenge with six great projects and we’re delighted to reinvigorate the school grounds to inspire pupils and the community.”  

As in previous years, this year we employed the services of Difference Days to help project manage and source materials.   

About St. Monica’s Infant Girls School

St Monica’s Infant Girls’ School was built in 1967 to serve the community of Edenmore. In 2007 we were included in the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Band 1, an action plan that aims to support children and young people who are at the greatest risk of educational disadvantage. Currently we have 50 pupils and St Eithne’s Senior School, who share our campus, have 100 pupils. As an inclusive school we welcome children of all abilities, faiths and nationalities. We pride ourselves on our warm, welcoming atmosphere where each pupil is encouraged to reach her full potential and parents are invited to participate in their child’s educational  journey.

About Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland and was founded in 1936. Today we operate 65 aircraft on over 100 routes to Europe, the UK, and North America and carry more than 12 million guests per year. We connect Europe and North America through our gateway hub at Dublin Airport, the only European Airport with US Pre-Clearance. Aer Lingus is a value carrier, offering great choice, comfort and price, enabling guests to make smart choices based on their needs. We are Ireland’s only 4-Star airline as rated by Skytrax World Airline Awards for our consistent quality and excellence. Aer Lingus recently unveiled a refreshed brand to align with its strategy to become the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic. Aer Lingus is a member of International Airlines Group (IAG), one of the world’s leading airline groups. Smart Flies Aer Lingus. www.aerlingus.com