Stepping up to the frontline: how Zurich is helping communities help each other
CommunitiesArticleMay 13, 2020
As the Covid-19 crisis continues to pose a threat not only to our health, but to our way of life, working together has become more important than ever.
In Ireland, Zurich has been looking for new ways to support our communities through the challenges they’re facing. Often this means getting behind local initiatives. After all, small acts of kindness can have a big impact – if they’re bolstered by the right support.
A school with a bright idea
The staff at St Ailbe’s School in Tipperary town had been using their limited supplies to make facial visors for essential personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by frontline health workers. When some of their raw materials began to run low, Zurich was happy to step in and provide more.
“We saw that the school was doing something really positive and proactive for its local community in such a difficult time. We saw an opportunity to get behind that and help this local movement gain nationwide momentum,” commented Anthony Brennan, CEO of Zurich Ireland.
With this influx of materials, St Ailbe’s has been able to manufacture significantly more visors than originally planned. To date, they have delivered over 2,000 visors to local nursing homes, hospitals and GP surgeries in Tipperary. Eoin Kennedy, a teacher from the school, is delighted with the result. “Thanks to Zurich for donating the acetate sheets. We, as well as the recipients of the visors, were overwhelmed with the donation as without them our reach would have been far less.”
Creating a growing movement
Following the success of St Ailbe’s, Zurich worked to broaden the initiative. Not just across Tipperary, but across the country. Focusing on the manufacture of PPE for nursing homes, Zurich appealed to 10 schools, colleges or local businesses – with access to a laser cutter – to get involved in the scheme. In return, Zurich would provide the materials and guidance to enable each school to produce vital protective equipment for nursing homes in their community.
Since the launch of the nationwide initiative on the April 9, Zurich has had a staggering response from schools, colleges and businesses wanting to help.
By its close, the initiative saw Zurich working with 20 schools and colleges in producing close to 6,000 facial visors to provide essential PPE for over 100 nursing homes.
Formal production of PPE is now taking place in Ireland and meeting the demand, but it has been a fantastic community initiative supported by Zurich to help meet the initial and urgent demand from nursing homes in the community.
