Roscommon’s Paul Foxe has been involved with the Board of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation since late 2012 and is immensely proud of all that has been achieved during this time.
A chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor, from just outside Roscommon town, Paul first got involved with the organisation after being approached by Oliver McGuinness, who is currently the longest serving member of the Board.
“At the time, the Board largely consisted of pharmacists and medical professionals and they were looking to fill a gap, so to speak, in the finance and governance sector. I had recently started my own business, and Oliver approached me to see if I would be interested in getting involved. Immediately, I was eager to do whatever I could to help. Once he knew I was interested, he brought the suggestion to the Board and I was ratified towards the end of 2012,” he recalled.
Like all his fellow Board members, Paul leads a busy personal and professional life, but is always more than happy to dedicate time to the organisation. Paul and his wife Aidín, who also hails from Roscommon, have five small children – Seoidín (7), Donncha (5), Siún (3), Iarlaith (2), and Sadhbh (3 months). And so, when it comes to this Roscommon man, there’s certainly truth in the old saying…if you want something done, ask a busy person!
For Paul, there is great satisfaction in knowing that you’re making a real difference. “I often speak with groups and various fundraisers and one of things I always say is that their efforts are so important to the organisation. Whether they’re raising €30, €300, €3,000 or €30,000 – every single euro is so important. Every effort and every bit of support we receive from local fundraisers goes towards providing palliative care services for people in their community; people they know,” he said.
Of course, one of the proudest moments for Paul over the last few years was the opening of the Roscommon Hospice. “It was an incredibly proud day for all of us. For a long time, we were talking about a dedicated Hospice facility for Roscommon so it was really fantastic to get that over the line,” Paul remarked.
“As a Board and as an organisation, we are constantly fundraising for the provision of vital services in our communities, so to now have that physical space in Roscommon – and indeed in Mayo – is so important. Of course, there’s the incredible benefit to patients and their families, but also, it helps communities all over the region understand and appreciate the need for our ongoing fundraising activities,” he reasoned.
“Being involved with the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and knowing that you’re actually making a real difference is something that we’re all really proud of. I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved, and of the truly wonderful services being provided by our hospice care teams throughout counties Mayo and Roscommon,” Paul added.
