Woodie’s Heroes 2025 Raises Incredible Amount for Down Syndrome Ireland

Down Syndrome Ireland is thrilled to announce that it has received an incredible €149,551.28 from the Woodie’s Heroes campaign. The 11th annual Woodie’s Heroes fundraiser raised a total of €598,205 for four Irish children’s charities; Down Syndrome Ireland, Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, Cancer Fund for Children and Childline by ISPCC.

100% of all funds raised during this year’s fundraiser will be divided equally among the chosen charities to support them continue with their valued work.

Woodie’s CEO, Damien Dwyer, expressed his pride in his colleagues’ commitment to the community through its fundraising and voluntary community initiatives:

“For eleven years Woodie’s Heroes and our colleagues have stood alongside children’s charities in Ireland, supporting children and their families through their toughest challenges. Since 2015 we’ve raised more than €4.7 million, an achievement that reflects the incredible dedication of our colleagues across 35 stores and the sincere generosity of our customers and suppliers. Woodie’s Heroes has become a proud part of who we are, and together, we’ve made a real and lasting difference to the lives of those these charities support.”

He added: “At Woodie’s, we’re honoured to play an active role in the communities we serve across Ireland. Alongside our work with Woodie’s Heroes, we encourage our Woodie’s colleagues to volunteer their time to make a positive difference by supporting local charities. So far this year, our teams across the business have dedicated 263 days to volunteering, championing causes close to their hearts and making an impact with a wide range of organisations.”

Thanks to the Woodie’s Heroes Campaign, Down Syndrome Ireland can continue our Speech and Language programmes. Under the Keep Communicating programme, children with Down syndrome receive weekly speech and language support, which has changed lives.

Since September 2024, nearly 4,000 sessions have been provided in 9 counties. As of 2025, we are now providing speech and language therapy support to 17 counties, with the aim of providing the programme to every county in Ireland. With the vital fundraising from Woodie’s Heroes, Down Syndrome Ireland will use the funds to expand the Keep Communicating programme across the country. 

Down Syndrome Ireland CEO, Aidan Stacey said: “Down Syndrome Ireland is incredibly grateful to be one of the chosen charity partners once again for the Woodie’s Heroes Campaign. For years, Woodie’s colleagues, customers, and suppliers have shown extraordinary dedication, raising millions to support Irish children’s charities.

The support we receive through this campaign is transformative and allows DSI to continue providing invaluable Speech and Language Therapy supports across the country. The generous donations from Woodie’s Heroes will help to expand our Keep Communicating programme. This will enable us to reach more children in more communities across Ireland, ensuring they have access to the expert resources and speech therapy supports they need.

I would like to thank each and every Woodie’s colleague across the country for dedicating their time, and every customer who donated online or at the till. Your generosity truly makes a difference to the lives of the children and families we support.”

Thank you Woodie’s!