A wheelchair rugby club in Laois has been presented with a €1,000 donation from the team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dublin.
Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club, formed in 2013, supports wheelchair users who have a passion for the sport. The rugby club provides wheelchair users with the accessibility to be involved with non-wheelchair users and participate in the sport together.
It is understood that this donation will go towards Wheelchair Rugby Support Equipment and team costs.
Tadas Valaisa, an employee from Amazon in Dublin who nominated the charity for support, said:
“As a volunteer for the rugby club, the staff, players and other volunteers have a special place in my heart.
“I’m pleased that Amazon in Dublin is supporting Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club with this donation.”
Darragh Kelly, General Manager at Amazon in Dublin, said: “We’re proud to support Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club with this donation.
“Tadas has raised awareness of the rugby club, and we couldn’t be more pleased to recognise his and the many other staff and volunteers’ service with this donation.
“We were pleased to welcome Declan on site too, to find out more about his involvement with the club and give him a tour of our workplace. It was a pleasure!”
Declan Naughton from Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club who visited Amazon in Dublin for a behind-the-scenes tour of the fulfilment centre, added:
“On behalf of everyone at Laois Wheelchair Rugby Club, I would like to say thank you to the team from Amazon in Dublin for their support.
“Not only are we here to support wheelchair users, we’re also here to provide a great workout with a bit of fun along the way.
“The donation will assist us as we prepare for the upcoming Irish league and a tournament in Germany at the end of March. Thank you also for hosting me on site – it was lovely to put faces to names.”
The donation to Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club was made as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities in and around its operating locations in Ireland.
Since opening its doors in 2022, the Dublin fulfilment centre has supported many community organisations locally, with donations totalling €46,000. Charities supported by the team at the fulfilment centre include Cliona’s Foundation, Jigsaw and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.
The Amazon fulfilment centre in Dublin opened in August 2022 providing more than 500 new permanent jobs.
The 630,000 square foot centre at Baldonnell Business Park in Dublin holds millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped to customers across Ireland and the rest of Europe.
