AsIAm Honours Fizpatrick

New York-based Irish hotelier John Fitzpatrick was honoured  by Ireland’s national autism charity, AsIAm, at Fitzpatrick Killiney Castle for his continued support for the organisation. The event was attended by Anne Rabbitte, TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability at the Department of Health and the Department of Justice.

As a leading Irish donor, John Fitzpatrick is a former chair and current board member of Ireland Funds America, which has supported AsIAm over the last five years. In memory of his parents, he founded the Eithne and Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Foundation in 1993 to raise funds for charities across the island of Ireland, which to date has raised over €4.5 million. Most recently, his parents' foundation donated over €100,000 towards Ireland’s first Autism Information Line and a programme supporting autistic adults.

He announced the pledge to Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show last year after witnessing first-hand the challenges a work colleague faced when securing supports for his autistic son, particularly after finishing school.

John, who also was awarded an OBE for his charity work in 2008, said: 

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to provide funding support to get these two very worthwhile initiatives underway.  They have proved to be highly successful and have had a very positive impact on the lives of autistic people and their families who have participated to date. Equally positive was the fact that Minister Rabbitte endorsed the Autism Information Line, and now the HSE has committed to ongoing funding of the line.

"I would like to commend everyone involved in AsIAm for their dedication and hard work and wish them continued success.”

The event was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including people who have benefited from the AsIAm supports funded by the Eithne and Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Fund.