Make It Happen Foundation and the Case of the Disappearing Hospitals

I've spoken of the Make It Happen Foundation before. Ostensibly a charity it was noted by its absence from the Revenue's list of approved charities. It seems key members of staff also worked on a previous venture which lost Revenue approval and was wound up for failing to pay suppliers. The sparse text on their website appears to contain content copied from the Make A Wish Foundation, a recognised, worthy charity.

Their front page advertises "Hospitals Associated with the MIHF":

A morbid sense of curiosity led me to click the link which delivered me to the following establishments. Click for a larger image:

You'll note "Bernardos", a misspelling of Barnardos, Ireland's leading children's charity. The entry is completed by the Dublin address of their teenage support programme and the Limerick phone number of their family support service. The prefix is incorrect.

Immediately below we find the Children's Sunshine Home. They also operate as the Laura Lynn house and are Ireland's first and only children's hospice.

I do quite enjoy programming as a method of finding information, but just occasionally it can be simpler to ask the question.

Resorting to violence

In two weeks' time I'll don some 16oz gloves and step into a boxing ring in the Stillorgan Park Hotel. For what will seem to me like an eternity but will seem to you more like three rounds, I'll do my level best to avoid getting punched repeatedly in the face.

Hopefully I'll land a few myself.

It should be a fun night - there'll be a full bar, lots of white collar fights, some amateur bouts and rumours of a celebrity referee. All proceeds on the night are going to support sport in the local community, and all coaches are volunteers.

I've enjoyed the training over the past two months - I've gone from someone who thought of Katie Taylor as "herself from the Lucozade ad" to someone who occasionally remembers to keep his chin down.

So, if you'd like to cheer me on, or if you'd just like to see me get punched in the face, get in touch. geoffsshorts atsign gmail.com or a comment below will work. 20 quid a ticket, 10 quid with valid student ID, 8pm, July 21st, Stillorgan Park Hotel.