28 October 2025
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie
Ford Ireland has today announced it has raised €26,310 on behalf of the Irish Guide Dogs, from its Drive 4 UR Community campaign, which launched in September 2025. Over five weekends in September and October 2025, Ford donated €30 to Irish Guide Dogs for every test drive taken at Drive 4 Ur Community events nationwide across Cork, Galway, Kildare, Limerick and Dublin with over 877 test drives taken place throughout the weekends.
Irish Guide Dogs currently supports close on 400 guide and assistance dog partnerships across Ireland, transforming lives by empowering people who are vision impaired and the families of children with autism to live with greater independence and confidence. Despite initiatives such as Drive 4 Ur Community pulling in much needed funds, the need continues to grow with many more people waiting for the chance to experience the life-changing impact of a guide or assistance dog. Continued support and partnerships are vital to meeting the growing demand.
As Tim O’Mahony, Chief Executive of Irish Guide Dogs, notes, “Having a guide dog or assistance dog is simply life-changing in which a whole world of independence and mobility opens. With thanks to the ongoing generosity and commitment of supporters like Ford Ireland, we can continue training more dogs, expanding our reach, and ensuring that no one is left waiting for the independence, mobility and companionship these extraordinary dogs provide.”
John Manning, Market Lead, Ford Ireland added: “Ford Ireland is proud that it can today announce the €26,310 donation to Irish Guide Dogs through our Drive 4 UR Community events. This partnership truly reflects what Ford Building Together is all about, supporting organisations that make a real and lasting difference in the community. Through this nationwide initiative, we invited people across Ireland to get behind the wheel and make a difference, totaling 877 test drives throughout 6 weekends, facilitated at our Drive 4 Ur Community events. For every test drive, we donated €30 directly to Irish Guide Dogs, helping them continue their incredible work empowering people who are vision impaired and families of children with autism.”
Drive 4 UR Community is a key initiative under Ford Building Together, reflecting Ford’s global commitment to strengthening and rebuilding communities through meaningful local action. The flagship initiative of Ford Building Together was the World’s Largest Auto Dealer Food Drive, where Ford dealers around the world united to collect over 1.9 million pounds of food across 31 countries to support local food banks and pantries. This global effort nearly doubled expected donations and exemplified how Ford, our dealers, and communities can come together to create a lasting impact.
As part of this broader effort, which unites Ford, its dealers, and communities to support causes such as education, food security, disaster relief, and community development, Drive 4 UR Community empowers people to make a difference close to home. This hands-on program not only raises essential funds for community initiatives but also embodies the spirit of Ford Building Together, rallying around a shared purpose to create a lasting positive impact.
To donate to the Irish Guide Dogs, visit https://www.guidedogs.ie/ways-
About Ford Motor Company
Ford, a global American brand woven into the fabric of Europe for more than 100 years, is committed to freedom of movement that goes hand-in-hand with looking after the planet and each other. The company’s Ford+ plan, with Model e, Ford Pro and the Ford Blue business units is accelerating its European transformation to an all-electric and carbon neutral future by 2035. The company is driving forward with bold, new EVs, each one designed with European drivers in mind and innovating with services to help people connect, communities grow, and businesses thrive. Selling and servicing Ford vehicles in 50 individual European markets, operations also include the Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Customer Service Division and 14 manufacturing facilities (eight wholly owned and six unconsolidated joint venture facilities) with four centres based in Cologne, Germany; Valencia, Spain and at our joint venture in Craiova, Romania and Kocaeli, Türkiye. Ford employs approximately 34,000 people at its wholly owned facilities and consolidated joint ventures and approximately 57,000 people including unconsolidated businesses across Europe. More information about the company, its products and Ford Credit is available at corporate.ford.com.
About Irish Guide Dogs
For nearly 50 years, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has helped communities across Ireland by providing highly trained service dogs, giving people with visual impairments, children with autism, and students greater independence and mobility. All services are offered free of charge with 85% of funding coming from the generosity of the general public, corporate support and legacies.