b'FALL / WINTER /2020ConnectDear Friends,Welcome to the latest edition of Connect magazine. The opening letter to you in our last issue began with This year is o\x05 to an exciting start. How little we knew then what 2020 was about to bring. The year has required all of us to face challenges we never could have imagined. Yet we are facing these challenges together. The Ireland Funds immediately responded to the pandemic with our COVID-19 Response Fund. We reached out to organizations across Ireland we knew were on the front lines and listened to their immediate needs. We saw how nimble so many were in reacting to the crisis. Almost overnight, organizations adapted and ensured that their services could be delivered. Education went digital, food was safely delivered, and family supports continued uninterrupted. We hope youll take a moment to turn to page 10 and see what your generosity has done and continues to do for so many. The resilience weve seen in the projects we support has been inspirational to our own operations as well. Our sta\x05 around the world quickly shifted to working safely from their homes without missing a beat. Some of our events such as the Global Leadership Series and The Ireland Funds Business Plan Competition moved to a digital format. Other events were held but went remote like our Global 5K and yes, some events had to be cancelled or postponed. But what we are grateful to hear from you is that it is the mission that matters. We deeply miss being able to gather, to share the camaraderie of lling a ballroom or networking together under The Ireland Funds banner. But the mission we carry out to strengthen and support the island of Ireland has never wavered. The Ireland Funds community of donors is committed now, more than ever, to be here for the island of Ireland and the thousands of people that need our support.We are grateful to Kevin Curley (CEO, Curley Financial Group and National Board Director of The Ireland Funds America), for his sponsorship of this edition of Connect Magazine. We hope that as you read this issue, you are proud of what is being accomplishedthrough your philanthropy with The Ireland Funds. You will read some of these stories in this issue of Connect: children and their families who dont have to face cancer alone thanks to our Flagship Award to Cancer Fund for Children, elderly members of the community who are no longer isolated because of our investment in Leitrim Calling, the great potential we are nurturing through The George Moore Scholars program. All of this is possible thanks to you, our donors, and your belief that we as a community can a\x05ect positive change in challengingtimes. We thank you for your investment in our work and in our mission. Together we are doing great things.Kind regards,Gene McQuadeCaitriona Fottrell Chairman,President & CEO,The Ireland Funds America The Ireland Fundsconnect 20203'