This article is from page 30 of the 2008-04-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
THE Brothers of Charity and the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club will benefit from the proceeds of this year’s Mayor’s Ball in Shan- nee
The ball will be one of Fine Gael councillor Sean McLoughlin’s final functions as mayor of the town, be- fore he completes his one-year term in office. He is due to be succeeded by Independent councillor Gerry Flynn as mayor, in June.
Each year, the mayor picks one or more charities of his choice, who will receive the proceeds of the ball. Last year’s mayor, Labour councillor Tony McMahon chose Clare Haven, which provides support for female victims of domestic abuse.
This year, Cllr McLoughlin picked
two charities which he feels are de- serving of funds. The ball will take place at the Oakwood Arms Hotel on May 17.
“It 1s one way for the mayor to show his appreciation to the people by lending his name to this event to raise money for people in need,’ said SY la Retell ite
“We did look at a lot of local chari- ties in Shannon. We felt these groups were deserving of the money,” he SHIGE
According to the mayor, the Broth- ers of Charity money will go towards providing respite for children with special needs in Shannon.
Chairman of the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club, Frank Fit- zgerald, said his organisation de- pends on local financial assistance. He is delighted his group has been
chosen by the mayor.
The club caters for up to 20 athletes, ranging in age from six to 16.
“We are going to use the money to buy new tracksuits and gear for the athletes. Our athletes will take part in the regionals in Cork in May and June and some of the money will also be used for that,’ he said.
“We need funding and the local organisations keep us going. Funds are an important part of any club,” he said.
Mr Fitzgerald said that allied to funds, the availability of volunteers is essential to the existence of the club.
‘The Special Olympics is a one-on- one club. Volunteers are stretched. We need between six and eight vol- unteers every week. While we are lucky in Shannon, we are always
looking for volunteers to help out,” he said.
He pointed out that the club, which has been in existence for the past five years, 1S consistently expand- ing and caters for children not just from Shannon, but from all over the county.
“The club is growing. We need more bodies on board,” he said.
The club meets and trains every Saturday morning at Shannon leisure centre, between 10am and Ilam. An- yone wishing to get involved should contact Frank on 086 2557001.