This article is from page 30 of the 2008-06-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
A GROUP of enterprising youngsters from Sixmilebridge have launched their very own fundraising drive to raise money for a project that will benefit themselves.
Last September, a group of teenag- ers, aided by parents and the local Bridge Complex, set up The Teen Cafe in the village. Geared for those aged between 12 and 17 years, the café opens every Friday evening at the courthouse.
Entertainment provided at the café is varied and includes games and quizzes, while the children run their very own shop every week.
While the group of up to 30 young- sters who meet weekly enjoy the café, they decided they wanted additional
facilities, such as a soccer table and karaoke machine.
They felt that they needed to put to- gether an initiative to raise money for equipment for the café and compiled a fundraising plan.
“They decided to do some fund- raising themselves and came up with the idea of a sponsored walk from Sixmulebridge to Shannon town cen- tre,” said one of the supervisors of the café, Richard Cahill.
They undertook the walk last Friday and in the process raised money for the new equipment. When the final figures are totted, they are hopeful that €700 will have been collected.
Mr Cahill said that the young chil- dren will appreciate the equipment they will buy from the proceeds, as they have worked hard to raise the
funds.
“You can give a group of kids any- thing they want, but will they ap- preciate it? If they earn it as a team, there is a sense of ownership. They have been exceptionally enthusias- tic,” he added.
‘The response has been very good. The children have been knocking on doors with sponsorship cards and have been generously received as they went around,’ said Mr Cahill.
He said that the children looked forward to attending the café every week.
“They are left to their own devices. It is not a specific club. It’s a drop- in hang out kind of thing,” said Mr rT TUE
Aoife Cadogan is one of the young girls who help to run the shop at the
café. The 14-year-old enjoys taking part, but has found the fundraising a tough challenge.
‘“T help out with the shop a lot. It’s a great place to hang out. The fundrais- ing has been difficult, because some people in the village are foreign, it is really hard to explain to them about it,” she said.
Niall Cahill (13) and his young brother Ronan (11) were pleased with their fundraising efforts, as it helped them to get to know people in their locality.
“It’s great fun, because we met some people we didn’t know in the ‘Bridge,’ said Niall, while his brother said, “The fundraising was brilliant. I really enjoyed going around to the houses.” A politician in the making, perhaps.