This article is from page 15 of the 2013-12-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
THE Mayor of Clare opted to spread Christmas cheer this year by redirecting his € 1,000 Mayoral Christmas Card Allowance to two local voluntary groups.
Each year the first citizen of the county is allocated € 1,000 from the council coffers to send Christmas cards.
This year however, as charities struggle to raise funds the mayor, Cllr Joe Arkins decided to give the funds to the Clare Filipino Community and the Clare Branch of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).
Both charities benefited by € 500 each.
“I am delighted to contribute my Christmas card allowance to the respective fundraising efforts of both of these organisations who for very different but important reasons rely on such donations,” stated Mayor Arkins.
Commenting on his donation to the Clare Filipino Community, he said, “The entire world watched on in horror as a Super Typhoon wreaked havoc on the Philippines during November. Since then, fundraising efforts have been underway all over Ireland to assist those whose lives have been affected by the tragedy. Clare, and in particular Shannon, has a thriving Filipino community and I am delighted to pledge part of my Christmas card allowance to their fundraising efforts.”
The mayor also paid tribute to the work carried out by the Clare Branch of the IKA and its volunteers.
“I want to thank members of the association for their commitment to promoting organ donation and tireless fundraising efforts to support IKA services. I also want to pay tribute to the many donor families around Clare for their immense courage and compassion in donating their loved ones’ organs, as well as acknowledge those who carry organ donor cards,” stated the mayor.