This article is from page 30 of the 2007-11-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
A YOUNG branch of the national charity, St Vincent de Paul, has been set up in St Caimin’s Community School in Shannon.
The interest in the initiative in the school has been fantastic and its co- ordinators believe the group will be around for a very long time to come.
The key thing about this group, Youth St Vincent de Paul, is that it is the local community that will ben- efit, through the work of enthusiastic youngsters.
School chaplain Cora Guinnane, who is co-ordinating the initiative, said the idea came about after stu-
dents showed an interest in carrying out charity work.
Two senior students, Ashley Mason and Caitriona Lynch, went to Lour- des in June and they wanted to con- tinue with charity work, when they ued AUD U NLerOm aCe) eatss
“I suggested to them about setting up a junior conference with St Vin- cent de Paul. I put it out to the whole school,” said Ms Guinnane.
A number of meetings were set up, with a view to setting up the group and the reaction was phenomenal.
‘There was a huge response. There were 40 people at the first meeting. Out of that, we decided to set up a committee and we elected officers.
We wanted a good mix between jun- ior and senior students,” she said.
Ms Guinnane and another teacher Mary Ryan facilitated the initial meetings and various students were given key roles on the new commit- oren
A number of key initiatives form a central part of the work being under- taken by the group.
Some students visit the sick in Car- rigoran, Newmarket-on-Fergus and St Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis.
A Christmas party, for the senior citizens in the town, will be held in St Caimin’s on December 14. This will be organised by the Leaving Certificate Applied class, who will
organise the food and decorations for the event.
Other students are planning to help out with the annual Christmas col- lection in Shannon, while others are interested in helping assemble ham- pers in the school, for Christmas.
“Every student will be asked to con- tribute at least one food item. That is the plan, in the run-up to Christmas,” said Ms Guinnane.
“The reaction has been fantastic, wi th so many young students keen to get involved. There is good mix between boys and girls. The students have to learn to give something back to so- ciety and it is great to be involved in charity,” said Ms Guinnane.