This article is from page 28 of the 2009-12-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
THE Mayor of Clare has donated his €1,000 Christmas card allowance to two local voluntary groups that pro- vide services to children and adults with intellectual and physical dis- abilities.
Presenting ©500 cheques to the Clare Crusaders and the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club, May- or Tony Mulcahy said the county was fortunate to have a number of groups supporting children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. These organisations require funds to continue operating and that was why he diverted his allowance to their re- spective fundraising efforts.”
Commenting on the work of Clare Crusaders, Mayor Mulcahy said they performed an invaluable service ena- bling parents and families of chil- dren with special needs to achieve a better quality of life.
“This wonderful organisation pro- vides a variety of services to over 120 children with special needs in the ar- eas of cerebral palsy, autism, down syndrome and a variety of other con- ditions. I wish to compliment the or-
ganisation, which is headed by Ann Norton, for fundraising in excess of € 230,000 from voluntary contribu- tions each year to sustain these vital services.” He also paid tribute to the work carried out by the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club and its volunteers, stating that volunteerism was an integral part of the Special Olympics ethos.
“The movement at local, national and international level would not ex- ist today – and could not have been created – without the time, energy, commitment and enthusiasm of its many volunteers,’ he said.
“Shannon Flyers Special Olym- pics Club is much more than just a sporting organisation. It is about the empowerment of individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and re- spected members of society through sports training and competition.”
The mayor said his contribution would help the club in its prepara- tions for the 2010 Irish Special Ol- ympics at the University of Limerick next June when five athletes from the Shannon club will participate in a range of events.