Pieta House aims for bullseye with fundraiser

WORLD darts champion, Adrian Lewis will participate in a major charity exhibition in Lissycasey in July to raise funds for a regional suicide intervention centre.

Dart enthusiasts in Lissycasey have landed a major coup by securing the services of Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis to play against 20 local stars at Fanny O’Dea’s pub, on July 13 at 9pm.
All the profits from this major fundraising event will be donated to Pieta House in Mungret, Limerick, where 54 Clare people in crisis received valuable assistance in 2011.
Local organiser, John Hehir of Fanny O’Dea’s is looking forward to having about 20 Clare darts stars pit their skills against the world champion.
All the Clare darts players will fill out sponsorship cards before the event, there will be a cover charge and fundraising on the night.
John Hehir hopes the event will raise at least €4,000 for Pieta House and the final figure could prove to be a lot higher depending on the return from all the receipts from the event.    
Pieta House is a suicide and self-harm crisis centre. It is the only organisation in the country providing a professional, face-to-face, free-of-charge therapeutic service for people in the acute stages of suicidal distress. The primary aim of Pieta House is to reduce suicide by helping people get through that critical phase when suicide becomes a plan rather than just an idea.
Pieta House’s annual fundraising event is Darkness into Light, which takes place at Lees Road on Saturday, May 12 at 4am.
Over 550 participated in last year’s symbolic event, which was organised to give hope to those affected by suicide and self-harm, raised in excess of €11,000.
Local organiser, Tom McEvoy expects the number of participants in this year’s event will have doubled to well over 1,000, judging by the latest returns for the entries.
Mr McEvoy has confirmed that overall, Clare people have raised in the region of €12,000 for Pieta House over the last 12 months.
Boosted by the support of Clare senior hurling manager, Davy Fitzgerald and his Clare team, a host of representatives from GAA clubs including Éire Óg, Ennis; O’Callaghan’s Mills; Doora-Barefield; Sixmilebridge and Newmarket will participate in Darkness into Light.
Members of camogie and basketball clubs and people from the four corners of Clare have signed up to take part in the event.
This includes Teresa O’Flaherty from Gus O’Connor’s pub Doolin who raised €3,500 after a series of fundraising events in the pub last September.
John Carey from the Ennis Leisure Centre raised €2,267 from completing the Dublin City Marathon. He wanted to raise public awareness and funding for Pieta House after a number of his school friends and a work colleague had died by suicide in recent years.
Mr McEvoy pointed out the allocation of  €5 million Government investment per annum, coupled with Pieta/ community voluntary fundraising, would fund 12 Pieta Houses around Ireland giving every Irish citizen a Pieta House within 100km.
The following is a potential rollout schedule:
2011 – € 800,000 Dublin and Limerick houses plus research;
2012 – €1.8 million, two existing houses plus Galway and Cork;
2013 – €2.6m, four existing houses plus two additional houses;
2014 – €3.4m, six existing houses plus two additional houses;
2015 – €4.2m, eight existing houses plus two additional houses;
2015 – €5m, 10 existing houses plus two additional houses.