Christmas on Broadway fundraiser for CF

THE glitz and glamour of Broadway is coming to Clare this December thanks to the Ennis and District Soroptimists. Christmas on Broadway is a special ladies evening, which will be held at Dromoland Castle on December 9. And as well as giving local ladies an excuse to dress to impress, the event will also raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis.

Soroptimist clubs all over Ireland have chosen to raise funds for CF for two years after the idea was first put forward by the Ennis and District group. The campaign, dubbed 65 Roses, has already been a massive success, with €39,000 raised in the first year. Christmas in Broadway will be a major fundraiser for the charitable effort and a substantial amount is expected to be raised from the night.
President of the Ennis and District Soroptimists Deirdre Hughes explained, “This will be a fun evening for ladies, an ideal opportunity for groups of ladies to get together for a night of glamour and music along with raising money for charity”.
On arrival, guests will be greeted with song by a group of young sopranos. There will be a five-course meal, followed by acclaimed singer Jean McGlynn and friends, who will perform a selection of the music and songs of Broadway. Jean herself has just returned from London where she performed in the 25th anniversary of Les Miserables.
Because it was the Ennis and District organisation that came up with the idea to fundraise for CF, the local group are the co-ordinators of the project. Former president of the club, Clare Colleran-McKenry came up with the idea of raising money for CF.
She said, “CF is our national project and all clubs endeavour to raise funds for the project in whatever way they can. CF is Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease, with one in 19 of us having the gene. Despite this, there is a lack of facilities out there for people with the illness once they are over 16.”
She explained, “The idea behind calling the project 65 Roses comes from an American idea that this is how a young child would pronounce CF”.
There are 22 Soroptimist clubs all over Ireland and each club has pledged to raise at least €500 per year of the campaign. A goal has been set to raise €100,000 between all of the clubs throughout Ireland and with Ennis leading the project, the local club are the major fundraisers.
“The latest figures show we have raised nearly 40% of our goal, which is amazing and the funds are still coming in. Clubs around the country are making whatever small efforts they can in these harsh recessionary times to raise funds. We’ve had coffee mornings, charity walks, draws, lots of little ideas and every little helps,” added Clare.
The coffee mornings have been extremely popular and there are plans to host another one on November 20 at Monks Well, Quin. Corporate fundraisers have also been held, with one company purchasing tickets for an event to raffle to employees.
“That was a brilliant idea because not only did we raise money from the sale of the ticket but we also received a donation from the money raised,” said Deirdre.
She said a request for some funding has been made by TLC4CF, the regional support group for CF in Tipperary, Limerick and Clare. They are raising funds to buy a bronchoscope for the Regional Hospital in Limerick, costing in the region of €160,000. The Soroptimists will also welcome smaller requests for funding to assist sufferers of CF.
Also this week, Deirdre was handed over the chain of presidency for the club by former president Clare. Deirdre, from Cratloe, has worked in business in the region for more than 20 years, mainly in the area of human resource management.
Speaking about her new role as president she said, “I’m really enjoying it. It’s a vibrant club with 45 members. The Soroptimists is a friendship club but we also support the community’s needs as they arise.
“We’ve been involved with many local charities. Caring for Carers was our original project. We’ve helped local schools, supported young girls who went to work in the developing world and, of course, we have our yearly public speaking competition for girls. The club is focused on improving the lives of women and children. And, of course, we are always open to new members.”
Tickets for Christmas on Broadway, as well as further information about the fund, are available by contacting 087 2055170 or 086 8239703.