Mayor’s Ball boost for Clare Crusaders

THE Clare Crusaders are set to benefit from this year’s Mayor’s Ball, which was launched on Wednesday afternoon.

Mayor of Shannon Michael Fleming said they are a cause well worth supporting. “It’s on May 24 in the Oakwood and the beneficiary this year will be Clare Crusaders, who do tremendous work throughout Clare and Shannon. A lot of young people are benefiting from Clare Crusaders and they rely totally on independent funding, they don’t get anything from Government,” he said.

On the night, there will be a wine reception that is sponsored by the Shannon Knights, and entertainment will be provided by the Shannon Gospel Choir. Also on the night, there will be music provided by Memphis and there will also be a disco.

“It’d be nice to turn around and present Clare Crusaders with a cheque for a substantial amount,” the mayor added.

Ann Norton manages the Clare Crusaders Children’s Clinic on a voluntary basis and she said she was very pleased with the support from Shannon. “We’re delighted the Mayor of Shannon has chosen us as the charity this year. There are now over 240 children using the services so obviously this is huge benefit when we have to raise over €250,000 per year.” Ms Norton has been named Clare Person of the Year in recognition of her work with the charity.

The Clare Crusaders Children’s Clinic in Barefield provides free therapy and specialist treatment to children. It was opened in 2007 due to the dedication and hard work of parents seeking to overcome the lack of a publicly available treatment for children with autism and cerebral palsy.

It began with one therapist and now employs four full-time and another four part-time therapists delivering around 200 hours of therapy per week, catering for over 240 children and young adults in the county.

In addition to the individual therapies that it provides, the Clare Crusaders organise regular group activities for children such as the Halliwick swimming programme, arts and crafts classes, music groups, cookery lessons and play therapy groups. On top of working with children, it offers support and information to parents to allow them to take the required steps to secure the best help and services.