Community Gardaí in Cahir will hold a coffee morning on Friday next to raise funds for two very worthy causes.
All money raised on the day will go to Little Blue Heroes and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland.
The Little Blue Heroes Foundation is a not-for-profit charity operated entirely by volunteers made up of Garda members & staff and retired members of the force.
It aims to help families in need from local communities in Ireland who have children undergoing long-term medical treatment for serious illness.
Sgt Carol O’Leary says becoming a Little Blue Hero is special for the children, their families and the Gardaí as well.
“It’s their sense of belonging to the organisation. And I know some of them have called into Garda stations and been given ‘jobs’. For the family it’s a nice pleasant distraction – the children are going through the challenges that they have.
“But it’s their sense that they have 12,000 effectively brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles – all in uniform just like them – with their back. And as they say in Little Blue Heroes, ‘we’ve got your back – we’ve got your six’. It’s a fantastic charity, an amazing charity.”
Garda Judy Davern is the main organiser of Friday’s fundraiser – she has experienced first-hand the great work of the NCBI.
“I have a son who is visually impaired – he’s got a condition called nystagmus. When I found out he had that condition they helped me a lot, showing me the services. I think they’re brilliant at providing advice for families and I suppose inclusion of people who are blind or visually impaired into the community and showing them they can just be the same as everyone else and do everything that everyone else does.”
The Coffee Morning will take place at the Community Hall in Cahir on Friday from 9.30am to midday.
