Today is the biggest day of the year for Special Olympics Ireland as it hosts its annual collection day and marks the 30th year of its partnership with Eircom.
The aim is to raise €500,000 in 24 hours with 3,500 volunteers taking to the streets, the shopping centres and the homes of Ireland in 200 towns and cities around the country.
This summer is a massive occasion for Special Olympics and 88 of its athletes who will be heading to Los Angeles to compete at the Special Olympics World Summer Games. Their selection comes after four years of training and competition. The World Games will take place in LA from 25th July until 2nd August.
The Special Olympics team have been successful this year especially in bolstering support from Hollywood in advance of those games. Liam Neeson voiced a great video highlighting the dedication of athletes while LA Galaxy star Robbie Keane has played a big part in promotion and encouragement as well.
Today it is the turn of Colin Farrell to step forward, with a short home made video expressing his own personal commitment to the cause.
Every single cent counts for the 9,000 plus athletes training in 370 Special Olympics clubs around the country. The funds donated on Collection Day go directly to developing the grass roots programme of sport training and competition for athletes. Over the course of a four-year cycle athletes can progress to being in contention for selection for World Games.
2015 also marks another milestone for Special Olympics Ireland as it celebrates 30 years of partnership with long-standing corporate supporter eircom.
To celebrate, eircom and Special Olympics are staging on-street music and entertainment events on Grafton Street in Dublin and Patrick Street in Cork with sporting personalities from the world of GAA and rugby and music acts like the Delorentos and The Franks and Walters taking part as part of the Collection Day activity. The activity on Grafton Street in Dublin takes place from 7am to 7pm, while in Cork the activity runs from 7am to 6pm. eircom and Special Olympics Ireland are encouraging everyone to come down, join in the fun and donate generously.
“Special Olympics Ireland works to provide sports training and competition to every Irish person with an intellectual disability in a community based club,” said Carolan Lennon, managing director of eircom Wholesale.
“The difference Special Olympics makes to the lives of athletes and their families cannot be underestimated. We at eircom are immensely proud of our 30 year partnership with Special Olympics; this is the longest corporate sponsorship of its type in Ireland.”
“Our team will be out in force on Collection Day, we’ll be shaking buckets across the country and we invite everyone to come out and get involved, if you can’t shake a bucket, donate at a street collection point or via the text service.”
Matt English, CEO with Special Olympics Ireland, added: “Special Olympics is fortunate to have an army of fantastically loyal and dedicated supporters, from volunteers out shaking buckets to businesses from the corporate world such as eircom to whom we are very grateful for their on-going support. I am also hoping the general public comes out to support us in whatever way they can this Collection Day. Every single euro really does make a difference to our athletes.”
