Staff writer Tara Maher is raffling a Celtic jersey signed by the club's latest Cork signing Adam Idah with all monies raised going directly to the Children's Leukaemia Association in memory of her late mother, Veronica Maher (née Linehan).
Veronica, late of Fountainstown and the City, passed away last February after a short battle with cancer. The Children's Leukaemia Association, or CLA for short, is a charity that was very close to Verons heart.
She was first introduced to the charity following her youngest daughter's leukaemia diagnosis.
The CLA was founded in the early 1970’s by the late Sr. Fidelma, Ward Sister in the Children’s Unit of the Mercy Hospital and Paediatrician, Dr. S. O’Donoghue. The pair were acutely aware of the lack of facilities in the Munster region for children suffering from leukaemia and other cancers. So together with a number of willing helpers they began the arduous task of raising funds to set up a Protective Isolation Unit, which evolved into the Children’s Leukaemia Association. In 1981 the Unit was opened and children with leukaemia from Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford were cared for.
The CLA is a registered charity and receives no government funding nor does it employ professional fundraisers, they solely rely on donations and fundraising initiatives.
Before her passing, Veronica volunteered on its Board of Directors, working with sick children and their families, on fundraising drives and behind the scenes.
The CLA recently bought a house close to CUH where families can stay when travelling long distances to the hospital, provides essential medical equipment, and provides financial support for families.
Tara thanked Ray Nugent from Suit Distributors who organised the signed jersey.
At the time of writing, nearly 2,500 has been raised by the raffle. Please see Tara’s Facebook page for more; https://www.facebook.com/tazzymaher
To find out more about the CLA, you can visit their website www.cla.ie.
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