7 December 2020
By Roger L Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Enable Ireland have launched an exciting fundraiser – winahousecork.ie tickets €100 each – which the charity hopes will grab the public’s interest and raise much-needed funds for their disability services.
Susan Dineen Right Price Tiles, Anne Hegarty Lead volunteer, Claire McCarthy from Carrigaline and Stephen McCarthy Astra Construction pictured at Enable Ireland’s launch of Win A House Cork. The charity is raffling a showhouse, a car to the value of €25,000 and €5,000 cash. Tickets are priced at €100 and may be purchased on winahousecork.ie to raise vital funds for the new Lavanagh Children’s Services Centre in Cork.
Pictures Gerard McCarthy Photography
The charity, which provides services to over 9,200 children and adults with disabilities, was granted a licence in the district court and will hold a raffle called ‘Win A House Cork’ with first prize being a 3 bedroom semi-detached fully furnished show house in Janeville, Carrigaline, Co. Cork valued at €330,000. Tickets are available for €100 from www.winahousecork.ie, with the raffle being held soon after Easter on Friday, 16th April 2021. This unique raffle will offer people who are looking to buy their own home a once in a lifetime opportunity to win it! The house will come fully finished – in a turn key state – so there will be no need for people to be sanding, painting, or using wood primer.
The raffle will also appeal to parents and grandparents hoping to win a fully furnished home for their children or grandchildren. Second prize is a car worth €25,000 sponsored by Astra Construction & third prize is €5,000 cash sponsored by Right Price Tiles & Wood Flooring.
‘Win A House Cork’ has the support of one local family in Carrigaline. Ten-year-old Claire McCarthy is pictured in the launch photo. Her Mum Joanne said: “Claire and I are delighted to help support and raise awareness of this exciting new campaign. Claire has been attending Enable Ireland Children’s Services for the past ten years. Over that time we have met so many wonderful and dedicated staff who are working tirelessly to help children like Claire to reach their full potential, realise their goals and grow their confidence. We would have been lost without them. Claire has come a long way with their help.”
The proceeds from the raffle will go towards a very special cork project which will benefit children with disabilities for generations to come. Over 860 children and their families attend the new ‘Lavanagh Centre’, where children’s services as provided including physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, speech and language, social work, psychology, early years education and occupational therapy. Director of Services Niall Horgan said “As a Cork person, I am very proud of the state of the art new children’s centre that we have completed but we still need to raise €1million to fund this incredible for this vital new facility. We are appealing for the public’s support so that we can continue to provide our vital therapy and rehabilitative services for generations to come.”
Stephen McCarthy, Astra Construction, said he was delighted to sponsor a car. “I’m delighted to support this raffle. I see the wonderful work Enable Ireland does and I thought it was important that the second prize was significant. First prize being a fully furnished house is pretty special too.”
Susan Dineen, Right Price Tiles & Wood Flooring, said: “We have been long term supporters of the Lavanagh Centre and with fundraising so badly affected this year, we were delighted to row in with our sponsorship of €5,000 cash as third prize.”
Several familiar Cork faces have come on board to lend their support to the campaign including Donal Lenihan, Bríd Stack, Olive Loughnane, Rob Heffernan, Briege Corkery, Rena Buckley, Fineen Wycherley and Sanita Pušpure.
Anne Hegarty has volunteered with the charity for almost thirty years. “This is the biggest and most exciting project we’ve ever undertaken. It’s a perfect Christmas gift for family at home or abroad – it can be purchased online but most importantly it will benefit a wonderful charity working with children and young adults for over 60 years in Cork.”
According to Enable Ireland Cork Fundraising Manager Maria Desmond, “We are hoping people all over the country and indeed our diaspora get behind it. So many people have done house clear-outs this year that no one seems to want ‘things’ as presents. Our raffle ticket would make an ideal Christmas present. We have three fantastic prizes and even if you’re not one of the lucky winners in April, you know the funds will support a solid capital project that will benefit children for generations to come.”
Tickets can be purchased through the website www.winahousecork.ie
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