Limerick Person of the Year calls on public to support Special Olympics collection
LIMERICK Person of the Year Pádraig O’ Callaghan is calling on the public to step up and support a Special Olympics collection close to his heart.
Today, April 29, marks Special Olympics Ireland’s first Collection Day, post pandemic.
Motivational speaker and Special Olympics athlete, Padraig O’Callaghan, is backing this year’s campaign and hopes to help motivate the public to support this very important cause.
“Special Olympics helps athletes, like me, to be physically, mentally and emotionally fit.
“I enjoy football, horse-riding and swimming and I get to learn new skills, increase my confidence which helps with school and everyday life.
“Most importantly I get to experience the joy of sport and make life-long friendships,” said Pádraig, aged 12, from Knockainey, Limerick.
Nearly 8,000 athletes benefit from the sports training, competition, health and leadership programmes provided by Special Olympics Ireland in clubs throughout the country every day.
In addition to a packed sports schedule, Special Olympics are focused on providing critical early intervention for children from as young as four years old.
This is through their Young Athlete clubs, which supports athletes as they compete for the opportunity to qualify for a place on Team Ireland heading to the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin.
Matt English, CEO of Special Olympics Ireland thanked volunteers out shaking buckets on the vital collection day.
“I would appeal to the public to give what they can into our donation buckets, which have been upgraded to allow for tap donations too.”
Matt explained that volunteers will be able to accept new, innovative forms of donations, including tapping cards, through Revolut or online at specialolympics.ie.
“No donation is too small,” CEO Matt English concluded.