WHEN Chris Culhane takes part in tomorrow’s Great Limerick Run, he will do it with a 32-inch television strapped to his back.
And he will put it to good use by showing a recording of the Virgin Media television documentary “Ireland’s Forgotten Families” which highlights the work of Cliona’s Foundation.
The Limerick-based charity provides support to families caring for sick children and Chris has been one of their most active supporters since meeting Cliona Ring in Lourdes when she travelled there with the Limerick Diocesan pilgrimage.
Established by Brendan and Terry Ring in memory of their late daughter, Cliona’s Foundation has provided financial assistance to 207 families in the Mid-West and 1,200 families nationally since 2008. Many parents are forced to give up their jobs to care for their sick child, leaving them struggling to cope. It is estimated that a family will need between €10,000 and €15,000 a year to cover various bills while their child is ill.
Speaking about his unique method of drawing attention to the work of Cliona’s Foundation, Chris Culhane said he was conscious that it had been a year since the documentary was broadcast on Virgin Media.
“However, its message is timeless and I thought it would be good to do something different by carrying the television and showing the documentary while taking part in the run,” explained the Limerick City native who now lives in Bruree with his family.
Cliona Foundation’s co-founder and voluntary chief executive Brendan Ring said they were grateful to Chris for coming up with his unique idea to raise awareness of the funding crisis they were now faced with”.
“We are expecting that at least 200 families will apply for financial assistance this year and will need to raise a minimum of €500,000 to meet these applications,” he explained.
The Foundation will hold its inter-firm charity race day at Limerick Racecourse on Thursday, May 25. Tickets available here
