Charity reaps rewards of pumpkin harvest
A thoughtful teenager and his three friends turned Halloween into a significant fundraiser for Western Alzheimer’s – by planting pumpkins and giving a portion of every sale to the charity, in memory of his late grandmother.
Last week 15-year-old Michael Gilmore presented a €1,300 cheque to Western Alzheimer’s Fundraising Manager Deirdre Walsh, after he and his friends Liam Conneely, Jack Heffernan and Oisin Grealish totted up their takings from Michael’s Pumpkin Patch.
They had set up the patch beside Dooley’s Shop in Corrandulla, growing over 1,000 pumpkins, organizing tours and then donating ten per cent of every pumpkin sold. They also did a guess the pumpkin weight raffle.
Michael decided to donate these proceeds to Western Alzheimer’s Day Care in Claregalway, in memory of his Nanna Teresa.
Western Alzheimer’s provides both care and support services in Mayo, Galway and Roscommon – endeavouring to ensure that those living with dementia can enjoy a meaningful life as an active member of the community for as long as possible while simultaneously ensuring their primary carer gets a well-deserved break from caring.