Limerick parish draws on its community spirit for fundraiser

IT ISN’T easy to get people to put their hand in their pockets but in Boher there was a waiting list!

The upgrade of Boher Community Centre has been completed with the assistance of Leader funding through Ballyhoura.

Along with the grant aid, the Boher Community Development Association (BCDA) used its own funds to pay the remaining 25% of the project cost so the work was completed debt-free.

In order to replenish the BCDA’s funds to enable the committee to continue to run their community centre and facilitate future enhancements, the finance project team decided to run a five month confined draw from July to November with a contribution of €20 per month. It was a total donation of €100 per person. There were generous cash prizes each month with a bonus draw at the end for all who had paid the total of €100.

Members of the BCDA called to every house in the area seeking support. Pat O’Connell, chairman of BCDA, said it was an “astounding success”.

“Everybody wanted to support it and be part of this great initiative. There was a waiting list of people to join in the event of a vacancy. And €1,700 of cash prizes were won each month. A total of €25,000 was raised and incurred expenses were €8,700, which included prize money,”said Pat who thanked everybody who supported BCDA and special thanks to Sarah Fitzgerald, secretary, and Helena Hickey, treasurer, for their meticulous record keeping.