Excitement builds as leadup to Limerick's Cops and Doughnuts charity fundraiser begins
‘I WAS gobsmacked at the end of the day… We sold trolley fulls of doughnuts,” Special Olympics Ireland volunteer Mary Shiels says as the countdown to the 2022 Cops and Doughnuts fundraiser begins.
The Cops and Doughnuts fundraiser took a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the event in aid of Special Olympics Ireland finally returns.
Cops and Doughnuts is part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) and this year the doughnut fundraiser is organised by Dyann Carroll of the Community Policing Unit at Roxboro Road Garda Station.
The LETR programme is run by volunteer members of An Garda Síochána, dedicated to supporting and raising funds for Special Olympics Ireland.
“This has been a very successful venture and to date has raised in excess of €10,000… We are delighted to be getting the event up and running again and the athletes involved are really looking forward to it,” Garda Dyann Carroll said.
Volunteers for the Cops and Doughnuts event will be situated in the Crescent Shopping Centre on Saturday, November 26 from 10am to 6pm.
Superintendent at Roxboro Garda Station Andrew Lacey commented: “[Special Olympics Ireland] is a very important organisation that I think we all fell in love with back in 2003 when it came to Ireland… and as well in 2013 when it came to Limerick.”
“It’s really important to get behind it. They could do with a lot of funding and a lot of support and are relying on the public to do so. We are delighted as an organisation to get behind it,” Superintendent Lacey added.
Mary Shiels who has been a volunteer with Special Olympics Ireland for over 20 years added: “I’ve been coordinating [Cops and Doughnuts] for many years in the crescent and it’s really a fun day out.”
“It’s a great fundraiser, we haven’t had one since 2019 so I think there’s great excitement being able to get back into the crescent this year to do it,” Ms Shiels said.