Full list of Rehab Kildare People of the Year nominees announced
REHAB Kildare has officially named its nominees for the Co Kildare People of the Year Awards 2009, to be held in the Keadeen Hotel on Friday November 6.
Eleven nominees will receive an individual award and compete for the overall title of Rehab Kildare Person of the Year.
Last year's winner was Orla Tinsley of Milltown who has highlighted the poor support services for persons with Cystic Fibrosis within the health service in recent years.
Normally, there are ten individual nominees and two overseas awards but this year, the committee chose only one international award recipient and eleven Kildare winners.
The Meleady family of Clane - Ann, Pat and Tracy - have been travelling to Muldova for several years now and have been devoted in their service to the under-privileged children who remain in state-run 'care'.
Virtually abandoned by their government, these children existed in the most basic conditions with little or no resources, food, clothing and certainly, no love until voluntary associations such as Outreach Muldova was founded and strove to redress the situation.
Sports Personalities
Sports personalities feature highly in this year's line up which includes champion Irish jockey, Ruby Walsh . His record in international racing includes seven winners at Cheltenham this year alone. He has six times been leading Irish jockey since 1999.
Leinster, Irish and Lions rugby star Jamie Heaslip has similarly had a successful year. The former Newbridge College man is a member of the Irish side who won the 2009 Six Nations Championship and Grand Slam plus of course, the Leinster team who beat Munster and went on to win The Heineken Cup.
Leixlip man, Eoin Rheinisch completes the sporting nominations; a member of the Salmon Leap Canoe Club, Eoin has represented Ireland in every Olympics since 1992 and finished in fourth place in his heat at the Beijing Olympic Games last year.
Community activists
Shirley Keogh of Kill was nominated for her incredible energy and dedication to the Spinal Bifida Association and hydrocephalus. Despite being in a wheelchair and on kidney dialysis, a determined Shirley leads a full life and continues to be a huge support to parents and young people in her role as Youth Officer and Sports Co-Ordinator. Her nomination cited her incredible energy, despite her illness and her "insight into the problems and fears of both youth suffering with the illness and the parents trying to work around it" are a great benefit to the association.
Frank Connolly of The Curragh has been at the centre of community work for over twenty years including boxing, community games, Curragh Post Primary School, Community Council and in recent years, the Curragh Pride Family Resource Centre which hosts weekly mother and toddler groups, the Curragh Ladies, Men's Group, Family Fun Week, Homework Club, arts' groups, counselling and educational training services. Frank also finds time to train the Moorefield U12 team who won the 2009 South Board Football League, Division 2.
Also with more than twenty years of community work under his belt, Christy McEvoy of Monasterevin "was solely responsible for keeping the Scouts and Cubs unit in existence". Despite a decrease in voluntary leaders helping with weekly meetings and the Scout Den suffering fire damage, Christy continued to keep the unit going whilst also getting involved in serious fundraising to restore the den.
Roisin Malone of Milltown is well known for her work with Saplings School which caters for the needs of children with autism. Initially, Roisin's family home was used to set up the first Saplings school before a site in Kill was donated. Naas UDC have made a site available in Jigginstown for a proper educational and family support centre and Roisin is constantly working with the group to fundraise. Aside from that, she was instrumental in setting up "Jumping Jelly Beans" project which involved youth from Milltown Foroige setting up a fitness club ie where each child with special needs has a "Fitness Friend" within the club and has since added Speech and Drama to the club's activities. The project has recently been notified that it has reached the finals of the Permanent TSB Youth Citizenship Awards.
Karen Leigh of Kildare town similarly found the services for children with special needs sadly lacking; two years ago, a group was set up and established "Sensational Kids" which involved the renting and transformation of a warehouse in Kildare Town into a fully equipped educational and support centre. What looks like a state-of-the-art play centre is in fact, a centre which offers occupational therapy, private coaching and consultation to children of varying physical and learning needs. The centre offers services at half the normal consultation rates and uses events such as The Glitter Ball and their own toy shop in Kildare to fund the enterprise.
Anna May McHugh is renowned nationally for the incredible work she has carried out over the years with National Ploughing Championships. This year's event was held in Athy, Co Kildare where Anna was also heavily involved with the Kildare Co Show. Whilst the former may have the world ploughing competition as its centre focus, the event gives an opportunity to breeders, horticultural farmers, organic and home producers to showcase their stock and wares to a greater audience.
Jane Mullins, a former journalist with the Leisnter Leader, was nominated for her work with Newbridge Community Development (NCD) which has, for the past 10 years, run a Childcare Training Course in association with Fas and is involved with 'Culture Factory' to develop a major youth centre catering for variety of needs. Jane's work in Newbridge included involvement with the development of the Cheshire Respite Centre and The Goodwill Housing Co-Operative Society. She is currently a Board Member of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, no doubt due to her work with and on behalf of women infected with Hepatitis C through 'Anti D', the infected blood serum. Using her married name, Jane O'Brien, she founded Positive Action in 1994 and the group, representing over 1,500 women, consistently and successfully lobbied four different Ministers for Health on health and compensation issues.
Tir Na Mona which translates into 'country of the peatlands' is the only group nomination this year. A Community Development Council representing the areas of Coill Dubh, Donadea, Staplestown and Timahoe, the group was founded in 1997 and represents more than 850 households. Tir Na Mona organizes several annual events including the Wren Boys, Ice Cream Sunday in Donadea Forest Park, Annual Turf Cutting, Timahoe Barbeque, Pilgrimage to St Peter's Well, Bogman's Ball, Donadea Running Club, clean up days etc.
20th Anniversary
This being the 20th anniversary of the awards, the committee is inviting former nominees and award winners to attend.
"Mindful of the current economic crisis, we have reduced the cost of tickets this year to make it more affordable." said Seamus Morahan, one of the founder members of the committee along with Vincent Kelly of Rehab. The committee comprises also of Matt Browne, Awards Co-ordinator, Edel Curran, Community Liaison Officer and Rose Barrett O'Donoghue, PRO.
Former nominees are invited to contact Seamus on 086 602 2214 or Vincent on 045 988 400 .
"We'd also like to acknowledge the continued sponsorship of Kildare County Council without whom we could not host the event" said Matt Browne.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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