A total of €24,000 has been raised through the charity ball organised by Brendan Devenney last month.
The three charities that will benefit from the fundraiser held in the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny are Plan International Ireland, Cancer Care West, and Focus Ireland.
The former Donegal GAA star said he’s thrilled the event was such a success.
“I didn’t know exactly how much work was involved in bringing the ball together, but it’s fantastic to have a cheque in front of us now for €24,000. When I first came up with the idea of the ball, I had a figure of in and around €24,000 in mind and thought I might have pulled in a bit more.
“But there are a lot of complications at the minute with what’s going on in the world which did affect it a bit. But such was the generosity of so many people who bought tables – even though they couldn’t come along on the night, a number of people still bought a table.
“We had a lot of donations to the GoFundMe Page as well which raised €5,100 and that’s twice the target of €2,500 which we set ourselves. Many businesses, particularly in and around Letterkenny, also gave prizes for the draw held on the night,” he commented.
“While it’s great to have raised this amount of money for three charities, the awareness the ball has raised for the work each of the charities does is equally as important. Getting to know exactly what these groups do to help people has been hugely beneficial, too. We should remember that these are very tough times for charities,” he added.
Thanking everyone who helped pull the event together, Brendan pointed out that because there was no expense on the night, all the money raised is going straight to the charities.
“Ciaran Kenney, a good friend of mine based in New York, paid for AVC sound system and the band, Bumblebee Honey, who were brilliant on the night. So, that was a massive help. It’s great to be handing over significant amounts to the benefiting charities in the run-in to Christmas,” he commented.
“I’d like to extend a special thanks to Ciaran Brogan, Aidan Cannon, Alan Foley, and Ciaran O’Donnell who gave up their time to help organise the event along with my ever-supportive family who did so much both before the night and on the night.
“Thanks to my wife Treasa for dealing with me under mad pressure. I’m back helping at home again – back to changing the nappies. Thanks, also, to my boy Matthew for a brilliant opening song which he had just days to prepare for.
“And finally, a massive thank you to Terry McEniff and the staff at the Mount Errigal Hotel who went over and above to make it a special night. Many people came together for great causes, and in the process, they helped so many,” Brendan added.
