Candle of Grace is a newly formed not-for-profit organisation set up in Castlebar. Its main function is to host a few Chernobyl children from Belarus for much needed rehabilitation holidays. The idea of such an organisation came about from a family who themselves originate from the Chernobyl area in Belarus and know about their problems first hand. Having moved to Ireland a few years ago they were amazed at the generosity and kind-heartedness of the Irish people who know about Chernobyl and have been helping its victims for 30 years now.
Last summer Candle of Grace hosted eight children from Chernobyl in Mayo. The group got support from the local community and local businesses based in Ballina, Westport, Lahardane, Castlebar, Balla, Ballyhaunis, Turlough, Ballyvary, and Ballyheane.
The group have applied to the Charities Regulator for charitable status and are currently waiting for the application to be processed. They do not have any sponsors and are not State funded, with their funding coming from fundraising activities, and they rely heavily on the generosity of the public. They have also organised clothes collections and send them to orphanages and homes for disabled people in the Ukraine and Belarus.
Every penny they raise goes towards the hosting expenses but it is not quite enough. Candle of Grace is currently short of host families, and welcomes all families who might be interested in hosting a Chernobyl child this summer and would like to find out more about it. Or just be interested in helping with children’s activities, all kinds of help will be welcome. The group are organising a fundraising Pancake Tuesday morning on February 28 from 10am to 2pm in Nostalgie Shop on Newtown Street, Castlebar. Feel free to pop in for a friendly chat, a hot cuppa, and a delicious warm pancake to go with it.
For more information contact Lily (087 ) 226 2216, Anna (086 ) 1704844, or email:[email protected], you will also find it on Facebook. To make a donation, you can do so via Paypal (use the gmail address ) or find bank details on Facebook.
