THE North West Ireland Trade and Investment mission to the US got off to a great start on Monday evening when a cheque of $14,000 was handed over in aid of Donegal Hospice.
Maggie Fillinger, President of the Donegal Association in Philadelphia, explained, “We are delighted to be in a position to offer this funding to Donegal Hospice which holds a special place in the hearts of all Donegal people living in Philadelphia. The work that is done by Donegal Hospice is outstanding and affects every family with a Donegal connection at some point in time. To be able to contribute in this way to support the work done by the Hospice gives us great pleasure.
“We decided to undertake this fundraising as many of the families of the Donegal people living in Philadelphia have been supported by the Hospice during what is without doubt one of the most traumatic times in the lives of any family. To have this type of care available in Donegal is so important and so valuable and we felt we had to raise funds for such a worthy cause and to help support the operational costs incurred each year by the Hospice.”
Maggie explained that the fundraising committee was made up of Carmel Boyce (née Crossan), Mary Crossan, Brigid and Patsy Duddy and she thanked everyone involved for their hard work and generosity.
Mayor of Donegal Cllr Seamus O’Domhnaill, on accepting the cheque on behalf of Donegal Hospice, added, “The people of Donegal and the people connected to Donegal are very supportive to Donegal Hospice and without the generosity of communities like the community in Philadelphia, the Hospice would not be in a position to provide the wonderful service that they do. On behalf of the Donegal Hospice I would like to sincerely thank all of you for this very generous donation and I am fully confident that it will be put to such good use.”