Roy Keane.
IRISH Guide Dogs SHADES campaign is coming to Donegal this week! The week-long SHADES campaign kicked off in style with a live broadcast by the Ray D’Arcy Show in its HQ on Monday 28th April.
Ray and crew met with Roy Keane, Irish Guide Dogs most famous patron, as well as a panel of people whose lives have been transformed by Guide and Assistance Dogs – Guide Dog Owner and music student Shauna Humphries and Sheila McNally and The Frames violinist Colm MacIompaire who have an Assistance Dog Cassie for their son Daragh.
Irish Guide Dogs will have a presence in Donegal Tescos on Thursday 1st May as well as street collections in Donegal and Letterkenny on the same day. Catherine Gallagher, a trainer with Irish Guide Dogs and who is from Kilcar in Donegal is pictured with Roy Keane and dog in training Lally.
The national charity is calling on people to help out this year, even for one or two hours. “We will be in both Tescos this Thursday and on street collections with some dogs so come along and say hello and show your support!,” said Sinead O’Keeffe Commercial Manager with Irish Guide Dogs. “We aim to raise €270,000 this year in order to sustain its services and meet the high demand for our dogs.”
Irish Guide Dogs SHADES campaign runs from Monday 28th April to Friday 2nd May and is sponsored by Ford Ireland.
“I am delighted to launch this SHADES campaign for Irish Guide Dogs and meet with people whose lives have been transformed by this great charity,” said Roy Keane. “It’s been a busy year but it’s always worthwhile to help out Irish Guide Dogs. The SHADES campaign helps support the training of the amazing dogs that are being bred and trained here in HQ. We all take for granted our freedom of movement and being able to drive and do what we want to do. But many people who are blind are not so lucky and the dogs and training Irish Guide Dogs provide really help give them back a good level of independence. And independence is very important to all of us!”
Irish Guide Dogs is 80% funded through public donations and fundraising events and all of our services are given to the public free of charge so it needs your help to make SHADES a success.
To follow Roy Keane’s lead and support the SHADES campaign, simply text WOOF to 57500 to donate €2.50*, donate online or buy a Puppy Pin from Irish Guide Dogs street collections. You can also buy a special designed Hairy Baby SHADES T-shirt from www.hairybaby.com.
Roy Keane signed footballs and photos will be won by one lucky text donor every day of the five days of SHADES. People are also asked to don their own SHADES for a day on Friday 2nd May to support the campaign.
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