The Mayor of Clare today called on the people of Doolin and surrounding areas to show their support for a group of charity swimmers participating in an open water swim from The Aran Islands to Doolin this weekend. Read more »
Minister for Defence Tony Killeen, T.D., says he has received assurances from the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs that funding for the Clare Women’s Network for 2010 has been ring-fenced and maintained at 2009 levels. Read more »
Minister for Defence and Clare Fianna Fail T.D. Tony Killeen has confirmed the allocation of grant aid to Coláiste Mhuire in Ennis for the purpose of carrying out disabled access works at the school. Read more »
Four County Limerick communities are busily preparing for the judging stage of the 2010 Pride of Place competition, which takes place during the first weekend of August. Read more »
Fourteen County Limerick Fire Fighters have been presented with 10-year service awards at a ceremony in Limerick County Hall. Read more »
13 swimmers, triathletes and life guards have commenced intensive training ahead of a charity swim from The Aran Islands to Doolin. Read more »
Two County Clare community groups are among 30 organisations nationwide to receive funding under the Scheme of Community Support for Older People.
Minister Tony Killeen has welcomed the allocation of funds totaling 3,500 to Cratloe Community Council (€2,903.75) and Kilkee Community Alert (€666.00). The announcement follows on from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs’ allocation of funds last week to Ballynacally Community Alert (€375.00) Caring for Carers Clare (€6,570) and Ennistymon Neighbourhood Watch (€10,828.95).
The Clare T.D. said the allocations would assist each organization in covering the cost of installing monitored personal alarm systems, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, external security lighting and other ancillary items of physical security equipment.
Over €1,049,000 has been approved this year to date under the Scheme with 278 groups receiving funds. The Scheme of Community Support for Older People is now closed to applications and has been replaced by the new Seniors Alert Scheme.
According to Minister Killeen: “The new Seniors Alert Scheme will continue to encourage and assist the community’s support for older people by means of community-based grants to improve the safety and security of its older members.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor:
- For further information please contact Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 00353868534900 or media ( @ ) dunphypr dot com
- High-resolution images of Minister Killeen are available to download from www.dunphyprimages.com
2nd July 2010: CONTESA a UK registered charity that supports Aids orphans in Zambia has announced today that a group of CONTESA supporters, led by trustees Dr. Margaret McDermott and Mrs Rosemary Stanbury will arrive on an official visit in Zambia to visit CONTESA’s funded projects.
The group of 17 people who will arrive on 3rd July 2010 for a 3 week visit, includes leaders and members from the Bournemouth Boys Brigade and Basingstoke Girls Brigade and Rev Geoff Fletcher and his daughter Kathryn. The group will start their visit with a short trip to the Luangwa Game Park in the Eastern Province and from there will drive to Chipata to visit the newly completed CONTESA Chislehurst School Block at Muchule School, Chatama Village.
The group will travel onto Kabwe where the Group will visit CONTESA feeding, educational & outreach programs and where the Bournemouth Boys Brigade and Basingstoke Girls Brigade will work to help complete the building of a hairdressing salon/barbers shop that will be run by the Kabwe Boys & Girls Brigades to become an income generating and training project for them.
The CONTESA spokesman explained why this visit is so important to CONTESA, “this is the trip of a lifetime for the younger members of the group, as they will be involved in CONTESA programs & projects and in the completion of the Kabwe building project & will interact with the orphans & disadvantaged children”. The spokesman added “CONTESA provides hope to so many orphaned & disadvantaged children in Zambia whilst visits such as these not only enrich the life experiences of the people in the CONTESA Group but also give the opportunity for partner organisations & orphans to personally interact with CONTESA trustees & supporters.” He further added that “this is the very essence of why CONTESA was set up”.
About CONTESA
CONTESA is a UK registered charity (1109311) set up in 2005 by Esnat Avon and her husband Roger. Esnat was born and raised in Zambia but now lives in the UK. She now devotes much of her time to raising funds for CONTESA and creating awareness of the plight of orphans and disadvantaged children in one of the sub-Saharan countries most devastated by the AIDS epidemic, Zambia. She manages the charity on a daily basis from her home in St. Leonards. One of CONTESA’s pledges is that every penny donated goes directly to the support of the children.
Contact CONTESA
CONTESA Charity
Odini House
17 Boundary Lane
St. Leonards
Ringwood
Hampshire
BH24 2SE
Telephone: 01202 870474
Website: http://www.contesacharity.co.uk
Email: esnat@contesacharity.co.uk
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CONTESACHARITY
A Mayoral Reception was held in honour of local, national and international disability organisations at Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis this evening.
Clare T.D. and Minister Tony Killeen has welcomed the announcement of an expenditure package of €26,479 to support the work of local community and voluntary organisations across County Clare.
Read more »
Two West Clare community groups have received funding totalling almost €9,500 under the Scheme of Community Support for Older People.
CONTESA, a UK registered charity, is proud to announce the launch of its brand new website – http://www.contesacharity.co.uk. The website was developed to expand the awareness and understanding of the plight of disadvantaged children affected by AIDS/HIV in Zambia.
The website contains a host of information on the programmes and new projects funded and run by CONTESA. The charity is devoted to supporting AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia through the provision of basic food, education and training, regardless of their background, race or religion, by working alongside local institutions and volunteers.
The website enables visitors to view each section clearly, and sets the information out in an easy to understand manner. Esnat Avon, Founder of CONTESA, explains the concept behind the new website. “We wanted to highlight and create awareness of the suffering of these vulnerable children in Zambia and felt that investing in a new website that was simple to use and which contained a wealth of information and photos, would encourage more people to understand and support the work of CONTESA. “ She added ‘I also hope more people will join me on next year’s trustee accompanied visit to Zambia to see for themselves the work and achievements of CONTESA’.
CONTESA is a UK registered charity (1109311) set up in 2005 by Esnat Avon and her husband Roger. Esnat, was born and raised in Zambia but now lives in the UK. She now devotes much of her time to raising funds for CONTESA and creating awareness of the plight of orphans and disadvantaged children in one of the sub-Saharan countries most devastated by the AIDS epidemic, Zambia, she manages the charity on a daily basis from her home in St. Leonards. One of CONTESA’s pledges is that every penny donated goes directly to the support of the children. All administration costs, the website and visits are funded separately. The website is now live, and can be viewed at http://www.contesacharity.co.uk
Contact CONTESA
CONTESA Charity
Odini House
17 Boundary Lane
St. Leonards
Ringwood
Hampshire
BH24 2SE
Telephone: 01202 870474
Email: esnat@contesacharity.co.uk
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CONTESACHARITY
ATLANTA, April 9, 2010–Rebuilding Together Atlanta (RTA), a Georgia-based nonprofit volunteer home repair organization, recently received a massive quantity of support from Konrad Rzasa. Rzasa, an Atlanta native and veteran financial leader in the area, avidly recommends support for the organization. RTA depends on the generosity of volunteers and sponsors to donate their labor and funds in the hopes of rehabilitating the area’s homes and impacting the lives of residents.
Sites considered by RTA for repair selection are required to be inhabited by low-income individuals including either an older adult, a family with children, or someone living with disabilities. The property must be privately-owned, household income must qualify as low, and liens and homeowner’s taxes must be current. Sites may be referred by neighborhood associations, faith-based communities, and civic organizations, or directly applied for by the homeowners.
RTA is sponsored by equitable individuals, corporations, foundations, labor organizations, and civic and faith communities, whose monetary donations and accommodation of resources ensure that the rehabilitation of Atlanta’s substandard housing is free to the low-income homeowners.
Due to the proactive charity of volunteers and philanthropist such as Rzasa working with Rebuilding Together Atlanta, the quantity of substandard housing communities has been largely reduced. Conversely, volunteers report the imbuement of community spirit that has affected their own lives to be a huge reward. A multitude of skills and energy levels are vital; virtually any contribution of time or talent by volunteers (who must be aged 16 or older) is appreciated.
Konrad Rzasa’s 12 years of distinct hands-on experience managing companies in transition, post-acquisition remediation activity, integration of portfolio and business acquisitions, new portfolio start-ups and product launches at companies small and large, private and public have earned him a reputation of respect. Currently, Rzasa is Director of Vayu Media, an Atlanta Search Engine Optimization and Web Design company. For more information, visit http://www.vayumedia.com.
To learn more about Rebuilding Together Atlanta, visit www.rebuildingtogether-atlanta.org, or contact the organization at:
1429 Fairmont Avenue, NW, Suite A
Atlanta, GA 30318
404-351-4949
404-351-2042 fax
A function recognising the efforts of Clare Civil Defence volunteers during recent serious flooding and prolonged cold weather in the County took place at the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, on Friday night.
The Penelope Write Foundation is a non-profit organization that has been established to cater to the needs of children that reside in and attend schools within low income communities. This organization is being sponsored by Parker & Sons Publishing on behalf of Penelope Write. Penelope Write is a native of Chicago, Author, Graduate Student, and single mother of four children.
The foundation’s overall goal is to enhance the reading and writing skills of students who struggle with finding fun in learning and have difficulty advancing academically in these areas. The foundation itself will implement a Literacy Scholar Program into three (3) schools within the following states during latter of 2010: Illinois (Chicago), Georgia (Atlanta), Louisiana (New Orleans), Mississippi (Jackson), and Tennessee (Memphis).
Our foundation is extremely ecstatic with presenting your school and its students with the opportunity to enroll into our Literacy Scholar Program course offerings. In order to inquire further, please contact us directly via (773) 291-0629, visit us online via www.penelopewrite.com. Our experienced team of Educational Management Representatives will be sure to follow up with you within 3-5 business days.
In order to provide us with contributions for the organization’s purpose, please visit us online via http://parkersonspublishinginc.com/the_penelope_write_foundation.
Hundreds of community groups from across County Limerick are expected to participate in the 2010 Spring Clean Campaign, details of which were announced today.
Read more »
February 24, 2010–Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti last month, Global Village Market is providing food aid in the form of more than 6 million meals to assist those affected by the tragedy.
Haiti food aid is much needed in that aftermath of the tragic earthquake on January 12 that wreaked havoc on the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused an unprecedented loss of life and property, and affected roughly one-third of Haiti’s population of 9-million people.
Over the past 17 years, Global Village Champions Muhammad Ali and Chairman Yank Barry have undertaken humanitarian relief missions around the globe distributing more than 407 million free meals, with Haiti food aid being the most recent undertaking. In less than one month following the tragic earthquake, Global Village donated food aid to Haiti in the amount of 12,000 pounds of beans, rice and grits, as well as much needed bottled water.
According to the organization’s website, “A day without hunger is more than a slogan, it is the prayer of every person in Haiti.”
Due to logistical challenges faced after the earthquake, much of the Global Village food aid has been delivered to Haiti through the Bahamas Red Cross Society working in cooperation with Rotary International. Beyond food aid donations, Global Village Champions has a proud history of partnership with other well-known organizations dedicated to serving people in need around the world.
In addition to delivering food aid, Global Village is providing over $1.5 million worth of medical supplies to assist in relief and rebuilding efforts in the impoverished nation.
Global Village plans to continue its food aid for the Haitian people to provide support and hope in their long road to recovery. Of their generous Haiti food aid efforts, Chairman Barry says, “We believe in doing well by doing good.” Since 1993 through November 2009, Global Village has never accepted a donation from the general public. All funds have been contributed by founder Yank Barry and the Global Village Champions.
For additional information about Global Village Market and their humanitarian relief efforts, including Haiti food aid, visit: www.gogvm.com.
About Global Villagers
Global Villagers deliver real aid – meals – and have proven our ability to take food wherever it is needed. We do not deliver financial aid. We deliver life-sustaining nutrition. For more information about how you can help, please visit us at http://www.gogvm.com or email us at adaywithouthunger@gmail.com
Global Village Champions Brings Over $1.5 Million In Medical Supplies to Haiti
February 22, 2010—Haiti’s medical supplies were destroyed in the collapse of Haiti’s hospital as a result of January’s devastating earthquake. Haiti’s remaining medical supplies quickly diminished due to the increased use and need to help victims. At a time when Haiti medical supplies are in high demand, Global Village Champions and Villagers brought over $1.5 million in medical supplies to the devastated country.
Global Village brought Haiti medical supplies in truckloads filled with suitcases and boxes. Approximately 60 emergency surgery suitcases were packed with pain medications, antibiotics, anesthetics, sutures and gauze. Each suitcase was fully packed with all the medical supplies necessary to perform an emergency surgery.
The supplies brought to Haiti also included enough equipment for three thousand major and minor surgeries, fungus infection, mite and lice treatments, pain medications and antibiotics, and rehydration treatments. Global Village provided enough rehydration salts for 2,000 treatments.
Global Village brought Haiti medical supplies to treat the children as well. They provided children’s asthma treatments and inhalers, wipes and diapers. Large bags of soy protein supplements, each bag containing enough for four people, were brought along with individual sterile baby bottles.
In addition to bringing Haiti medical supplies, Global Village has provided Haitians with six million meals and 2,600 liters of bottled water.
Global Village Market has supplied Haiti with much needed food, fresh water and medical supplies. The $1.5 million in medical supplies brought to Haiti were all in the form of real supplies. Global Village does not provide financial support, they provide only necessary items. “We are not a charity, every single dime goes to the end user,” according to Yank Barry, founder of Global Village Champions and Villagers.
Global Village works in close connection with the Bahamas Red Cross, Rotary International, Salvation Army and the Haiti Red Cross to provide Haiti with much needed medical supplies and support for their earthquake relief efforts. Global Village Champions has been providing meals, medical supplies, school supplies, power generators and basic shelter to those in need worldwide for over 17 years.
For more information please visit http://www.gogvm.com
About Global Villagers
Global Villagers deliver real aid – meals – and have proven our ability to take food wherever it is needed. We do not deliver financial aid. We deliver life-sustaining nutrition. For more information about how you can help, please visit us at http://www.gogvm.com or email us at adaywithouthunger@gmail.com
Despite the increasing financial constraints being placed on the Local Government sector, staff at Limerick County Council have demonstrated their generosity by donating 18,000 euro to various local charities today.
Minister of State and Fianna Fail T.D. for Clare, Tony Killeen has confirmed that almost EUR4,500 has been allocated to three North Clare organisations under the Community Support for Older People Scheme.
The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has announced that funding totalling EUR1,221,091 has been allocated to Clare Local Development Company Limited under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013.
Minister of State and Fianna Fail T.D. for Clare, Mr. Tony Killeen has received confirmation that EUR633,750 has been allocated to Clare County Council under the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability.
A number of well known sporting personalities will participate in a 90km cycle through the Burren in County Clare this coming weekend.
Terramed Alliance News Strengthens National Efforts to Conquer Childhood Cancer
To conquer childhood cancer, two leading pediatric cancer organizations, Hope Street Kids founded by former U.S. Congresswoman Deborah Pryce and Randy Walker and CureSearch [National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF) and the Children's Oncology Group (COG)] have joined forces under the umbrella of CureSearch. The announcement was made today at CureSearch’s Reach the Day event on Capitol Hill.
Under the CureSearch flag, the Hope Street Kids program will continue to enhance national pediatric cancer research efforts and bring hope to the current continuum of scientific research. Combining Hope Street Kids support of research developments with those of the COG will lead to a broader path of scientific progress for pediatric cancer.
“Each day that pediatric cancer research goes under-funded, the road to discovering new treatments and cures become longer, and more children are put at risk,” said Gregory Reaman, M.D., Chairman of the Children’s Oncology Group. “We have a long history of success through collaboration; this new partnership will increase the likelihood of continued success.
Until now, advances in childhood cancer have been dramatic — 40 years ago cure rates were less than 10 percent; today, 78 percent overall are cured. Recognizing that there is more to be done, in 2008, Congress unanimously passed the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act originally sponsored by former Rep. Deborah Pryce and named in honor of her daughter who died from neuroblastoma in 1999. The bill was signed into law in July 2008 authorizing $150 million ($30 million each year) to expand pediatric cancer research, awareness and to create the national childhood cancer research registry.
“Over the past ten years Hope Street Kids has had a wonderfully productive relationship under the auspices of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. We are truly grateful for the guidance and support that the organization has provided us for many years. We are delighted to team up with CureSearch to support the life-saving work of the COG,” said former Rep. Deborah Pryce and co-founder of Hope Street Kids. “I am confident that our new relationship will lead us to making the research advances necessary to ensure a healthy future for all children.”
The joint effort was announced today in front of more than 450 participants at CureSearch’s Reach the Day Rally on Capitol Hill featuring Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA). This year’s congressional visits from CureSearch families from 37 states and D.C. are focused on urging members of Congress to fully fund the bill. The $30M per year needs to be appropriated by Congress annually, and with the current economic situation the childhood cancer community is concerned about the funding being fully appropriated for 2010 and beyond.
“The addition of the Hope Street Kids to CureSearch will accelerate COG research from the bench to the bedside,” said Stacy Pagos Haller, Executive Director, CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation. “Together, we will reach the day when every child with cancer is guaranteed a cure.”
Also announced at CureSearch’s Reach the Day is the formation of the first Pediatric Cancer Caucus — members of Congress dedicated to conquering childhood cancer — and the congressional proclamation that September 12 is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.
Contacts
Terramed Alliance News : For more information about CureSearch National Children Cancer Foundation, contact Sheri Singer, sheri.singer@verizon.net. 703-346-7111.
Terramed Alliance is a non-profit organization in the battle against leukemia helps children living with cancer and their families. Our goal is to make sure children battling cancer know they are not alone. For more information please visit www.terramedalliance.org. Email at contact@terramedalliance.org
From http://www.childhood-leukemia.com/news/us-cancer-rates-falling/
Some 650,000 people are alive today who wouldn’t be were it not for advances in cancer prevention, detection and treatment over the past 15 years, new statistics show.
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics 2009 report finds an encouraging 19.2 percent drop in cancer death rates among men from 1990 to 2005, as well as an 11.4 percent drop in women’s cancer death rates during the same time period.
Overall, cancer death rates fell 2 percent per year from 2001 to 2005 in men and 1.6 percent per year from 2002 to 2005 in women. By comparison, between 1993 and 2001, overall death rates in men declined 1.5 percent per year and, between 1994 and 2002, 0.8 percent in women.
“We continue to see a decrease in death rates from cancer in both men and women and this is mainly because of prevention – mostly a reduction in smoking rates; detection which includes screening for colorectal cancer, for breast cancer and for cervical cancer; and also improved treatment,” said report author Ahmedin Jemal, strategic director for cancer surveillance at the American Cancer Society.
“To put this in perspective, the number of lives saved is more than the population of Washington, D.C.,” said Dr. Louis M. Weiner, director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. “In my mind, that’s a cause for some celebration. However, there are some sobering trends that we have to be aware of. The death rate for cardiovascular disease has dropped much more dramatically over that period than has the death rate from cancer, indicating the difficulty of developing new strategies to reduce the incidence of cancer and also to treat it more effectively. This is a very complex set of diseases. While we have come a long way, we have a lot further to go.”
Hopefully, continued reductions in smoking rates, especially among women, should push cancer rates further down in the future, the researchers noted.
Although some 45 million Americans continue to smoke, for a prevalence rate of about 20 percent, “smoking prevalence is going in the right direction,” Jemal said. “We’re going to see a reduction in lung cancer death rates, although I don’t know when it might be. In particular, we will see a reduction in cancer death rates among women that’s going to drive [down] the overall cancer death rate.”
Better screening could also further fuel the trend. Only 50 percent of Americans over the age of 50 currently get regular screening for colorectal cancer, he said.
Here is a summary of the report’s findings:
* In 2009, an estimated 1,479,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. (766,130 in men and 713,220 in women) and 562,340 people will die of the disease (292,540 men and 269,800 women). This means 1,500 deaths from cancer every day).
* Between 2001 and 2005, the incidence of cancer in men declined by 1.8 percent per year; from 1998 to 2005 the incidence rate in women dropped 0.6 percent per year. In men, the gains were largely as a result of decreases in the incidence of lung, prostate and colorectal cancer (the three most common cancers). In women, the decline was largely attributable to declines in both breast and colorectal cancer, the two most common tumor types in women.
* Cancer death rates dropped by 11.4 percent for women between 1991 and 2005, with a 37 percent decline in deaths from breast cancer and a 24 percent decrease in deaths from colorectal cancer.
* The three leading cancer killers in men are lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. In women, they are lung (accounting for 26 percent of all cancer deaths), breast and colorectal cancer.
* Men have a 44 percent chance of developing cancer during their lifetime and women a 37 percent chance, although women are more likely to have the disease earlier (before age 60).
* Lung cancer shows the greatest regional variation in cancer incidence, ranging from a low of 39.6 cases per 100,000 in men and 22.4 per 100,000 in women in Utah to 136.2 in men and 76.2 in women in Kentucky. These statistics correlate directly to smoking rates in the two states, with Utah having the lowest prevalence in adult smoking in the country, and Kentucky the highest.
* Blacks still assume a disproportionate share of the cancer burden, with black men being 18 percent more likely to develop cancer and 36 percent more likely to die. Black women have a 6 percent lower incidence rate but this is more than made up for with a death rate, which is 17 percent higher than that seen in white women.
* The five-year survival rate for children with cancer is now 80 percent, up from only 58 percent for those diagnosed in the mid-1970s. But cancer is still the second leading cause of death in youngsters aged 1 to 14 (after accidents), with leukemia being the most common cancer diagnosed.
* And in a special section, the report finds that cancer survivors are about 14 percent more likely to develop a new cancer than individuals who have never had a cancer diagnosis; almost 900,000 cancer survivors have been diagnosed with more than one cancer. Patients diagnosed with tobacco-related cancers, such as cancers of the oral cavity, lung, esophagus, kidney, and urinary bladder, have the highest risk for a second cancer because smoking is a risk factor for at least 15 types of cancer. Breast cancer survivors comprise almost half of women who develop a second cancer.
Unfortunately, cancer remains the leading killer (surpassing heart disease) for persons under 85, and one-quarter of deaths in the United States still come from cancer, the report stated.
“It’s good news that the death rates for the most common cancers are on the decline, but there are still too many Americans dying of cancer every year,” said Dr. Alan Astrow, director of medical oncology and hematology at Maimonides Cancer Center in New York City. “It’s troubling that African-Americans continue to experience higher rates of mortality from cancer than whites. It’s also troubling that Americans with less education have higher death rates. There are continued high rates of deaths from lung cancer. It’s hard to feel good about 160,000 Americans dying of lung cancer every year. That’s a disturbing statistics which we, as a nation, need to address.”
The report appears online and in the July/August print issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Terramed Alliance is a non-profit organization in the battle against leukemia helps children living with cancer and their families. Our goal is to make sure children battling cancer know they are not alone. For more information please visit www.terramedalliance.org. Email at contact@terramedalliance.org