Charity refuses cycle donation
Howard Lake | 11 November 2005 | News
KERRY’S largest charity event, the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle, was embroiled in controversy last week after one of the charities nominated to receive money from the fundraiser declined to accept a cheque at the event’s annual dinner dance. It is understood that there is a dispute about the amount of money raised by the Diabetes Service, the intended recipient, in advance of the charity cycle.
Secretary of Kerry Diabetes Service Ann Murphy and other members of the organisation attended the dinner dance where over ‚€172,000 was shared out between four charity organisations. However, Kerry Diabetes Service refused to accept their cheque from the organising committee.
The money to be shared out comprised money raised by each of the charities in advance of the Ring of Kerry Cycle plus an equal share of the money collected on the day of the event.
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Kerry Diabetes Services Chairperson Jimmy Reen told a local newspaper that his organisation did not accept the cheque at Thursday night’s function in Killarney, but he declined to comment further.
Mr Reen said the matter is now in the hands of the organisation’s legal advisors.
This was the first time that Kerry Diabetes Services was nominated to be one of the recipients of the money raised by The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.
The other three recipients of money from this year’s fundraiser – the Christy Brown Centre in Tralee, the South Kerry Life Education Mobile Unit and the Irish Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust – all accepted their cheques on the night.
Chairperson of the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle Committee Denis Geaney said the uncollected money has been lodged in a bank account for the Kerry Diabetes Services.
‘It is up to them to accept it. I was disappointed they did not accept the cheque but this has nothing to do with us as a committee, he said.
Mr Geaney, a former winner of the Kerry Person of the Year Award, confirmed that over ‚€47,000 had been divided equally between the four charities from money raised on the day of the cycle.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.