Building Connections
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My name is Mairead.
I live in Ballinrobe. In the last 6 years
I have had an interest in Art and have done some landscape painting, with help and support. I attend Art classes in Ballinrobe Town. My teacher is Michelle, resident artist. I go each Wednesday evening for my class. We work on a one-to-one basis and are getting on great.
My long-term goal is to have my own exhibition in an art gallery. I need to have 20 pieces of work for this exhibition and I am currently working to achieve this goal.
One of my outcomes is to use the computer but, due to my bad eyesight,
I was unable to do so on my own. So, with the help of the staff in my centre,
I obtained large letters from the National Council for the Blind. These letters go over the keys of the computer and this enables me to work on my own. Here is
a short story of mine below that I really enjoyed writing - hope you enjoy reading it. Yours sincerely, Christina |
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Anthony supports the Missions
Anthony, who attends a
Vocational Training Centre, has developed an interest in collecting used stamps which go to the missions in the Third World. Anthony has built up a network of people who collect stamps for him; this includes the County Clinic, the County Council and Headquarters at Western Care. Anthony sends the stamps to Sister Maria, a nun based in Dublin, who is always grateful for the stamps. One of Anthony's goals was to find out exactly what happens to the stamps and to meet Sister Maria. In the summer he headed off to Dublin with staff and a couple of his friends. He greatly enjoyed the experience.
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I think Spring is a wonderful time of year. The birds begin to sing, as the farmer prepares his seed,
he gets his tractor, ploughs and harrows the land.
My parents were farmers; dad with his horse and plough used to make drills.
Later somebody lays the potatoes. Again, the farmer with his horse closes the drills;
with his manure shaker he puts manure on the potatoes and watches them.
In spring the cows calve and the sheep lamb.
It is nice to see new life beginning in Spring.
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Agnes & Jonathan Ambassadors for their town - Ballina
Two Special Olympic athletes, members of the Special Olympics Basketball Club in Ballina, made a huge difference to the preparation of the Host Town Programme in Ballina and the Moy Valley Region.
Ireland hosted the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2003; the very first time the Games were held outside the United States. Special Olympics Ireland wanted the whole island of Ireland to be involved, thus the concept of the Host Town Programme.
There were 167 international delegations hosted throughout the country for fourdays prior to the Games. This gave the delegations time to rest, meet the people of Ireland and enjoy Irish hospitality.
In Mayo there were 7 international delegations associated with 9 towns. The Moy Valley Region hosted the 97 athletes and coaches of the French delegation. The other committee members learned a lot from listening to Agnes and Jonathan, whose previous experience helped greatly when it came to planning the 4-day event for the international delegation.
During the 18-month planning period, apart from the planned activities, which included public speaking, there were social occasions where Agnes and Jonathan joined in and made new friends.
In particular, Jonathan, who is a Manchester United fan, began watching Manchester United matches with some of his committee friends and their families; they still continue to enjoy these matches - as long as Manchester United are winning, of course!
When Agnes and Jonathan returned to the Ballina area after the Games they were given a big homecoming in the community and driven around the town in vintage cars. The local community, like all the other communities in Mayo, were very proud of their achievements and involvement in the Games. The lives of those involved in the Host Town Programme in the Moy Valley Region were enriched by making friends with Jonathan and Agnes. These friendships live on today, and hopefully will continue for many years to come.
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