Book campaign prepares for a new chapter

A NORTHSIDE woman and her son are looking forward to getting involved in St Michael’s House’s ‘Bring a Book, Buy a Book’ campaign which this year runs from March 1-8.

For many years Peggie Rochford, from Marino, has been actively involved in fundraising with St Michael’s House where her son Harry is a service user. 

Now in its ninth year, ‘Bring a Book, Buy a Book’ is St Michael’s House’s annual national fundraising campaign. 

The organisation is asking people of participating companies, schools and clubs to bring second-hand books from their homes and buy donated books at a cost of just €2. It is also asking people in the community to bring the campaign into their own homes. 

Peggie explained why she got involved with the book campaign. 

“Basically, because Harry is now in a training centre, he’s at an older age (he is in his 20s) and it was very easy to see over the last few years that the individual unit that he’s in needed extra financial support just for simple things. 

“We were over in that unit one day and Supervalu had done a campaign and raised some funds to allow the unit to put in wheelchair accessible bathrooms. That’s a fairly basic need, but it’s needed all the same. 

“It inspired me to think we should be doing a little ourselves and out of that stemmed the idea of doing little fundraising projects.”

Peggie plans to hold a coffee morning in her house for her neighbours to participate in the campaign. Harry is getting involved by delivering the leaflets around the community to inform people of the event they’re holding. 

She noted that fundraising campaigns like this are an excellent opportunity for local communities to get together. 

“Relationships can be formed through people just getting to know their neighbours. You can live in a neighbourhood for 20 years and barely know who’s there. It creates a community atmosphere and one which is for a good cause,” she said. 

Fundraising events like this are vital to organisations like St Michael’s House and its service users within. The money raised can go a long way to providing the ‘little extras’ to those involved. 

“St Michael’s House overall need not just the support they would get from the HSE, they need extra support and they need extra funds just to allow the people in St Michael’s, the service users, to get the little extras. 

“This particular project is for the Summer Supports project to facilitate children with intellectual disability who need supports over the summer months,” said Peggie. 

“Sometimes I think that people don’t realise, people who don’t have a child with special needs, how hard it can be for the children or young adults that they become very isolated as they become older unless you make an effort to make sure they don’t. 

“Harry has a great life but he loses control of what he can and can’t do because he has to have someone organise it for him. 

“We run a black tie ball for them every year and there were over 90 at that.” 

Peggie added: “No matter what project it is, that’s what it’s about – bringing them together, providing them with the venue to go and mix and have fun.”

Anyone wishing to take part can find further information at www.smh.ie.

REPORT: Hayley Halpin