By Mairtin O'Muilleoir momuilleoir@irishecho.com
A bumper fundraising year for the Irish American Partnership has enabled the Boston-headquartered non-profit to ramp up its support for educational projects in Ireland.
"I am pleased that 77 grants have been awarded since September 2013," Executive Director Mary Sugrue McAleer told the Irish Echo.
"Today, we are reaching more schools, communities and counties than ever before."
A unique program which allows donors to select a specific school, village, town or county has proven a game-changer for the Partnership's fundraising efforts.
Recently, in one of many similar initiatives, Partnership supporter and Abbott Laboratories specialist Paul Doherty returned to his alma mater, St. Oran's National School, Cockhill, Co. Donegal, to present a $2,500 donation to replenish the school library.
The Partnership also came to the aid of remote rural schools in the west of Ireland which traditionally lack funding to attend the RDS Science Fair in Dublin by providing special travel grants.
Traditionally, the Partnership works closely with the Integrated School movement in the north of Ireland and over the past 12 months has made significant donations to school where Protestant and Catholic children are educated together.
"The generosity of our donors is making a difference," says McAleer, whose fundraising efforts have been traditionally focused on the greater Boston area and Chicago.
"Thanks to our donors and supporters, we have every reason to be optimistic about the future of Ireland's young people."
More about the Irish American Partnership at www.irishap.org, or by following @irishaporg on Twitter.
