School Children give cheque to Nicholas Grene
He devoted much of his working life to the UN, and as a peacekeeping strategist he worked in troubled areas across the globe, from Africa, to Asia to Haiti. He loved, admired, and believed passionately in what he did, and from the bottom of his being, he believed in the joy, spirit, and potential of the Haitian people. Andrew gave his life in the cause of peace, when the UN HQ building in Port-au-Prince collapsed on the evening of 12th January 2010.
Andrew’s twin brother Gregory and close friend Tim Perutz, have set up the Andrew Grene Foundation in memory of Andrew to raise funds for the education of children in Haiti and to aid micro financing small scale business that can make the difference between supporting a family and poverty that is beyond most of our imaginations.
On Friday 26 February, Nicholas, Andrew’s half-brother, with his wife Eleanor visited no less than five schools in Co. Cavan who had raised money for the Andrew Grene Foundation. They are all small schools, no more than 150 pupils in the biggest of them. Yet between them they donated the astonishing total of €8000 to the Foundation by a skipathon – where children skipped in relays continuously for five hours – coffee mornings, no-uniform days when a fee is paid by each child to be let off wearing uniform.
At Aghadreenagh National School, between Virginia and Cavan town, where Amanda Sexton is Acting Principal, the whole school assembled in the hall to witness Nicholas receiving the cheque from two of the senior pupils. Next came Killygarry National School, closer to Cavan, where the Principal is Serena Prior who herself comes from the Belturbet area; members of the family had stayed at her parents’ B + B at the time of the funeral.
Ballyhaise National School, somewhat larger than the other two, had made a huge effort, under the direction of Principal Hubert Conaty with the help of the Parents Teachers Association, to give a magnificent €4500. And then there was the smaller St Mary’s Boys National School in Belturbet itself, Andrew’s home town, with its Principal Padraic Martin, who made their valuable contribution.
The other schools in Belturbet, Fairgreen National School, Andrew and Gregory’s own old school, and the Convent of Mercy National School had already given generously to the Foundation. The tour ended with the Holy Family School for children with special needs, where Nicholas and Eleanor were guided round by Isobel Lord the Deputy Principal and talked to the senior students, one of whom presented the cheque. To each school, Nicholas and Eleanor gave as a memento of the occasion a gaily painted picture of parrots, part of a set Andrew had brought from Haiti. Everywhere there was the sense of warmth and respect for Andrew with his Cavan background; everywhere also there was the very special tradition of Irish charitable giving which continues so remarkably even in the current times of global recession.
For more information about the Foundation go to www.andrewgrenefoundation.org or email tim.perutz@andrewgrenefoundation.org
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
