Over €7,000 raised at the Run for Rita 5k fundraiser
By Aideen O'Flaherty
OVER €7,000 was raised for a local GAA club and a children’s charity at an annual running event that was held in Tymon Park last weekend, in memory of a Tallaght woman who passed away in 2008 after battling breast cancer, reports Aideen O’Flaherty.
The Run for Rita event, which is in memory of Kilnamanagh woman Rita Savage and is organised by her daughter Glenda Curtis, is now in its fifth year and has a strong track record for raising funds for local charities.
Members of St Kevin's/Killian's GAA Club in Tymon Park
This year, €4,753, which was raised from registrations for the race and donations, will be going to the Tallaght Village-based charity Suzanne House, which offers respite care for children with high medical needs.
St Kevin’s and Kilian’s GAA Club in Kingswood will be getting a donation of €1,955, which was raised from a raffle that was held as part of the Run for Rita event, to help them with their aim of getting a GAA clubhouse and to assist them with their sporting role in the local community.
Glenda told The Echo: “This was such a successful year and it was great to see lots of new faces getting involved in our local charity event.
“I would like to thank Anzco, who always sponsor us yearly, Fyffes Bananas, Coca Cola, all of the stewards, Sandra and Lorraine – who led the race on their bikes, and my friends who helped me with registration and selling all the raffle tickets – without them this event wouldn’t have been a success.
“I’d also like to mention Keva, a local Kilnamanagh girl, who cut her hair in conjunction with our race and raised nearly €1,000 as part of the money raised going to Suzanne House this year.
“Roll on 2019 for another Run for Rita!”
Glenda organised the first Run for Rita event in 2014, with plans for it to be a “one-off” occurrence, however when she saw the positive response from the community and the impact of the money raised she decided to continue hosting the now-annual race, which has steadily grown every year since.
