Over 320 guests attend Newstalk Christmas lunch to support the Marie Keating Foundation, a leading voice in cancer awareness and support

 

Over 320 guests kicked off the Christmas season at the Newstalk Christmas Lunch in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation in The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, today. The lunch raised in excess of €25,000 for the Marie Keating Foundation, which provides men and women with the information to prevent cancer and detect it at its earliest stages.  The Foundation also provides a range of cancer support services for people going through cancer treatment, cancer survivors, and their families. This year, all funds raised at the Newstalk Christmas Lunch will support the Foundation’s Comfort Fund, which provides financial assistance to men and women who are going through cancer treatment and who find themselves in financial difficulty as a result. This year, the Foundation has already given over 330 Comfort Fund grants and has received a record number of requests for assistance.

Newstalk Breakfast presenter and cancer survivor Chris Donoghue was MC for the event, which was also attended by Majella and Daniel O’Donnell; Norah Casey, Anna Daly, Martin King and Dr Eva Orsmond. Guests enjoyed a champagne reception followed by a delicious Christmas themed meal accompanied by wine, kindly sponsored by Marks & Spencer Ireland.

Entertainment for the afternoon was provided by the talented Mary Byrne, who rose to fame in 2010 after becoming a finalist on the seventh series of The X Factor.  Harvey Norman laid on a Christmas-themed raffle, with everyone who participated winning something, and raising over €3,250 for the Marie Keating Foundation in the process.

Linda Keating, Director of Fundraising, Marie Keating Foundation said “The Marie Keating Foundation does not receive any government funding so we would simply not be able to exist if it wasn’t for the kind support of organisations like Newstalk who support us year after year with amazing events like this. We are also so grateful to all the people who came to today’s lunch. We hope it was a great way for them all to kick off the Christmas season as well as supporting our important services! We will be able to help over 30 more families this Christmas with the funds that we raised here today. On behalf of the Foundation and those families, I’d like to say a big ‘thank you.’”

ENDS