Treasure Hunts are really great fun – Don’t miss out on HAOs Treasure Hunt in Bucharest on Tuesday 15^th May this year; we meet at Joyces Pub where all Hunters will be given the list of questions they have to find the answers to in each pub on the circuit.   Aidan Joyce has kindly offered to supply free snacks to all the ‘Hunters’.  After drinks and snacks at Joyces the Hunters will move to the other Pubs on the Hunt.    We need to have numbers by Saturday 12^th to organise snacks and goodie bags for everyone….so book your place soon.  To book just email Kathleen on kathleen.biggs@hao.ie or phone her on 0723 147 668

Don’t miss out on the Race Night at Joyces Pub on Friday 11^th May.  You will not only have a fantastic evening – you will also be supporting HAO and two other charities – it’s a win win situation for all…. Check out the poster. You can buy your very own race horse for just 200 Ron, name it and describe its form; if you want one you had better hurry they are racing out the door… email aidan.joyce@joyces.ro

Multumim tuturor prietenilor si sustinatorilor nostri care in 2011 au directionat cei 2% din impozitul pe venit catre Fundatia pentru o Viata mai Buna (FVB). Speram ca nu ne veti uita nici anul acesta!

A big THANK YOU to all our Romanian friends and supporters who donated 2% from their salary taxes to FVB (HAO partner) in 2011 – we hope you remember us in this tax year.

HAO Romania - April 2012 Newsletter is out! Happy reading!

p.s. ...and don't forget to subscribe ;-)

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6b8dbc88d07392f2e4174d81f&id=40ea9037c0&e=efb7680a70

Congratulations to Steve who ran his first ever half marathon in 2 hours 34 minutes. We asked Steve to write a little something about what motivated him to get from behind the computer and run…..

“Not sure what to say.    I must confess that it was a half marathon rather than the full 26 miles I ran yesterday - the Wilmslow Half Marathon to be precise.   It took me a grand total of 2 hours 34 minutes which is not the fastest of times but still quite satisfying as it was the first time I'd entered anything like this.  Spending my days sat in front of a computer  I'd been thinking for a while about trying running (on the basis of repeated suggestions from any one of my three children that my belly seems to be getting bigger)!

Then my company said they would be an official sponsor of the Wilmslow Half Marathon and enter a team.  Foolishly I signed up.  This meant trying to get fit over the last few months.   Whilst the official charity the team were sponsoring was a cancer charity,  knowing Christine and the work she had been doing [for HAO] gave me an alternative, so I was more than happy to try and raise a little in order to support the work you're all doing in Romania.

And now that you thought I was running a full marathon I'm going to have to find another half marathon to complete the challenge. Oh well.

But also nice to hear about about one of your guys too [who has a job for the first time] - I hope the job goes OK for him”.

Very best wishes

Steve

You can see Steve on the website - this was towards the end.

He is wearing number 3660 and the very nice hat! 

http://www.wilmslowhalfmarathon.org.uk/photoalbum2012/imgpages/image466.html

For the month of March Malagamba restaurant will donate one euro to charity for every coffee sold. The beneficial charities are HAO Health Action Overseas and Associatia “Fecioara Maria A Milostivirii” in Romania.

HAO is run by Kathleen Biggs and Associatia “Fecioara Maria A Milostivirii” in Romania is run by Sr. Rose Carmel McNamara.

Both of these charities do fantastic work among the underprivileged here in Romania.

To launch this campaign Malagamba restaurant will host a dinner on Tuesday Feb. 28^th 2012. The Deputy Head of Mission at the Irish Embassy Mr. David Costello will give the opening address.  The tickets for this 3-course meal will cost 80 Ron and places are strictly limited.

For reservations please email or call John McCarthy at 0744502544 before 12.00 noon on Monday.

Rose Carmel and Kathleen are both members of the IRN so it would be great if the members could show their support in some way either by attending the function on Tuesday, buying a coffee during March, or perhaps making a donation of some sort to the raffle we will have on Tuesday.

Check this out!

This is just to let you know that Kathleen informs us that the opening of the new apartment earlier went really well and that there was a lot of media interest. John Morahon, the Ambassador was really impressed with both the project and the day itself. The young people prepared all the food and gave interviews to the press. Kathleen made a speech which she delivered in Romanian! She's been practising for the past week and managed to get all her pronunciations correct. I think that deserves commendation also! Pictures of the occasion will be circulated when Kathleen gets back to base later in the week.

FVB are pleased to announce the recruitment of Alexandra who has just joined us to work on our new project in Constanta.  She is a qualified social worker and has experience of working with young people with disability both in Romania and abroad.

In partnership with the Local Authority Social Services Department in Constanta, FVB are bringing 4 young people with disability out of institutional care into the community where we will be working with them on their independent living skills and when they are ready, helping them to find employment.