Bonne Mere SEN Unit
Exercise equipment and arts and craft materials
Mauritus
Bonne Mere is a ‘Special Needs’ school and craft workshop accommodating children and young adults with Downs Syndrome and Autism. It is led by Mrs. Clairette Berque, supported by a wonderful team of staff with special needs training.
During our get-together with Clairette in January 2022, she advised us of the need for additional exercise equipment (bouncy balls, hula hoops, play tunnel, yoga mats, cones, etc.) for the school, and arts and craft materials (paints, brushes, canvas) for the workshop which we were most happy to provide; and we have been delighted to purchase and display in our house several of the excellent paintings and collages created by attendees at the workshop.
Digital tablets and headphones
We were intrigued to learn from Clairette her belief that tablets could effectively be used to stimulate active engagement among the pupils; we had naively assumed that such equipment would be too complicated for the children to operate – how wrong were we! Following our purchase of several tablets and stereo headsets, we were delighted to witness during our next visit to the school in September 2022 the children actively engaged with the various visual stimulus programs installed on the tablets.
“With the support of The Anderson Charitable Foundation we have been able to provide our students with a range of adapted tools that meet their specific needs, allowing them to achieve their full potential.”
Mrs. Clairette Berque
Principal, Bonne Mere SEN Integrated Unit
St. Julien Catholic Church
Mauritius
Christmas lunch and gift-giving
For Christmas 2022, we collaborated with Caritas (a NGO founded in Mauritius in 1965) ) and our local church by funding a lunch and gift-giving for underprivileged children in our region. We have agreed with Caritas that this will become an annual event which we shall support, and we look forward to providing a warm welcome to our region’s children-in-need in the years ahead.
For Christmas 2023, we continued our annual tradition of working in partnership with Caritas to provide underprivileged children in the region with a lunch, Christmas gift from Santa, and a party to celebrate this important event in the Christian calendar. Thanks, also, to the Annea family who provided the food for the occasion, which was enjoyed immensely
Easter gift-giving
To celebrate Easter weekend in 2024, our Foundation continued its collaboration with Caritas to provide 95 underprivileged children in the region with a chocolate Easter egg pack.
Cahercalla Community Care
Ennis, Ireland
We first met the team at Cahercalla Hospice in early 2004 and, being a leading institution in the area where we live to host people requiring end-of-life care, we were very keen to support their mission.
We committed to providing funds to Cahercalla Hospice via sponsoring a golf tournament at Dromoland Golf Club, Newmarket-on-fergus in October 2004, and all proceeds raised from the tournament go directly to the Hospice.
The appeal and attendance for our golf tournament has been so positive that we have held the event every year since 2004 at Dromoland Golf Club, and we shall continue to do so in the years ahead, together with the kind cooperation and support of the management team at Dromoland Castle Hotel & Golf Club.
“The Anderson Charitable Foundation has been a loyal and continuing supporter of the Board of Cahercalla in our endeavours to provide high quality care to our elderly and vulnerable residents. We are very grateful for this ongoing support, and look forward to maintaining and developing our relationship with this Foundation as we continue to provide for the needs of our community.”
Dr. Michael Harty
Chairman of Cahercalla
“Dromoland Castle members, together with sponsors Jacqui and Richard Anderson have been supporting Cahercalla Hospice since 2004; and we are proud to continue supporting such a worthy cause in the years ahead.”
Jimmy McManus & Katrina O’Neill
Captains, Dromoland Golf Club
Queen Victoria Junior Football Team
In March 2017, we purchased new football kit (Shirts, shorts, socks and boots) and training equipment for the junior team of our local village.
