Waterford's very first Rose of Assisi crowned in fundraiser pageant

Last Friday, September 4, saw the very first Rose of Assisi crowned in Waterford.

Mary Corcoran, the Ballybeg Rose, was named the Rose of Assisi in the first of many Rose of Assisi fundraisers held at the Mount Sion Centre.

Mary was described by the House of Assisi staff as the "kindest person", and as such a dancing queen that they often "literally have to dance her back to her chair to get her off the dance floor".

She was one of 10 contestants who took part in the fundraising competition, which raised over €6,000 for the day centre; a vital contribution to their services, Vivian Byrne, manager of Assisi House, told the Waterford News & Star.

With only a third of their funding coming from the HSE, and another third from their service users, Vivian said the centre has to raise an additional €30,000 a year in order to keep their doors open.

“So, it’s a big responsibility,” she said, “and if it wasn’t for getting support from the community and people coming and offering to do fundraisers for us...we’d be lost.” 

The night was a resounding success by all accounts, she told this newspaper, and it will return next year as a new annual fundraiser for the day centre staff and service users to raise vital funds and have a night of laughs all in one go.

"A lot of things are geared towards younger people in the community, so it was a lovely event for everyone to come along to," she added.

The evening couldn't have been such a success without the involvement and support from the local community, Vivian said, from Hazel Tebay, the mind behind the event, and her family donating spot prizes and helping with the set-up of the event, to Hazel herself performing on the night.

Local DJ Brendan Byrne also supplied tunes for the fundraiser, while a host of local businesses donated spot prizes for the raffle and the contestants.

Delaney's Flower Shop donated roses for each of the Roses of Assisi, along with a spot prize for the raffle, and Sheridan Trophies went "above and beyond" with trophies for each of the contestants.

"We had made up goodie bags for each entrant because they wanted everybody to get something, not just the winner. But it was Sheridan's Trophies who took it to the next level," Vivian said. "They made the trophy that I ordered much better, and they took photographs off our Facebook page and made individual trophies for each contestant. And they did that free of charge."

Votes were held for the rose selection in the week leading up to the event, with votes costing €1 each and tickets for the ceremony €10, all contributing to the day centre’s services supporting elderly people in Waterford.