Lunch with Liz: 1. Yasmin Velloza & Liz O’Donnell; 2. Bridget Cleary & Siobhan Mahon; 3. Siobhan Carnegie & Ailish Smith. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)
Over 160 supporters of Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International (CCI) came out in force to support an annual fundraising event organised by former Minister of State for Overseas Development and Board Director of CCI Liz O’Donnell at The Clarence Hotel, Dublin.
Along with Adi Roche, Liz greeted the many guests who represented the arts and culture, government and commercial sectors. The monies raised from ‘Liz’s Lunch’ will go to support life-saving cardiac surgeries for children on critical waiting lists in the Chernobyl regions.
Over 6,000 children are born every year with heart defects in Ukraine but only half of these children go on to receive surgery and survive beyond their first 2-3 years.
Professor Mark Redmond was one of the distinguished guests at the lunch. He had just returned from a life-saving cardiac mission in October and witnessed at first-hand the tremendous work of the volunteer surgical teams who work around the clock to save as many lives per mission as possible.
A glittering array of auction and raffle items included an exquisite gold and diamond mythology alphabet amulet and gold Saturn chain by Annoushka at Brown Thomas, jewellery by Deborah Veale, a tailored dress and coat by Roisin Leanne at the Design Centre and a wool and leather trim belted coat by Edun donated by Ali Hewson.
