New York Irish charity HOPe ready to gather again

HOPe (Helping Other People) was created 19 years ago by a group of Co. Kerry-born New Yorkers to provide financial aid to projects in South America and Africa.

The pandemic has taken a toll on many charitable organizations that have been unable to fundraise, but HOPe, the Irish-founded group which works in some of the world’s most impoverished spots, is ready to gather again for an in-person fundraiser next Tuesday, October 12, at Manhattan Manor above Rosie O’Grady’s on Seventh Avenue and West 52nd Street.

HOPe (Helping Other People) was created 19 years ago by a group of Co. Kerry-born New Yorkers including Patrick Buckley and Gerry O’Shea. Their aim was to provide both financial and on-the-ground support to projects in places such as Peru, Honduras, and Ethiopia. HOPe has raised well in excess of $1.5 million to help build clinics, schools, and homes for some of the world’s poorest, most vulnerable populations.

“We’ve had recent projects in Peru in particular, a pre-school and after-care facility with a kitchen for the kids. And since Covid it’s been so hard to fundraise for these incredibly worth projects,” HOPe President Attracta Lyndon told the Irish Voice.

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“We talked a lot about getting together for an event this month and decided we needed to do it. And we wouldn’t be able to without the generosity of Mike and Caroline Carty from Manhattan Manor who are donating the room and the food for free.”

HOPe volunteers, pre-Covid, would often travel to places where the group’s funds were allocated at their own expense. Some 95 percent of the money that HOPe raises goes directly to its humanitarian projects; the group’s members are all volunteers. Traveling abroad to countries with extremely low Covid vaccination rates will be impossible for now, but HOPe’s leadership will continue to send funding to various projects.

This year’s Celtic Spirit honorees are musicians Mickey Coleman and Erin Loughran. The event on the 12th starts at 6:30 p.m., with music provided by Sean Fleming. There are no tickets; guests can show up and provide a “hopefully” nice donation at the door.

“We’re very lucky to be living where we are, especially nowadays. So many people in the world aren’t nearly as fortunate, and they are the ones who need our help,” Lyndon said.

Visit HOPe Charity's website for more information.