This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
Local music group, The A Capella Knights, celebrated raising close to €50K for those facing homelessness in Galway through their annual ‘Knights Before Christmas’ concerts.
The talented A Capella group is made up of five local men; Francis Casey, Mike Davenport, Brian Hickey, Keith Davies and Gary McDonald. They have performed at, and hosted a number of fundraisers for local charities including their annual Christmas concert in aid of Galway Simon Community, which first took place in 2015. Over the years, this festive event has grown in popularity, with almost a thousand people in the audience at their latest concert in December last year.
Thanks to the support of the wider community, including other performers, business sponsors and generous raffle prize donors, the 2019 concert raised a total of €15,704.43, while cumulatively the group have donated close to a staggering €50K to Galway Simon Community.
As well as raising funds, the group also established the now well-known Simon Music Project, which comprises Galway Simon clients, volunteers, and staff members. Besides performing at the annual Christmas event hosted by The A Capella Knights, the Music Project is now widely in demand for many other local concerts throughout the year.
Karen Golden, CEO of Galway Simon Community, explained the impact of the group’s support over the years:
“The A Capella Knights have raised an incredible amount of money for Galway Simon Community, which has helped tremendously to support our homelessness prevention and homeless accommodation services here in Galway. They have also created a legacy that is the Galway Simon Music Project. Since its first year, the Music Project has been extremely popular and has now grown to over 50 members who meet regularly. This group has allowed our clients to not only grow in confidence, but in some cases to also tackle social isolation through coming together as a community”, Karen said.
100% of proceeds from the 2019 event will go to Galway Simon Community’s Health & Well-Being Fund, which directly supports the wellness of the people Galway Simon help by providing basic health treatments, therapeutic activities, counselling, educational & training support. One of the initiatives supported by this fund includes the Galway Simon Music Project.
“We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to The A Capella Knights for the extraordinary support they have shown Galway Simon Community over the last number of years, through both their fundraising and volunteering”, Karen added.
Planning for the next annual Christmas concert hosted by The A Capella Knights is already underway with the concert due to take place on the 19th December in the Galway Cathedral.
Monday 24th February 2020