As sponsors and players in the Annual American Ireland Fund Golf Classics, we can feel proud of our efforts to date in raising over $1,000,000.00 in revenues!

In association with an annual tournament at Clontarf Golf Club in Dublin, we have been able to provide significant financial support to several children's charities in Ireland.

· Bone Marrow - Leukemia Association:
Purchased two condominiums in Dublin next to St. James Hospital for parents and families of children undergoing treatment.

· Down Syndrome Association:
Purchased a five-bedroom home as a learning/recreational facility in Dublin for Down Syndrome children.

We also made a major financial contribution for a specially equipped van for the school transportation needs of Down Syndrome children. We are now supporting the Children's Bereavement Centre at St. Francis Hospice in Dublin.

This is a resource providing professional support to children whose parents, grandparents or loved ones are in terminal care at the Hospice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Message from the President and CEO of
The American Ireland Fund

Welcome to The American Ireland Fund Fourteenth Annual Golf Tournament at the Prestigious Charles River Country Club.

On behalf of everybody at The American Ireland Fund and particularly on behalf of those people you are supporting in Ireland, I thank you most sincerely for your support for this event. Quite simply we would be unable to impact upon so many organizations and people's lives in Ireland were it not for what you are doing at our golf classics. By supporting what The American Ireland Fund is doing you are also connecting with literally thousands of other people around the world who are driven by interest, concern and compassion.

From humble beginnings the Worldwide Ireland Funds have grown into a formidable global network that has raised over $150 million and funded over 1,000 projects throughout the island of Ireland, North and South. Ireland now holds greater hope for a strong and peaceful future than it has had for many years. Yes, much has changed for the better. But much more remains to be done. Today the financial needs of the projects supported by The American Ireland Fund are orders of magnitude greater than the amount we have to give. And for every project we support, The American Ireland Fund receives ten applicants for projects or programs that are equally worthy of funding. We must do more.

This is why The American Ireland Fund has set itself the target of raising $100 million in five years and why what you are doing today is so important. The title of the Campaign is "Hope and History", taken from Seamus Heaney's poem "The Cure At Troy".

"History says, 'Don't hope on this side of the grave', but then,
Once in a lifetime the longed-for tidal wave of Justice can raise up,
And Hope and History Rhyme."

To meet our $100 million goal we must join our minds, our friendships, our deepest convictions and our faiths. With your help we will succeed. I do hope that you enjoy this very special day at the Charles River Country Club - make every swing count for Ireland!

-Kingsley Aikins