Mike Corboy : looking out for the children

Mike Corboy, president of Corboy Investments Company of Dallas, Texas, is proud to point out that he is fourth-generation Irish - on both his mother's and his father's sides of the family.

Corboy has paid many visits to his ancestral homeland over the years, and has seen first-hand the crises and conflicts endured by its citizens. "There's still a great need in Northern Ireland," he says with conviction. "And above all, we need to look out for the children. That's my focus."

He has also witnessed first-hand the important work supported by The American Ireland Fund, and feels strongly that the organization is concentrating on the right priorities. "I don't know of another organization in the world that does a better job of funneling the funds to the right causes," he says. It was this conviction that led Corboy to make a generous gift of $500,000 to the AIF.

Corboy's involvement stretches back almost six years. As an active supporter of children's education in Dallas, Corboy was interested in the opportunities offered by AIF to support similar work in Ireland. "I've always admired what the AIF is doing for the children of Ireland, particularly Northern Ireland. I've been very impressed with the integrated schools of Northern Ireland - they've really had a great impact on me."

Why did Mike Corboy find himself compelled to give more than he had planned? He points to two reasons. First, the goals of these programs -- which work to bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant schoolchildren -- are truly inspiring. And second, the quality of the people on the ground in Ireland, giving of themselves and getting the job done: "The individuals involved -- like Bill Shaw with 174 Trust, and Jean Kelly with Speedwell Trust -- have done absolutely wonderful jobs. I don't know of two more dedicated people, on either side of the Atlantic, who are doing so many good things with so little money."

  Bill Walsh : A first-person testimony

Bill Walsh and his family recently made a $1 million gift to the American Ireland Fund. Here, Walsh speaks about what the Fund means to him, and how his family decided to participate in the AIF's work.

"The American Ireland Fund represented to our family an opportunity to participate in an active and meaningful way in on-going efforts to achieve a final resolution of the peace process underway in Northern Ireland.

"The Fund created opportunities for us to visit places like Belfast and Derry, so we could witness first-hand what was being accomplished, and listen to the hopes and dreams of the leaders. The Fund encourages us to talk to participants on the front line of projects designed to improve and enrich the lives of the Irish, especially the children of the North, both Protestant and Catholic.

"Against the backdrop of these hands-on experiences, we were glad we were able to make a major gift to The American Ireland Fund. We directed a significant portion of the gift to support two worthy projects, one in the North and one in the South. In the North we contributed to the establishment of a Poetry Corner in the name of Seamus Heaney, Ireland's Nobel Laureate of Poetry, at the University of Belfast. In the South we funded the establishment of a Chair in Classical Greek studies at Trinity College in Dublin. Finally, we desired to support financially those schools in the North that were educating children without regard to their religious affiliations.

"While the problems in the North are still far from overcome, this first generation American family thinks the American Ireland Fund is making an important difference and its efforts will be an integral part of the solution."

  Christopher "Kip" Condron :  thinking long term

Christopher "Kip" Condron, President and CEO of AXA Financial, has been a staunch supporter of The American Ireland Funds since the late 1980s. When asked why he supports the AIF, Condron replies without hesitation: "I've always been impressed with what The Ireland Funds have accomplished in Ireland. It has been extremely meaningful to me to go to Ireland in the last few years, and to see the sheer diversity of places where the money goes, and the number of people that it helps. Seeing the number of kids who are kept off of the streets because of the programs that AIF provides, and the number of unwed mothers who are taken care of - it's really moving."

Condron, who is also the treasurer of The American Ireland Fund, recently made a million-dollar gift to The American Ireland Fund. Condron notes that he is committing 25 percent of his gift to a long-term endowment. "I'd like to encourage others who are making gifts to do the same," he adds, "so that the Ireland Fund becomes more than just a conduit for making direct gifts. We'd like to create a long-term endowment for the funds, so that we're able to generate income that will be available wherever there is a need."

Condron was recently recognized for his outstanding dedication and generosity to the American Ireland Fund with the inaugural Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Leadership Award. The award was presented at The American Ireland Fund's 27th Annual New York Dinner Gala, a spectacular evening of music and dancing at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The event was the most successful in the history of the worldwide Ireland Funds, raising more than $1 million beyond the target goal of $2 million. Condron, as chief honoree, recalls it as a "wonderful, over-the-top, gratifying experience… and one that will be hard to replicate!"

  Dennis Durkin : Remembering a brother

Dennis Durkin, Senior Managing Director of Insignia/ESG in Philadelphia, recently made a gift to the AIF with his wife Audrey Durkin, in memory of Dennis' brother, Thomas J. Durkin. A pediatrician in the Philadelphia and Allentown areas, Tom died of cancer in the summer of 2001. Dennis recalls that Tom felt a deep connection to Ireland, and in fact was responsible for Dennis' own rediscovery of the country: "My brother had a great love for Ireland, and about seven years ago, he convinced me and my wife to visit the country. He knew that I enjoyed golfing - and the pub scene - and told me I would love it. He was right, and now we go all the time!"

To honor his brother's dedication to caring for children, Durkin that he would like the gift to benefit children, particularly in Northern Ireland, where he lived for several months during his college years. But he has stopped short of designating specific programs for the gift. "I have a tremendous faith in the Fund," he explains. "The AIF has a very sophisticated group that scrutinizes requests for money, and I think that they can do a better job designating where this gift can do the most good than somebody here in Philadelphia."

Durkin's involvement with the AIF stretches back several years, to an ill-fated golf tournament that was to be held in October of 2001. The kick-off cocktail reception was scheduled for September 11, 2001… and the rest is history. The tournament was eventually rescheduled for September of 2002, however, and was a tremendous success.

In the intervening months, Durkin was also invited to The Ireland Fund conference in Dublin. It was here, he says, that he first became interested in making a large gift. "Too often when you get involved in charities," he says, "you never really have a chance to see where the money is going. At the conference, we spent half a day at a school for court-adjudicated kids - and the experience really hit home. I talked it over with Audrey, and that was really the driver for our making this gift."