Richard does his part for Down Syndrome and new pal, Adam
AS origin stories go, the tale of how a Keel bus driver helped to create a full-length fundraising CD for one of his favourite passengers is as heart-warming as they come.
Richard Prendergast, who drives the local school bus, met Adam Dunphy, who has Down Syndrome, when Richard would pick up Adams two sisters, Amy and Orla.
“Adam would be standing at the bus stop and he started coming to the door every morning with his mother and after a few mornings of this, I gave him a thumbs up and he gave me one back,” said Richard, talking to The Kerryman on Thursday.
“Every morning after this then, he was the first at the door waiting to give me thumbs up and greet me. After this then, I said to myself that I wanted to do something to help out the Down Syndrome services and because I was a singer years ago, the only thing I could think of doing was to make the CD, which I called ‘ Songs from the Past’,” he continued.
“There’s 12 tracks on the CD, there’s 11 tracks and one recitation, and once I had the idea for the CD, I got in contact with Pat Donegan from Pats Tracks Studio in Causeway and we got to working.”
Impressively, the CD was compiled in less than a day and having ordered 1,000 copies originally, Richard was delighted to be able to tell The Kerryman that as of Thursday, over 300 copies of the CD had been sold.
“There’s definitely going to be a few thousand euro heading to the Down Syndrome Kerry charity when it’s all said and done - I’m just happy to be doing my bit,” he finished.
The CD costs €10 to buy and is available to buy in a number of shops around various towns around the county, including Bensons Quickpick in Keel and to the 321 Down Syndrome Kerry shop on High Street in Tralee.
A great CD for a great cause.