Country music night in aid of Team Kerr
A Rathdrum woman is organising a country music night in Avoca later this month in support of a Northern Irish family’s efforts to help others in need.
Sandra O’Shaughnessy was inspired to help after meeting ‘Team Kerr’ at a running event in Wicklow in 2016. Sandra, David and their son Aaron Kerr will be travelling to England later this year to take part in the Manchester Marathon and raise further funds for their charity, Aaron’s Army. The charity purchases three-wheeled joggers for people with disabilities so that they can (as the charity’s motto goes) keep ‘running and rolling together’.
Sandra has organised a country music night featuring ‘Break Free’ in The Meetings, Avoca, on Friday, January 25. Doors will open at 8.30 p.m., there will be a raffle on the night and all proceeds will go towards Team Kerr and their trip to the Manchester Marathon in April
Aaron Kerr was born with chronic renal failure and his parents always knew that he would eventually need a kidney transplant. In October, Aaron received his transplant at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait too long on the transplant list as both Sandra and David put their names forward to be a donor. David was tested first and was a perfect match.
The family are on a mission to complete every county marathon in the country and have just Wexford, Tipperary, Laois and Sligo still outstanding.
A chance meeting with the family while they took part in the Wicklow Hospice Marathon at Avondale in 2016 inspired Sandra O’Shaughnessy to row in behind Team Kerr and Aaron’s Army.
‘I had the honour and privilege of meeting Aaron, David and Sandra at the Wicklow Hospice Marathon in Avondale and, on the day, I got a massive hug from Aaron. I was so delighted to meet the family and talk to them for a while,’ said Sandra.
Aaron’s Army is a non-profit and relies solely on donations from the public.