Cohasset Supports the Kinaffe School

We, the residents of Cohasset, have a unique opportunity to help not only a community in need but to support the people of Ukraine.

In March of 2022, the Kinaffe School in County Mayo, Ireland, faced imminent closure.

Rural depopulation over the last few decades has contributed to this sad situation. Then, everything changed for the school overnight as the nearby Breaffy Woods Hotel opened its doors and took on 300+ Ukrainian refugees.

Suddenly, the Kinaffe School had more than tripled its student body and welcomed 15 Ukrainian students. A school that had previously consisted of only 6 students and 1 teacher!

Their principal, Margaret Reilly (and extended family member of a local Cohasset family), shared that she felt there was now a future for her school that seemed to previously have no future. The school would now have the opportunity to be "part of living history" and feels that they now have a purpose. They have since hired additional teachers and the local children and Ukrainian children are being educated together within the school's three classrooms.

 

So what exactly is our mission?

Ms. Reilly has communicated with various community members here in Cohasset, particularly with Mr. Hank Kucinski (resident of South Main St., dad of 3 former Cohasset students and current coach of the 7th grade girls town lacrosse team). She has identified numerous needs that the school now has since accepting the responsibility of educating 15 refugee students.

 

They are:

1. Funds that would allow the school to purchase iPads to be used in the classrooms

2. Funds to purchase additional teaching materials (ie math tools and manipulatives, books, school supplies)

3. Funds to be used to take the children on field trips

4. Funds to be used to purchase food for snacks and lunches at school

5. Funds to be used to purchase sporting equipment (recess, playground, physical education)

 

This feels like the perfect challenge for our town to live up to our slogan: "small town, big impact." It's our goal to raise at least $10,000.00 to gift to the Kinaffe School to get them up and running in time for a fresh school year start in September, ready and well-equipped to serve their (newly) larger student body.  In order to do this, we intend to launch this fundraiser now in June and to end it on July 15th, 2022, in order to give the school sufficient time to use the funds to purchase all technology, equipment, clothing, etc. in time for their new school year in September.

Some important details:
Hank Kucinski has set up a Bank of America account separately for this fundraiser.  All proceeds from this GoFundMe will go directly into that account, which we will close on July 15th and then transfer all funds collected to the Kinaffe School's bank account.
Your donations through GoFundMe are not tax deductible; they are considered a "personal gift."

*If you have ANY questions at all about the Kinaffe School, this fundraiser, or how it's funds will be used for the Ukranian refugee children in County Mayo, please reach out to Hank or myself (Gina Swanberg).

If you're interested in reading more about what's happening at the Kinaffe School in Country Mayo:
Irish Times article 

And to listen to a radio interview with Principal Margaret Reilly:
RTE radio interview